Roker Report - West Bromwich Albion Vs Sunderland: As It HappenedSunderland AFC's foremost blog and Podcast!https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51357/rr-fav.png2013-02-25T10:00:02+00:00http://rokerreport.sbnation.com/rss/stream/37845972013-02-25T10:00:02+00:002013-02-25T10:00:02+00:00Quick Kicks: Reaction From WBA 2-1 Sunderland
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<figcaption>Chris Brunskill</figcaption>
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<p>Sunderland slumped to their third defeat in a row at WBA thanks to a Romelu Lukaku brace. Here is what we made of it.</p> <h4><b>What The Gaffer Said</b></h4>
<p>It was a bullish and upbeat Martin O'Neill that <i>safc.com</i> caught up with after the game.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I thought we should have got something from the game; we created a lot of chances.</p>
<p>We conceded a goal from a penalty and the second [goal] was bizarre.</p>
<p>We didn't have a great deal of luck in and around the penalty area ourselves and we should have taken more from what Stephane Sessegnon created. He scored a great goal himself.</p>
<p>Stephane was excellent today; top-quality in the second half.</p>
<p>I thought we should have had a penalty kick just before half time, but it wasn't given.</p>
<p>For the second goal Titus [Bramble] should have seen the ball out instead of playing it blindly back to the goalkeeper - the clearance has hit the player and it's in the back of the net.</p>
<p>That was obviously a major setback at that stage of the game, but we got back into it and still had enough chances to get an equaliser, which I think we would have deserved, without doubt.</p>
<p>We had a couple of good chances at the end. It's really disappointing. We came here with confidence following the Arsenal game two weeks ago.</p>
<p>We should have capitalised on the chances we created.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It wasn't the most inspiring performance but I can see some justification for O'Neill's comments.</p>
<p>WBA certainly had the better of open play, but Sunderland hit the post, had a very strong penalty claim turned away, and missed a couple of big chances towards the end. On the balance of chances, we probably should have taken something from the game.</p>
<h4><b>Ref!?</b></h4>
<p>We do this feature every week and we very seldom even mention the ref, let alone complain about him, but this week it is difficult to not mention him.</p>
<p>I have absolutely no problem if he wants to deem the ball striking Gardner's hand in the box a penalty kick. Fair enough. The handball rule is ambiguous to say the least.</p>
<p>But the fact remains that IF that was deemed a handball, then Adam Johnson's near-identical penalty claim just before half time has to be as well.</p>
<p>Personally, I suspect that he was more inclined to give the WBA one due to seeing them put the ball in the net seconds after he stopped play to award them a free kick. He was ‘evening things up'. It is just about the only explanation I can fathom.</p>
<h4><b>Battered Bramble Breaks</b></h4>
<p>I felt a bit sorry for Titus Bramble in a sense. I certainly wouldn't want to face Romelu Lukaku on that kind of form and you'd have to doff your cap and say that the Belgian Behemoth absolutely bossed it.</p>
<p>It was probably fitting that the moment he broke and gifted Lukaku the second goal proved to be the decisive moment of the game because in many ways that battle was the key one.</p>
<p>I didn't feel sufficient sympathy for Bramble to brush it under the carpet and move on without comment, though. At the end of the day, he wasn't beaten for skill, physically overpowered, or simply outclassed. He just lost his concentration and did something stupid.</p>
<p>That last sentence sums up his entire career and demonstrates precisely why he cannot be relied upon and should form no part of the club's future beyond this summer.</p>
<h4><b>Early Graham/Fletcher Impressions</b></h4>
<p>It is difficult to take too much from one game together, but the early signs look promising enough.</p>
<p>The way they combined for Fletcher's shot that bounced off the post was probably pretty close to how Martin O'Neill envisages the partnership working, with Graham occupying defenders allowing Fletcher to get more time and space facing the goal.</p>
<p>Moving forward, who knows what will happen. The system may well change next week again and a new dynamic being discussed here. I won't mind that - so long as they continue to start games together.</p>
<h4><b>Wide Players Criticized, But...</b></h4>
<p>Some of the most vehement criticisms from Saturday from fans was reserved for the wide players, particularly Adam Johnson who failed to really get into the game. I think some of it is reasonable enough. We do need more from Johnson.</p>
<p>That said, if the flanks are to be utilized properly then they have to be considered a partnership between wingers and full backs, and the latter just don't do enough to help.</p>
<p>I appreciate Colback and Gardner are not natural full backs and they are doing their best for the team, but such a simple thing as getting themselves around the outside on the overlap of their wingers just running a man away would make such a big difference.</p>
<p>Neither are great athletes and both are probably worried about an inability to get back should the play break down. If you want to see the difference that full backs can make though you just have to look at the difference in Sessegnon's game against Arsenal when he was switched to the left with Danny Rose behind him.</p>
<p>So we can criticize the wingers all we want, but the fact remains that until the full back positions are addressed, we will never see the best of them no matter who they are.</p>
<p></p>
https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2013/2/25/4026724/quick-kicks-thoughts-and-reaction-from-west-bromwich-albion-2-1michaelgraham2013-02-23T18:10:33+00:002013-02-23T18:10:33+00:00Match Report: West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Sunderland
