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My first Herald sports editor, Richard Amey, told me over 25 years ago that all feedback, whether negative or positive, was good – stating, while also chuckling, it proved the public were reading it!
In last week’s column, I wrote that I felt potential Champions League qualification was still a step too far for Albion. This clearly upset and touched a nerve with a number of Albion fans, and thanks for getting touch, but unfortunately given the events of the past 180 minutes of Albion action, I’m almost absolved from any accusations of disloyalty.
As an adjective, frustration doesn’t even cover it – from the moment Bart Verbruggen gifted Fulham their first goal after three minutes at Craven Cottage last Thursday to Sunday’s capitulation at the King Power, where yet again, the Albion surrendered a two-goal lead late on to another relegation candidate.
The Albion’s very own Christmas cracker joke: “Why did Fabian Hurzeler’s dog keep running away? Because he can’t hold on to a lead!”
Bobby Decordova-Reid celebrates scoring Leicester's late, late equaliser against Brighton on Sunday. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Bobby Decordova-Reid celebrates scoring Leicester's late, late equaliser against Brighton on Sunday. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Bobby Decordova-Reid celebrates scoring Leicester's late, late equaliser against Brighton on Sunday. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Ron Atkinson (remember him?) forever banged out about things evening themselves out over the course of the season, but 15 games in and the Albion have dropped eight points, six of them at the Amex, to relegation candidates. Those ‘lost’ eight points would see the Albion in second place, a mere three points behind Liverpool!
Fair enough, we all went into this with our eyes open, the club had invested the largest amount in the squad in the club’s history over the summer but with an almost ‘unknown quantity’ in the dugout in the form of fledgling boss Hurzeler.
I stated in the final preview column of the summer break that it was almost certainly going to be feast or famine.
At 31, the youngest manager in Albion’s history, Hurzeler was either going to hit the ground running, bamboozling the EPL in the process, or he was going to crash and burn fairly early on.
To be fair, while attracting some criticism and taking some of the more questionable results into account, the current 7th place with 24 points is still positive rather than negative. But surely the honeymoon period is well and truly over?
Recent results against Wolves, Southampton and Leicester on Sunday attract more negatives than positives.
At what point does it stop being a learning curve, and instead prompt questions about whether Hurzeler is the right man for the job?
The Palace game this weekend couldn’t come at a more apt time – an emphatic victory against our bitterest rivals gets the show back on the road, with the key factor then being the need for us to keep it up – if this team can beat City at home, arguably they should be able to beat anyone on their day.
So, in Albion terms it’s probably the pivotal 90 minutes of the season. Bring it on!
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