West Brom risk breaking ghastly 26-year record against Watford
West Brom have to recover quickly from the heartache they suffered against Bristol City in midweek when they return to The Hawthorns.
Albion host Watford this Saturday (12 April) in a contest which could either revive the top-six hopes for Tony Mowbray’s men, or destroy them.
The Baggies have three home clashes and just two away games remaining, with the proverbial ‘six-pointer’ against Coventry coming after Watford, and then three fixtures against sides battling to stay in the Championship. It is a run-in filled with obstacles.
West Brom have to break duck against Watford
West Brom’s emotions after the Bristol City contest just about summed up their fortune in recent weeks. That moment deep into injury time when Haydon Roberts eked a shot past Josh Griffiths just seemed in slow-motion.
Griffiths had a fantastic game up until that point, and Albion were let down by players elsewhere such as Jayson Molumby – whose stupid late red card with the game still level now rules him out for the next three.
With three defeats on the spin and only one win in seven, Albion appear to be regressing from their initial performances under Tony Mowbray. They look lost and confused, and are now eighth in the table – five points outside the play-offs.
The Baggies are not only now firm outsiders, but defeat to Watford would be the first time outside the Premier League that they will have lost four consecutive matches in the 21st century – more specifically in 26 years (Express & Star, 11 April).
An unwanted record put aside in a box from 1999 could be the ghost that returns at a horrid point of the season for West Brom, who face a Watford side now just a point adrift of them in 10th.
Mowbray could face summer pressure if form continues
Mowbray is a hugely successful historical West Brom manager and will subsequently be afforded more emotional leeway from many sections of the support.
An admired individual no matter what, the Baggies boss has just seemed to lose the performances of a fragmented squad. There is an identity he wants to play – free-flowing, expansive football supplemented by plenty of attacking firepower. However, we are simply not seeing it.
| Tony Mowbray – current WBA spell | Total |
| Matches | 14 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Draws | 4 |
| Losses | 6 |
Since the start of February, West Brom have scored more than once in a game on just two occasions. The discipline has been poor, and Mowbray has unnecessarily put a few square pegs in round holes.
It’s certainly not panic stations on his job just yet, but firm conversations will have to be held over the summer months if Albion’s evaporating play-off push continues to nosedive.