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<p>West Brom are fast becoming a bogey team for Sunderland as we crashed to yet another defeat at the Hawthorns.</p> <p>West Brom inflicted a third consecutive defeat on Sunderland at the Hawthorns and the men in red and white have only themselves to blame. Wasteful in front of goal and desperately poor at the back, the Wearsiders were second best on the day and deserved to lose but had they not gifted Albion their second, Martin O'Neill's men may well have come away with a much needed point.</p>
<p>Sunderland were the better side for the opening 20 minutes or so, knocking the ball around confidently and precisely. Sessegnon started on the right, with Johnson on the left and it was the Benin international who won a corner that almost led to the opening goal. Whipped in by Johnson, John O'Shea's header was kept out but the Irishman was adamant it had crossed the line. The officials disagreed and the game remained 0-0.</p>
<p>Sunderland had the better of a scrappy opening but there were ominous signs on the odd occasion the home side put together attacks. Lukaku was already proving to be a menace, bullying Sunderland and a poor header wide from a Ridgewell cross was merely a warning of what lay ahead.</p>
<p>However, it was Sunderland who carved open the first real chance in the 24<sup>th</sup> minute. Some great support work by Graham resulted in a fine left footed strike by Steven Fletcher hitting the far post. The Scottish striker side footed the ball looking for precision and was unlucky not to score. The attack didn't end there though, as Johnson closed down Steven Reid and his block fell to Danny Graham who was denied by Foster in the Albion goal. The ball rebounded to Steven Fletcher who ballooned the ball over the bar.</p>
<p>It was to be the end of Sunderland as an attacking force in the first half. Within 2 minutes West Brom had their act together and should really have taken the lead. Mulumbu failed to connect with a left wing cross properly when he should have scored. Lukaku was instrumental in the build-up to that chance and minutes later he had the ball in the back of the net. Luckily for Sunderland the referee had blown the whistle for an infringement on the edge of the box. Had he not, Sunderland would have been 1-0 down. The subsequent free kick was smacked into the wall by Steven Reid. Another let off.</p>
<p>The man on loan from Chelsea wouldn't have to wait much longer to open his account for the afternoon. In the 33<sup>rd</sup> minute, Gardner was adjudged to have handled a cross from the West Brom left. It looked harsh. The Brummie full back was only a few yards away from the ball and his arm was stuck out as he jumped. Despite Sunderland protestations, Lukaku put the ball on the spot and comfortably beat his countryman Mignolet, stroking the ball home.</p>
<p>Naturally, West Brom were lifted by the goal. Bramble fouled Long and the Irishman should have done better when the ball was swung in from the resulting free kick. Sunderland were let off again as he headed over when criminally left free in the box. By contrast, Sunderland had a free kick on the half way line, which was chucked into the box only for a red and white shirt to be caught offside.</p>
<p>West Brom continued to threaten. Long headed over again while Sunderland's defenders continued to struggle with Lukaku. The Black Cats did muster a chance before the end of the half though. Some good play by Gardner down the right led to Fletcher picking the ball up deep and spreading it wide to Johnson. The winger twisted and turned before shooting. The block looked like handball. There wasn't too much difference between this incident and the one that led to the West Brom penalty but Sunderland's luck was out. In truth, Sunderland were probably fortunate not to find themselves further behind by half time.</p>
<p>Sunderland began the second half as they had started the first and looked bright for the opening 10 minutes. Stephane Sessegnon should really have done better at the back post following a Sebastian Larsson corner flicked on by John O'Shea. With the goal gaping he was caught by surprise and his instinctive left foot effort went to the far post and was cleared by Mulumbu. Had he connected properly, he would surely have scored.</p>
<p><br> This spell of dominance continued and N'Diaye swung a lovely ball over in the 55<sup>th</sup> minute but Danny Graham was unable to connect properly on the stretch. This was followed by a poor Steven Fletcher effort after good build up play. He struck a tame effort from outside the box, which was easily blocked by the West Brom defence when Adam Johnson was in acres of space to his left. Not long after, a great cross from Gardner just evaded Danny Graham.</p>
<p><br> Meanwhile West Brom continued to dominate in the air with Olsson heading over from a free kick. Titus Bramble's poor afternoon showed no signs of ending and he was perhaps lucky to escape a second booking on the hour. Given what was to follow later, his dismissal might actually have assisted Sunderland.</p>
<p>More sloppy play from Sunderland presented more chances for the dangerous Lukaku. A poor ball from Bramble was easily taken away from a surprised Larsson and the Belgian shrugged off Gardner's challenge before lashing a shot at Mignolet who saved well. In fairness to Titus, he made an excellent block on 68 minutes after more excellent West Brom build up play. Morrison would almost certainly have scored if it wasn't for Bramble's presence and challenge.</p>
<p>At the other end the enigmatic Sessegnon went on a mazy run before crossing from the left. Unfortunately it looped up off the defender's challenge missing Sunderland's strikers. Johnson failed to control on the edge of the box and the attack ended.</p>
<p>It was to be Sunderland's last foray forward before West Brom extended their lead to 2-0. O'Shea dove in on Lukaku who easily scampered away from him. The ball ended up with Bramble who played a shockingly under hit back pass in the direction of Mignolet. Lukaku raced after it and Mignolet's attempted clearance crashed back off the West Brom striker and into the net. A disaster for Sunderland.</p>
