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The mother of all home fixtures now awaits. No ifs, buts or maybes now…

21st April 2008 By theexpert Leave a Comment

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First things first.

The starting line-up.

Jason Shackell in for Alex Pearce?

Good call.

Pearce had a nightmare at Ipswich last week ? although in he certainly wasn't alone ? and Shackell hadn't done much wrong to warrant receiving the axe for the local derby anyway.

 
Mo Camara in for Ryan Bertrand? No debate required. Bertrand was injured with a hamstring strain and Camara, as we have seen, is a capable replacement at left-back.

But sticking arguably your two most consistent players on the bench for a game that provided the opportunity to wrap this ghastly season up once and for all and confine it to the darkest depths of the memory bank was puzzling.

Now no disrespects intended to Kieran Gibbs or top scorer Jamie Cureton, but hands up if you'd have rather seen Dion Dublin and Darel Russell in from the start?

All this analysis lark is very easy in hindsight I concur, especially so after witnessing Gibbs deliver an energetic and whole-hearted display if somewhat lacking in end product once again, and Cureton putting another couple of gilt-edged chances deep into the River End as opposed to the back of the net when the goal was gaping.

But considering that neither the Player of the Season elect or someone likely to be voted as runner-up to him appeared to be carrying a knock of any great significance in order to prevent them from starting the game, not so easy therefore to figure the rationale for their demotion.

Granted, Glenn Roeder could have dropped any of his ten outfield players after last week's performance at Portman Road and none would have a leg to stand on if trying to argue their case. But were Dublin and Russell really the worst of a bad bunch last week?

Anyway, down to the business of the Canaries' 2-1 defeat.

Not difficult at all to see why West Brom are heading back to the Premier League in two weeks time.

The Baggies possess quality in all departments of their team and they returned to the Midlands on Saturday with all there points to show for their afternoon's work which basically encompassed one half of attacking with precision, pace and poise and another of trying to fend off a resurgent Norwich fight-back.

From grabbing a goal after just 80 seconds had elapsed the visitors controlled proceedings in the opening period and gave the impression that they could shift up a gear or two, increase the tempo of their approach play and rip the Canaries to shreds any time they pleased.

They bossed the midfield department and, despite witnessing City gradually offer more in terms of an attacking threat themselves the longer the half progressed, at half-time Baggies boss Tony Mowbray would more than likely have said to his team that another goal would finish Norwich off.

And they promptly achieved that on the 70-minute mark.

The thing is, while it would certainly be inaccurate to suggest that at no time could you foresee West Brom troubling David Marshall again in that second half, Zoltan Gera's clinical strike did undoubtedly come against the run of play given that City were now giving it their all and pressing the visitors back deep into their own half, and you certainly couldn't complain at the effort that was delivered by Norwich after the break.

Huckerby was proving a constant threat on the right flank, and indeed when it came to the amount of service that was being delivered into the Baggies' penalty area – and not just via the feet of Huckerby, but also the team in general – there could be no complaints on that score.

As for their finishing though… Woefully inadequate once again unfortunately.

Cureton will naturally be vilified once again in many quarters for missing another two chances that he really ought to have converted, but he wasn't alone in Norwich's failure to capitalise on anything other than a penalty kick.

Because for those that fancy hurling the first stone in the diminutive striker's direction, just think of the number of times when decent service was delivered into the visitor's penalty area on Saturday only for no yellow shirts to be seen within the vicinity. Cureton knows he should have done better, but what about the rest?

It is galling that City didn't pick up something for their second half performance in particular on Saturday as it would have considerably eased the pressure for the game against QPR at the weekend that now takes on the significance of the World Cup Final, Champions League and FA Cup all rolled into one as far as the Canaries are concerned.

But they know they can do it. They simply have to do it.

And one final thought. We all know what they say about if's, but's and maybe's?but if Dublin and Russell had been included from the start, then maybe this might have been different?

Call it a premonition, but I've just got this inkling that they won't be sitting on the bench next Saturday.


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