ITV pundits react to West Brom incidents in Norwich draw that upset Steve Bruce
ITV pundits Dean Ashton and Sam Parkin dismissed the incidents that left Steve Bruce feeling aggrieved in the West Brom draw at Norwich.
The Baggies, coming into the game off the back of a miserable derby defeat in midweek to Birmingham (14 September) produced a much better performance to finish 1-1 against the Canaries who had won their previous six matches.
Dara O’Shea had headed Albion into a ninth-minute lead, but John Swift felt he should have had a first-half penalty when he went down in the box after contact from Grant Hanley, before the home side’s leveller, when Teemu Pukki’s shot deflected in off Sam Byram, drew protests for both handball and offside from the visitors, leaving Bruce cursing his luck at full-time.
“Some big decisions go against us, and when your lucks down this is what happens. I thought we should have had a penalty, and the goal for me, where I’m standing, it looks handball,” he said after the final whistle, but Parking and Ashton weren’t interested.
Speaking on ITV4’s English Football League Highlights on Saturday (17 September, 15mins) Parkin said: “This one [the Byram goal], we think that this is onside. [Grady] Diangana, out of the picture, is on the deck so potentially that was the right decision.
“And this isn’t a penalty for me. There’s a coming together. I think Swift is probably looking for it. Hanley doesn’t do a lot wrong, that’s not a penalty.”
Ashton jumped in to add: “No, Swift saw it, he’s already on the way down. He’s almost bouncing in to bounce off I think. Hanley’s a big fella as well, there wasn’t anything for me [in that].
“And Sam Byram again, it looks like it hits his chest for me.”
Convenient
It is a huge cliche in football but the decisions would surely have drawn more scrutiny were the Baggies not languishing just above the relegation zone.
The Swift penalty claim was fairly soft but it would not have been an absolute shock to see it given when they have been awarded for less.
And while the equaliser looks fairly clearly offside on first viewing it is plausible that Diangana is playing him on based on where he goes to ground before moving out of shot.
However, the handball claim looks far more questionable and it will be doubly irritating for Bruce and the West Brom fans for the question to be so easily waved away by both the officials on the day and the pundits in the ITV studio.
This Albion side are frequently guilty of not helping themselves this season in games where they have done enough to win but fail to close a game out when they are in the ascendency.
But with the manager’s job coming under increasing pressure it doesn’t help him or the team at all when they do raise their performance only to see luck go against them in this way.
A creditable point still leaves them in 21st place in the Championship, when a win could have kickstarted a much-needed revival.
In other West Brom news, it has become clear whether Ron Gourlay plans to sack Bruce during the international break.