West Brom: 'Unfair' Carlos Corberan verdict shared after desperate developments

Don Goodman insists it is "unfair" to suggest anything other than reaching the play-offs this season would be a failure for West Brom and Carlos Corberan.

The Baggies have spent 19 of the past 20 matchdays in the top six, including each of the past 16 in fifth place.

However, Albion's 2-0 loss to Southampton on Friday (16 February) and subsequent results elsewhere over the weekend means the gap on the chasing pack has closed to to just a point.

Even if they were to finish lower than sixth this season, however, Goodman does not believe West Brom should be criticised.

"I certainly wouldn't say anything less than top six is a failure - that would be unfair on the group and it would be unfair on Carlos Corberan," he told West Brom News.

"At the end of the day, I didn't expect them to be in the top six before a ball was kicked. They're having a really, really good season.

"From their perspective, having now cemented themselves in the top six, to fall out of it now would be massively disappointing.

"But it certainly wouldn't be a failure given the financial climate at the football club."

Reflecting on West Brom's chances of promotion now that the transfer window has closed, Goodman said: "Their transfer window went pretty much the way I expected it to go.

"In reality, they had no funds to invest and were desperately trying to hang on to their best players. In that regard, when you consider they added some players, it was really positive.

"Andreas Weimann is someone who, if operating at the quality he had a couple of seasons ago, is a player who can make a real impact as we have already seen.

"Callum Marshall is someone you'd imagine has some pedigree given the club he's come from some there's cause for optimism there."

Championship promotion race living up to usual hype

After a pretty underwhelming start to the campaign in which Albion won just two of their first eight games, since then they have been consistent enough to move into the top six and stay there.

Corberan's men have been marooned in fifth place for a number of months now, with too big a gap on the top four and also fairly comfortably ahead of the teams from sixth and below.

However, two wins from the past five matches has opened the door for the chasing pack to close in, and close in they have.

Heading into the midweek round of action, Albion are just one point ahead of Coventry City, Norwich City and Hull City, while Preston North End in ninth are two points further back.

If it is a particularly bad matchday, the Baggies could find themselves a couple of places outside the top six.

The Championship play-off battle is a marathon not a sprint, as we all know, and Albion have showed more than enough consistency so far to prove they are capable of staying above that dotted line.

In other West Brom news, a 40,000-capacity Hawthorns upgrade has been mooted following the takeover.

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