<p>Sunderland then brought on McClean and Vaughan for Johnson and Larsson. Both would have an impact in the closing stages but it was Sessegnon who had Sunderland's next chance, showing more brilliant dribbling skills before firing through legs only to see his shot well saved by Foster.</p>
<p>It would be the Benin international who scored Sunderland's only goal of the afternoon in the 79<sup>th</sup> minute. James McClean had already had a positive impact up until this point and his run and cross eventually found its way to the edge of the box. Sessegnon placed a lovely shot - with a hint of a deflection - past Ben Foster. Sunderland were back in it with 10 minutes still to play.</p>
<p>More good attacking play from Sunderland soon after resulted in a Sessegnon shot being smashed over the bar from outside the box. From the sublime to the awful in the space of the 3 minutes. West Brom were a constant threat at the other end and another piece of bad defending from Bramble - this time a weak headed clearance - led to a cracking Brunt shot, which was superbly saved by Mignolet.</p>
<p>Odemwingie had come on for Lukaku to some boos from the home fans and almost scored for West Brom. This being Sunderland, it was a surprise his left foot shot crept wide rather than into the bottom corner.</p>
<p>In the 89<sup>th</sup> minute Vaughan had a decent shot saved by Foster but it was left to James McClean to miss Sunderland's last and best chance. In the final minute of added on time he blazed over the bar. Despite generally having a positive impact, it's this lack of quality that lets the Irishman down all too often.</p>
<p>Another defeat then and a result that leaves Sunderland just 5 points above the bottom 3 and in need of an improved performance and 3 points against Fulham at the Stadium of Light next weekend.</p>
<p><i>We'll have further match reaction and reports right <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rokerreport.com/2013/2/23/4020556/west-bromwich-albion-vs-sunderland-live-coverage-match-report-final-score">HERE</a> in our Match Stream.</i></p>
https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2013/2/23/4020566/match-report-west-bromwich-albion-sunderland-final-score-premier-league-2013CraigClark2013-02-23T17:24:39+00:002013-02-23T17:24:39+00:00West Bromwich Albion Vs Sunderland: Player Ratings
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<figcaption>Scott Heavey</figcaption>
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<p>After every game we recap and review the performances of each Sunderland player. To find out what we made of today's performers at the Hawthorns then here you go.</p> <h4>
<span>Simon Mignolet</span> - 7</h4>
<p>Enjoyed a quiet first half despite picking the ball out of the net following Lukaku's spot kick. Showed good hands to pluck a floated freekick out of the air from a crowded penalty area midway through the half. Went on to keep Sunderland in the game in the second half with a string of good saves and was desperately unlucky with West Brom's second goal.</p>
<h4>
<span>Craig Gardner</span> - 5</h4>
<p>Was adjudged to have blocked Ridgewell's cross his his left arm, a debatable decision as how exactly is a footballer supposed to gather momentum to get off the turf and it wasn't as if the Sunderland fullback moved his arm deliberately to block the cross. One off those decisions that annoy when given against you but frustrate when you miss out on a similar decision, as Sunderland seemed to later in the half. Did little of real note in the second half except get further forward than <span>Adam Johnson</span> when he was finally moved back to the right hand side, which doesn't really take much effort.</p>
<h4>
<span>John O'Shea</span> - 5</h4>
<p>Felt aggrieved to have not been awarded a goal having met a near post corner with a downward header early in the first half as Sunderland piled on the pressure. Was forced to endure a constant barrage from Lukaku, along with the rest of the Sunderland defence and will no doubt be licking his wounds in the dressing room.</p>
<h4>
<span>Titus Bramble</span> - 5</h4>
<p>Was booked for a cynical/professional foul in the first half as <span>Shane Long</span> looked to have skipped past the sizable central defender. Rather than go into the second half treading carefully on thin ice the central defender seemed to stomp his way through the opening minutes and was lucky to be on the pitch following a foul on Shane Long. Following that it was standard Bramble, made a fantastic goal saving clearance one minute before failing to punt a routine clearance into the stand the next, electing to opt for a ridiculous back pass, which was never on, and led to West Brom's second goal.</p>
<h4>
<span>Jack Colback</span> - 5</h4>
<p>Fairly quiet game from Jack, did little wrong and offered little going forward until the final moments when his cross to the back post would eventually create a last-gasp chance for the side.</p>
<h4>
<span>Alfred N'Diaye</span> - 6</h4>
<p>Started the game really well and was at the heart of <a href="https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sunderland's</a> early dominance, especially his early surge and cross from the right wing. Put a fantastic ball into the area from the left wing in the second half, something Adam Johnson seemed unable to manage, which nearly fell perfectly to <span>Danny Graham</span>. Would later disappointingly screw a cross from the right side high into the stand behind the goal when there were a number of options to pick out in the box.</p>
<h4>Seb Larsson - 4</h4>
<p>Quite why O'Neill persists with Larsson in the middle is beyond me. Looked well out of his depth against West Brom's powerhouse of a midfield. Lost possession a number of times in the second half, one of which led to a good chance for Lukaku, surprise surprise, which Mignolet had to do well to push away. I know Sunderland are desperately missing their captain in the middle of the park but if Larsson is the solution to that problem then I am really, really worried.</p>
