Adrian Goldberg questions ‘ludicrous’ scenario West Brom face in February
Adrian Goldberg has questioned the “ludicrous” decision to pack in so many fixtures in February and fears West Brom could pay the price.
Albion are due to play six Championship matches next month, while they could potentially have a couple of FA Cup ties to factor in.
West Brom have already lost a number of players to injuries – a situation broadcaster Goldberg can only see getting worse in the coming weeks.
“When you look at February, we’ve got a ridiculous set of fixtures,” he said on The Liquidator podcast [21 January, 27m 45s].
“I really do believe the demands on players, particularly now we’re playing 96 and 97 minutes in games, is utterly ridiculous.
“There’s five games in 16 days – I thinks that’s ludicrous. It also puts demands on fans in terms of finances.
“For the players, bearing in mind the injuries, it is a pretty threadbare situation and we will struggle to cover the gaps.”
Crazy
The fixture schedule does seem to be pretty bizarre in that so many games have been crammed into December and February.
Between 3 February and 24 February, West Brom will play Birmingham City, Ipswich Town, Cardiff City, Southampton, Plymouth Argyle and Hull City.
There could easily be an FA Cup fourth-round replay with Wolves to factor in next month, plus a fifth-round tie should the Baggies overcome their fierce rivals.
That really will push the players to their limits, and it is not exactly like Carlos Corberan has a big squad to choose from right now.
While April and May is considered the business end of the campaign, February really will be make or break for Albion given there are 18 points on the line.
We can expect plenty of rotating from Corberan over that period, and supporters will have to take that into consideration if key players are left out every now and then.
If Corberan can keep the Baggies in the play-off mix come the end of that gruelling run, then his reputation will only have been enhanced even further.
In other West Brom news, a journalist has shared an “extremely limited finances” view with regards to Albion’s transfer business.
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