It has come to this, the Baggies are looking to get of the relegation zone this weekend as they take on Stoke City at The Hawthorns.
How is this even possible? It’s the beginning of February and we’re talking about being in the Championship relegation zone. After the first four games I was dreaming of promotion to the Premier League, but it’s been awful since Millwall away in October — ten straight away defeats, now two home losses on the bounce. New manager Eric Ramsay hasn’t stopped the slide either, losing three of his first four games and conceding 12 already.
It turned toxic last Saturday down in Portsmouth. The performance was dreadful — no real chances, no threat, nothing — and then Isaac Price trying to square up to the fans after a humiliating 3–0 defeat in a relegation six-pointer at Fratton Park only made things worse. Supporters are already calling for Eric Ramsay’s head, with his football looking disjointed, lifeless and completely ineffective. Off the pitch, Andrew Nestor left the club the following day, with Dominic Price expected to step in as sporting director. Deadline day summed everything up: two teenagers brought in — Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba, fresh from scoring in the Europa League for Aston Villa last week, and Crystal Palace youngster Hindolo Mustapha — hardly the reinforcements you’d expect in a relegation fight.
The January window was underwhelming too. I expected more, especially given where we are in the table. There should have been at least one more loan signing, either in midfield or up front. Josh Maja’s form hasn’t been great, and Daryl Dike can’t seem to get a minute. Last season’s decision to bring in Adam Armstrong on loan felt like a real statement at the time, but now it just feels like another burden as we battle through PSR issues.
Now attention turns to the Stoke City clash, and hopefully it brings a better performance. Home form was a real strength before Christmas, but since then it’s fallen away badly — three home defeats in the last four and no wins since the 29th of December against QPR. Going into this one, I genuinely don’t know what to expect. We’re 22nd in the Championship after 30 games, while Stoke, who looked early promotion contenders, sit 12th and ten points clear of us, even though they haven’t won in their last four. There’s still a feeling we could get something at The Hawthorns on a good day, but after allowing our home form to start resembling our away form — capped by that 5–0 defeat to Norwich in the last home game — confidence is understandably fragile.
Player To Watch – Stoke City
Sorba Thomas looks like the standout danger for Stoke City going into Saturday’s game. With nine goals and six assists already this season, he’s been their most consistent attacking outlet and someone we’ll need to keep a close eye on. His ability to carry the ball, find space in wide areas and deliver quality in the final third makes him a constant threat, especially against a side short on confidence.
From a Baggies point of view, he’s a worrying opponent. Our defensive record this season has been poor, and it feels like most attacking players who come up against us lately end up on the scoresheet or grabbing an assist. If we give Thomas the time and space we’ve been offering too often, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him cause problems at The Hawthorns with a goal or an assist.
Player To Watch – West Brom
After last weekend’s performance, it’s hard to argue that any of the regular starters deserve a place in this section. For this preview, I’m looking at one of the deadline-day loan signings instead — Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba. Before Aston Villa’s Europa League game we were linked with him and most people were asking “who?”, but he answered that in style by scoring the winner against Salzburg. Pundits on BT Sport were full of praise afterwards, talking up his potential and even comparing his future path to Morgan Rogers who was also in our academy.
What makes it even more interesting from a Baggies point of view is that he’s come through our academy, and there’s a real sense of excitement about seeing what he can offer. With confidence so low around the squad, Jimoh-Aloba could be a genuine wildcard — a player with nothing to lose and something to prove. If he can produce something similar in this Championship clash against Stoke City on Saturday, it could be a small but much-needed turning point in what has been a bleak season so far.
Line Up V Stoke City
For this game, I’d like to see a change of formation, and I’d go with a 4-4-2. I’d bring Josh Griffiths back in goal ahead of Max O’Leary after a poor afternoon at Fratton Park on Saturday. At centre-back, I’d stick with a pairing of Chris Mepham and Nat Phillips. I’d drop Charlie Taylor — not because there’s an obvious replacement, but after a few worrying performances from the on-loan Southampton man, something has to change.
In midfield, I’d bring in Alex Mowatt alongside Diakité to add some balance and control. Out wide and in the attacking areas, Mikey Johnston has to start, and I’ll keep saying it in almost every preview — Ollie Bostock deserves at least a minute after what he showed in the third round at Swansea. Up front, I’d go with Aune Heggebø alongside Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba in a striker role, giving us energy, movement and at least a bit of unpredictability.
Prediction V Stoke City
This is where it gets messy a prediction for our upcoming game after a poor run of form and now sit in the relegation zone hopefully it can make players wake up more and see if we can turn it around here at The Hawthorns.
Going into this one, I can see it being tense and edgy early on, with both sides knowing what’s at stake. We’ve struggled for confidence, but there’s a feeling that a change in shape and a couple of fresh faces could give us a spark. If we’re going to get anything from this game, it needs to come from energy and unpredictability — something we’ve badly lacked.
I can see us taking the lead around the 22nd minute, and it coming from the unlikeliest source. Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba marking his debut with a goal would feel written in the stars, especially after the buzz around him following that Europa League winner for Aston Villa. It would lift the ground and give the players something to hang on to, but knowing our luck, it wouldn’t last.
Around the 37th minute, Stoke would find a way back into it, with Sorba Thomas doing what dangerous wide players seem to do against us. His equaliser would be his 10th of the season and a reminder of how fragile we still look defensively. At 1–1 going into half-time, it would feel like another long afternoon in the making.
The second half would be tight, scrappy and full of nerves, with neither side really wanting to lose it. Then, in the 83rd minute, a moment of chaos from a Baggies corner — the ball crashing against the crossbar before substitute Daryl Dike reacts quickest to smash home his first goal of the season. The kind of goal that sends The Hawthorns into disbelief. If that’s how it finishes, it’s not just three points — it’s hope, belief, and potentially a result that drags us out of the bottom three when we need it most.
Prediction: West Brom 2-1 Stoke City
Goalscorers for West Brom: Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba, Daryl Dike
Goalscorers for Stoke City: Sorba Thomas
I’m probably one of the few predicting us to win against Stoke City, but I do expect a response from the players. It won’t be pretty — I’m braced for a scrappy, tense game — but sometimes that’s exactly what you need in a relegation fight. If Daryl Dike can get a few minutes under his belt and come up with a late goal, especially a winner, it could be massive for his confidence. A moment like that might encourage Eric Ramsay to use him more regularly, and if Dike can go on a run, it could be a huge factor in helping us climb out of relegation trouble.