<h4>
<span>Stephane Sessegnon</span> - 7</h4>
<p>Sessegnon put in a standard Sess-esq performance in the first half where he looked like he may be able to unlock the West Brom defence but more often than not slowed down proceedings by putting his foot on the ball. The second half however was a different story all together as O'Neill seemed to let him of the leash. If Sunderland were to get anything from the game it looked like Sessegnon would be the source and his persistence finally paid off as he picked up a loose ball in the Baggies box and deftly fired it home.</p>
<h4>Adam Johnson - 5</h4>
<p>Struggled to get into the game on the left hand side of the pitch. Did manage to skip into the area just before the first half came to a close and his driven effort across goal seemed to strike the arm of McAuley, nothing given by the officials although it would have been hard to spot and in fairness the Baggies' players arm was by his side. Apart from that it was another disappointing performance from a player we, quite rightly, expect a lot more from.</p>
<h4>
<span>Steven Fletcher</span> - 6</h4>
<p>Was unlucky not to open the scoring when his deft, left footed caress of the football following some nice buildup play on the edge of the area with Graham came back of the foot of the post. Other than that it was a frustrating afternoon for the forward as Sunderland failed to create enough for their forwards.</p>
<h4>Danny Graham - 6</h4>
<p>Starved of service at times during the first half but did show good awareness and a nice touch to set up Steven Fletcher for his early chance which struck the post. Was unfortunate not to connect better with N'Diaye's cross in the second half and was inches away from following up on a <span>David Vaughan</span> shot before <span>Ben Foster</span> rescued his side and gathered the loose ball.</p>
<h4>
<span>James McClean</span> - 6</h4>
<p>Showed more desire and drive on the left hand side during his cameo than Adam Johnson managed all afternoon. His jinking run and cross just after coming on led to Sessegnon's goal. Almostbagged his side a draw as he smashed a late half-chance over the bar. Certainly gave his manager something to think about.</p>
<h4>David Vaughan - 5</h4>
<p>Did relatively OK following his introduction to the game and managed to force a save out of Foster which almost lead to a goal with Danny Graham unlucky not to latch onto the rebound. Worth a shot in the middle going forward? Can't do any worse than Larsson.</p>
<h4>Man of the Match - Stephane Sessegnon</h4>
<p>While any Sunderland player was nothing more than a sideshow in today's Romelu Lukaku Show, Stephane Sessegnon seemed the most likely player in a red and white shirt to make something happen, especially in the second half. Deserved his goal for his efforts.</p>
<p>Simon Mignolet came a very close runner-up to this prestigious award with a string of second half saves to keep his side in the game.</p>
<p>Toss a coin and decide yourself.</p>
<p><i>Over the weekend we'll have more reaction from the game so keep checking back into our Match Stream, <a href="http://www.rokerreport.com/2013/2/23/4020556/west-bromwich-albion-vs-sunderland-live-coverage-match-report-final-score" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</i></p>
https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2013/2/23/4020572/west-bromwich-albion-vs-sunderland-player-ratingsDavid Boyle2013-02-23T14:21:39+00:002013-02-23T14:21:39+00:00West Brom Vs Sunderland: Confirmed Lineups
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<figcaption>Kiyoshi Ota</figcaption>
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<p>The teams are in from the Hawthorns today, so if you want to know whether or not Martin O'Neill has ventured into two upfront territory then look no further.</p> <p>Martin O'Neill handed a first start to Danny Graham in a generally attacking line-up. The former Swansea striker will form some kind of partnership - the nature of which we can't really say at the moment - with Steven Fletcher.</p>
<p>Injuries to Danny Rose and Lee Cattermole also meant a return to the centre of midfield for Seb Larsson, with Jack Colback dropping back into defence.</p>
<p><b>Sunderland (4-2-3-1): </b>Simon Mignolet; Craig Gardner, Titus Bramble, John O'Shea, Jack Colback; Seb Larsson, Alfred N'Diaye; Stephane Sessegnon, Steven Fletcher, Adam Johnson; Danny Graham.</p>
<p><b>Substitutes:</b> Keiren Westwood, Phil Bardsley, Kadar Mangane, David Vaughan, James McClean, Carlos Cuellar, Matthew Kilgallon.</p>
<p>Meanwhile Steve Clarke sprung something of a surprise by naming both of his top strikers in the starting line-up, meaning that the Sunderland defence are faced with the daunting task of finding a way to contain both Lukaku and Long.</p>
<p>Scourge of Sunderland and deadline day rebel Peter Odemwingie was named as a substitute.</p>
<p><b>West Bromwich Albion (4-4-2):</b> Ben Foster; Steven Reid, Gareth McAuley, Jonas Olsson, Liam Ridgewell; James Morrison, Claudio Yacob, Youssouf Mulumbu, Chris Brunt; Romelu Lukaku, Shane Long</p>
<p><b>Substitutes:</b> Boaz Myhill, Billy Jones, Peter Odemwingie, Gabriel Tamas, Markus Rosenberg, Graham Dorrens, Marc-Antoine Fortune.</p>
<p><i>Follow all the action from the game today with us. We'll be tweeting live on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/RokerReport/" target="_blank">@RokerReport</a> as well as bringing reports and reaction right <a href="http://www.rokerreport.com/2013/2/23/4020556/west-bromwich-albion-vs-sunderland-live-coverage-match-report-final-score" target="_blank">HERE</a> in our Match Stream.</i></p>
https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2013/2/23/4020562/west-bromwich-albion-vs-sunderland-confirmed-lineupsmichaelgraham2013-02-22T15:00:07+00:002013-02-22T15:00:07+00:00Preview: Black Cats Hoping To End Hawthorns Hoodoo
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<figcaption>Michael Regan</figcaption>
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<p>Sunderland travel to West Bromwich Albion tomorrow, hoping to end a dismal run against Steve Clarke's men. The Baggies have been victorious in five of their last six games against the Black Cats, and Martin O'Neill will be hoping his side can vastly improve upon the 0-4 hammering that came their way in this fixture a year ago.</p> <p><b style="font-size: 1.25em;">Sunderland Team News</b></p>
<p>On-loan full-back Danny Rose will not feature, with parent club Spurs having taken the youngster back to London to assess the reoccurrence of his hamstring injury that saw him removed against Arsenal two weeks ago.</p>
<p>Captain Lee Cattermole will miss out. The skipper's knee remains a problem for the Black Cats' divisive midfielder. David Vaughan, who may have expected to fill in for Cattermole, is also out through injury.</p>
<p>Elsewhere, many are waiting tentatively to see whether or not Danny Graham is afforded his first start in red and white. Graham has featured from the bench in the previous two games against Reading and Arsenal but, following Steven Fletcher's recent comments about being comfortable with no longer playing as a lone striker, it would be no great surprise to see Graham make his full debut at The Hawthorns.`</p>
<h4><b>West Bromwich Albion Team News</b></h4>
<p>Defender Goran Popov will miss out, as the Macedonian international serves his second game of a three match ban for spitting at Kyle Walker in the recent 0-1 defeat to Spurs.</p>
<p>Peter Odemwingie, who caused himself much embarrassment, could be due a return to the starting lineup. Odemwingie's teammates appear to have forgiven the striker for his attempt to force a move to QPR - in spite of a reported training ground bust-up with Steven Reid, and manager Steve Clarke is said to be considering the Nigerian's inclusion tomorrow.</p>
<p>Romelu Lukaku is one who is hoping to start in front of Odemwingie. Having scored from the bench in the win at Liverpool, Lukaku is looking to displace Shane Long.</p>
<p>Injury-wise, the Baggies are relatively free from worry. Youssouf Mulumbu came back from a knee injury in the Anfield victory without any trouble, and is expected to start again against Sunderland.</p>
<h4><b>Predicted Lineups</b></h4>
<p><b>Sunderland: </b>Mignolet; Gardner, Colback, Bramble, O'Shea; Johnson, Sessegnon, N'Diaye, Larsson; Fletcher; Graham</p>
<p><b>West Brom: </b>Foster; Reid, Ridgewell, Olsson, McAuley; Dorrans, Brunt, Morrison, Mulumbu, Yacob; Long</p>
<h4><b>Key Matchup: Alfred N'Diaye vs Youssouf Mulumbu</b></h4>
<p>The battle of two midfield powerhouses will be key this weekend. Last year at The Hawthorns, Sunderland found themselves unable to combat the Baggies in midfield, and Mulumbu's presence could see similar occur tomorrow. The Congolese international is arguably what Sunderland will hope Alfred N'Diaye matures into - strong in the tackle, positionally aware and capable of getting forward and creating chances. Indeed, Mulumbu has created no fewer than 18 chances in the league for his side this season.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.rokerreport.com/2013/2/14/3984494/alfred-ndiaye-a-tactical-analysis" target="_blank">As my own recent piece covered</a>, N'Diaye is capable of getting into promising attacking positions himself. However, without Lee Cattermole, Sunderland will be lacking an element of steel and grit in central midfield, and it will be to the young Frenchman that they turn. As the aforementioned article also covered, N'Diaye has shown his ability to do good defensive work not just in front of his own defence, but higher upfield too. If he can do this tomorrow against Mulumbu, he could go a long way to negating one of the home side's biggest threats.</p>
<h4><b>Recent Form: LDLLW</b></h4>
<p>Loss: West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Queen's Park Rangers (Bothroyd 75)</p>
<p>Draw: West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Aston Villa (Brunt 49, Odemwingie 83; Benteke 12, Agbonlahor 31)</p>
<p>Loss: Everton 2-1 West Bromwich Albion (Baines 29, 45+2 (pen); Long 65)</p>
<p>Loss: West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Bale 67)</p>
<p>Win: Liverpool 0-2 West Bromwich Albion (McAuley 81, Lukaku 90)</p>
<h4><b>Last Time Around: West Brom 4-0 Sunderland, 25/02/12</b></h4>
<p>Sunderland's hopes of going into the following week's Tyne-Wear derby on a positive note were dashed as early as the third minute the last time these two sides met in the Midlands. Scarcely 180 seconds into the Wearsiders' visit to The Hawthorns, Martin O'Neill's men found themselves behind, Peter Odemwingie nodding the home side in front. Four minutes before half time their lead was doubled, via another header, this time by James Morrison.</p>
<p>The Black Cats had won five of their previous six away ties but any chance of that good form continuing was firmly ended three minutes after the break. A swift counter-attack, started off by goalkeeper Ben Foster, resulted in Odemwingie thrashing home his second of the game. Sunderland's embarrassment was completed late on, when Keith Andrews fired home an empathic fourth.</p>
<h4><b>The Ref: Roger East</b></h4>
<p>This will be only the 47-year-old's fifth time in charge of a Premier League game this season, however the man from Wiltshere has officiated each of the two sides already this term. He took charge of Sunderland's 2-2 draw at Swansea City back in September, and was the man in the middle a week later as West Brom went down 0-3 at Fulham - a game in which East dismissed Peter Odemwingie for the visitors.</p>
<p>This is East's first season refereeing Premier League games, so his past experience with each side is fairly limited. In his four games in the top division so far he has dished out just five yellow cards, though three players have seen him produce a red card. In addition, he has given just one Premier League penalty this term - awarding Fulham a penalty against the Baggies which Dimitar Berbatov duly dispatched.</p>
<h4><b>What The Managers Said</b></h4>
<p><b>Martin O'Neill:</b></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I would rather have been playing cup matches [than taking a break to Dubai], but we were joined there by other Premier League teams who also thought it was a good idea.</p>
<p>We had an opportunity to see the sun and get a few proper days' training in, and I think it worked out well.</p>
<p>What happens over the course of the final third of the season is the most important thing. We start with West Bromwich Albion.</p>
<p>Hopefully the break will have re-energised the players and got them going. The proof is always in the pudding.</p>
<p>I have done this before with other teams, sometimes to fantastic effect.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>On Danny Rose's injury:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Danny's likely to be a few more weeks.</p>
<p>I think it's less serious than the previous hamstring problems.</p>
<p>But, because he's on loan, Tottenham Hotspur get involved as well and they want to assess him.</p>
<p>That's quite right, he's their player and they like to see what's happening. He'll come back to us on Monday.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Steve Clarke:</b></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don't really look at doing the double over a team.</p>
<p>The trick in the Premier League is just to pick up points as and when you can.</p>
<p>Our performance at Sunderland was really good so we've got good memories of playing against them, but in recent weeks they have tightened up a lot.</p>
<p>They have started picking up good results and they are stronger defensively than maybe they were earlier in the season. They're not letting so many goals in.</p>
<p>We expect a really difficult challenge, which you always get when you play against a Martin O'Neill team, because they're fired up to give him 100 per cent every game.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Following the 2-0 win at Liverpool:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We were always one performance away from getting back on track.</p>
<p>One results doesn't get away from the fact that it's been a difficult six or seven weeks with not too many positives.</p>
<p>Coming off the back of what has been such a difficult run for us it was a big result.</p>
<p>I've been telling the players for the last six weeks that we were just one win away and you get one win and then you can kick on again and that's the platform we gave ourselves at the start of the season.</p>
<p>That allowed us to go on and get 33 points before Christmas which is a big effort.</p>
<p>We're hopeful that [the Liverpool win] can kick-start us again to get our season going because we know we can still have a really good season and achieve good things.</p>
</blockquote>
<h4><b>Roker Report Predicts</b></h4>
<p>Recent form would suggest an away victory is unlikely. Sunderland have failed to win any of their last six encounters with the Baggies, losing five of them - you have to go back to Ricky Sbragia and December 2008's 4-0 win for their last victory over West Brom.</p>
<p>Each of the last four games between the two have featured at least four goals, yet, as Steve Clarke has alluded to, Sunderland's defence is much improved of late. Indeed, November's shipping of four goals was something of an anomaly and, even allowing for their defence's annoying trait of making daft mistakes, a high-scoring game looks unlikely.</p>
<p>Though the signs probably point in favour of a home win, positivity on our behalf suggests this could well finish up a 1-1 draw.</p>
https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2013/2/22/4016902/preview-black-cats-hoping-to-end-hawthorns-hoodooChrisWeatherspoon2013-02-22T11:00:06+00:002013-02-22T11:00:06+00:00The Baggies Beat From Chris Lepkowski
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fj8x8mt205WNdc6vkzGTF1IwEb8=/99x0:2538x1626/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8262985/156894959.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Michael Regan</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This week's Fan Focus takes a slight twist in that whilst it's not a fan per se, but it is the man who is quite possibly the leading authority on all things West Brom. It's a pleasure to reintroduce to you the Birmingham Mail's WBA reporter Chis Lepkowski to talk all things Baggies.</p> <p><b>First of all I'd like to ask about Steve Clarke. Now you've seen a bit more of him since we last<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>spoke back in November, does he continue to impress and would it be fair to say he has an outside<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>chance of Manager Of The Year?</b></p>
<p><i>Chris Lepkowski: </i>Not sure about Manager of the Year - there is still a quarter of the season or so left to go - but he certainly acquitted himself very well. He's taken on board errors and reacted to them.<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>He'll have learned a lot from this recent period. He's had to deal with so much nonsense.</p>
<p><b>We might as well get this one out the way... Peter Odemwingie. That must have been a crazy thing<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>to deal with form your side of things on deadline day?</b></p>
<p><i>CL: </i>It was a bizarre few weeks. It started with a transfer request, which was rejected. He then issued a statement which did him few favours and then we had the Twitter meltdown. All of this came to a head on transfer deadline day when he rocked up at Loftus Road and was interviewed by Sky (it's not unusual for players to travel if negotiations are underway between clubs on deadline day - but most players have the sense to pitch up in a nearby hotel). It was an extremely awkward situation for him and Albion.</p>
<p>It's calmed down a little but it won't properly be put to bed until he plays. And even then there are some fans who will never take to him.</p>
<p><b>Is it fair to say there's absolutely no way back for him at the Hawthorns now, and if so who will be<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>stepping up in place of him and how will WBA adapt to life without him?</b></p>
<p><i>CL: </i>Albion need him. They are running, effectively, a 20-man squad between now and the end of the season. One of those, Goran Popov is suspended, although they can bring back Craig Dawson from Bolton should they need him. And next week Albion take on Chelsea so Romelu Lukaku will be ineligible. Odemwingie could make the squad by default if nothing else.</p>
<p><b>When we last met at the Stadium Of Light it was a fairly comprehensive victory for the Baggies<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>and you found yourselves in the top four for an extended spell. Things have changed slightly though<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>and you're now in eighth. What was the cause of the decline?</b></p>
<p><i>CL: </i>It's the same with Albion every November-to-January. They simply don't have a squad capable of being stretched.</p>
<p>They lost Mulumbu, Yacob, Olsson, Foster, Reid, Odemwingie and Gera to injuries at various points during that spell. Those are first-teamers for Albion. It's no coincidence that the return of Yacob-Mulumbu to the core of Albion's midfield at Anfield - for the first time since December 1st - resulted with a better outcome.</p>
<p><b>A great victory against Liverpool at Anfield last time out though should see Steve Clarke's men<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>arrive in high-spirits though...</b></p>
<p><i>CL: </i>Yes, Albion finally had some good fortune. They weren't brilliant at Anfield but they got some much needed luck. Contrast that with the defeat at Reading where Lukaku scored twice, hit the goalframe twice and Albion were cruising 2-0 with 81 minutes gone. They lost 3-2.</p>
<p><b>How much of a factor has Yusuf Mulumbu been this season? I've always been very, very<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>impressed by him whenever I see West Brom...</b></p>
<p><i>CL: </i>Immense contribution. He and Claudio Yacob have brought so much to the spine of that midfield. They dovetail very well and the results when the partnership plays is staggering. Albion average 1.9 points per game when they play. When they don't play together Albion average 0.9 points per game. Mulumbu's overall game has improved during the last year. Yacob's ability to 'hold' enables his partner to venture forward. He's become more of a central midfielder in the true sense of the word.</p>
<p><b>Someone else I've enjoyed watching from West Brom's side is Romelu Lukaku. While he's been<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>superb at times, he's also given me plenty of nightmares about this weekend. Is there any chance he<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>stays at the club, and how far can this prodigious talent make it in the game?</b></p>
<p><i>CL: </i>He's improving all the time - it's the subtle things he is getting better at. Against Newcastle earlier this season he missed some one-on-ones by blasting the ball at Tim Krul. He learned from that. Next time he was presented with similar chances he took different options with his finishing. He times his runs better than he did. He's using space around him better and he's appreciating team-mates more. There are still signs of a raw edge - we forget he's 19 sometimes - but he can be a major asset for Chelsea over the coming years.</p>
<p><b>And finally, looking at this weekend's fixture, is there anyone or anything about the Sunderland side which<br>you think can cause WBA problems?</b></p>
<p><i>CL: </i>Sessegnon always seems to perform well against Albion. He's a little pest (in a nice way). And Steven Fletcher, while expected to get the inevitable bird, is a quality player. Sunderland haven't scored at The Hawthorns in the last three games. He is one player you'd fancy to end that run...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>Many thanks to Chris for providing the insight. Be sure to follow him on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChrisLepkowski/" target="_blank">@ChrisLepkowski</a> and check out all his views, news and reports on West Brom on the <a href="http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/authors/chris-lepkowski/" target="_blank">Birmingham Mail website</a>.</p>
https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2013/2/22/3997536/fan-focus-the-baggies-beat-from-west-brom-writer-chris-lepkowskiSimonWalsh2013-02-21T15:32:12+00:002013-02-21T15:32:12+00:00Roker Riches: Baggies Betting Bonanza
<figure>
<img alt="Steven Fletcher is a popular goalscorer among our tipsters this week" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KI4-KKsQmf7B13N1GZVN1OwW3Oc=/1241x159:2649x1098/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8432705/153033308.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Steven Fletcher is a popular goalscorer among our tipsters this week | Stu Forster</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We're back? Did you miss us? Probably not given our tipping form this season but hey, we had a couple of winners last time around, so maybe it isn't always cash in the bookies pocket after all (it is)</p> <h4>Week Twenty-Six Recap</h4>
<table border="1" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Pundit</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Last Week's Profit/Loss</b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b>Current Balance</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Luke Bowley</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">£22.91</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">£18.91</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Craig Clark</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-£5.00</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">£18.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Karl Jones</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-£14.00</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">£18.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Simon Walsh</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-£5.00</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">£3.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Dan Williams</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-£4.00</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-£8.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">David Boyle</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-£5.00</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-£7.20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Chris Weatherspoon</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">N/A</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-£19.50</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p><br>A big win for Luke last time around, backing Sunderland's clash with Arsenal to feature under 2.5 goals and also correctly calling a victory for Bristol City against Nottingham Forest. Certainly food for thought going forward for the rest of our tipping strategies as Luke's two single wins were enough to catapult him to the top of the leaderboard.</p>
<p>Onto this week's picks.</p>
<h4>Karl Jones</h4>
<p>After a couple of weeks without success, I'm upping my stake here. No, not to chase proceedings, but to hopefully get a return off one of the trends of Sunderland's season so far. Of Steven Fletcher's 10 league goals, seven of them have come on the road. He's favourably-priced to score first, but we'll err on the side of caution whilst hoping he adds to that tally - Fletcher to score at any time.</p>
<p>Elsewhere, Watford are out-scoring all before them of late and host a Derby that have only won once on the road since October. In League Two, Port Vale has stuttered of late but have won 9/16 games away from home; again a team that should simply have too much firepower for their opponents.</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Steven Fletcher to score at any time - 5/2 - £10 Stake</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Watford to beat Derby, Port Vale to beat Torquay - 3.8 - £5 Stake</span></span></li>
</ul>
<h4>Luke Bowley</h4>
<p>Going down a similar route to Karl here, and with Fletcher so prolific away from home, why on earth not. This will be a tricky away trip for the Black Cats, but if anyone's going to score, it's going to be the Scotsman, so I'm going for him to be Sunderland's first goalscorer.</p>
<p>Next I'm going for two home defeats for sides that are in absolute disarray at the moment. Wolves look hopeless at the moment and have yet to win under Dean Saunders. While the Championship is always unpredictable, and while Cardiff are certainly capable of losing this one, I'd still expect the league leaders to win. Elsewhere, while Inter looked like Juventus' best challenges for the title just a couple of months ago, they've since completely collapsed and are in abysmal form. Their city rivals on the other hand are in the ascendancy, with Mario Balotelli on excellent goalscoring form since his move to his boyhood club. This is both clubs biggest match of the season, and the form guide would suggest an Milan win.</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Steven Fletcher first to score for Sunderland - 7/2 - £3 Stake</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Cardiff to beat Wolves, AC Milan to beat Inter - 5/1 - £5 Stake</span></span></li>
</ul>
<h4>David Boyle</h4>
<p>Well it looks as if I'll have to back Steven Fletcher too... wait, wait, I'm joking! There were a couple of standout stats that caught my eye this week when looking at past clashes between Sunderland and West Brom which seem to indicate that goals are on the cards. Firstly each of the past four top-flight games between the two sides have seen over 3.5 goals. Also looking a little further back only one of the past seven clashes has gone under 2.5 goals. I'm going to go for it and go with the form guide and back over 3.5 goals at a very nice price.</p>
<p>Elsewhere I am going to head to the Championship and back Watford to see off Derby - keeping things nice and simply this week with a single.</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">West Brom vs Sunderlad, over 3.5 goals - 4/1 - £2.50 Stake</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">Watford to beat Derby - 5/6 - £5 Stake</span></li>
</ul>
<h4>Simon Walsh</h4>
<p>Dave may have broken the streak but it's about time Steven Fletcher hit the back of the net, and it makes it into my bet of the week too. That said, I'm not confident to say whether or not he'll do it first or last, so I'm just going for him to score in a 1-1 draw with the Baggies, handily priced at 33/1.</p>
<p>Elsewhere I'm looking at wins for Leyton Orient over creepy Crawley, Lille to overcome Ajaccio and Mainz to overcome Wolfsburg.</p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">Steven Fletcher scores in a 1-1 draw - 33/1 - £1 Stake</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">Leyton Orient, Lille and Mainz all to win - 12/1 - £2 Stake</span></li>
</ul>
<h4>Craig Clark</h4>
<p>Sunderland face a West Brom side who ended an abysmal run of results by beating a resurgent Liverpool at Anfield early last week. They'll be buoyed by that result and we are a side they enjoy playing against at the Hawthorns; see last season's 4-0 hammering. I'm not usually negative but backing the Lads has failed to return me anything. I'd be happily out of pocket if West Brom do not beat us 2-1 but that's what my money is going on.</p>
<p>Elsewhere I'm ditching the over/unders betting after last week's loss. In Argentina, I expect Lanus to beat a stuttering Velez Sarsfield - who will have half an eye on their midweek Copa Libertadores match in Uruguay - while Arsenal de Sarandi should win or draw against a woefully out of form Argentinos Juniors.</p>
<ul>
<li>West Brom to beat Sunderland 2-1 - 7/1 - £2 stake</li>
<li>Lanus to win and Arsenal de Sarandi double chance (win or draw) - 4/1 - £5 Stake<br>
</li>
</ul>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>
https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2013/2/21/4009586/roker-riches-baggies-betting-bonanzaDavid Boyle