| 31st-30th-29th-28th-27th-26th-25th-24th-23rd-22nd-21st-20th-19th-18th-17th-16th-15th-14th-13th-12th-11th-10th-9th-8th-7th-6th-5th-4th-3rd-2nd-1st |
| |
| 30 |
|
|
WBA 3 - 1 Barnsley >>Match report
(30/3/02)
|
 |
| West Brom maintained their push for an automatic promotion
place with their fourth straight victory at the expense of struggling Barnsley
at The Hawthorns. The third-placed Baggies stayed within three points of Black
Country rivals Wolves thanks to goals from Jordao, Daniele Dichio and Trevor
Benjamin. Sunderland defender Stanislav Varga, who has joined on loan until the
end of the season, was handed his full debut for West Brom in place of the
suspended Larus Sigurdsson. |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 30 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 29 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 28 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 27 |
|
|
BENJAMIN JOINS WEST BROM ON LOAN
(27/3/02) |
 |
| With Jason Roberts (right) sidelined for the season, West Brom
have signed Leicester City forward Trevor Benjamin on loan until the end of the
season. Benjamin was rumoured to be a transfer target of the Baggies when he
was at Cambridge United. The arrival of the 23-year-old Benjamin gives Gary
Megson four strikers to choose from. |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 26 |
|
|
WBA 4 -1 Crewe >>Match report
(26/3/02) |
 |
| West Brom moved to within three points of the Division One
automatic promotion places by comfortably beating Crewe at The Hawthorns. It
was a highly satisfactory night for Gary Megson's side as the win means they
are all but guaranteed at least a play-off spot and piles the pressure on
second-placed Wolves. |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 25 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 24 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 23 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 22 |
|
|
Forest 0 - 1 WBA >>Match report
(22/3/02) |
 |
| Bob Taylor grabs a poachers goal in this televised match to
decide the encounter at Nottingham Forest's City Ground >>
More |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 21 |
|
|
Quinn joins Pirates on loan
(21/3/02) |
 |
| Out-of-favour striker James Quinn has gone out on loan for the
rest of the season to Third Division club Bristol Rovers. Quinn's Albion deal
expires in the summer and he will be hoping to earn a permanent deal at the
Memorial Stadium after finding himself frozen out of Gary Megson's first-team
plans. The Northern Ireland international arrived at The Hawthorns from
Stockport for £500,000 in 1998 and has made nearly 100 appearances for
The Baggies. However, he has been out on loan at Notts County this season after
slipping down the striker pecking order, and has only started once and made
five substitute appearances during the present campaign. Quinn will go straight
into the Rovers squad to face Exeter on Saturday, with The Pirates hoping the
frontman can ease their relegation worries in Division Three. Rovers are
currently second from bottom in the table, eight points above Halifax, after
having only been relegated from the Second Division last term. |
|
Baggies get the points
(21/3/02) |
 |
| The Baggies have been awarded a 3-0 win and three points by the
Football League after the abandonment of their game with Sheffield United. The
weekend clash with The Blades - dubbed 'The Battle of Bramall Lane' - was
dramatically abandoned eight minutes from time after Neil Warnock's outfit were
reduced to six men through dsmissals and injury. A six-man Football League
panel decided this afternoon to award Gary Megson's side - who were leading 3-0
at the time - the win. A League statement read: "The board of directors of the
Football League has unanimously ruled that West Bromwich Albion will be awarded
the three points for Saturday's abandoned game with Sheffield United." West
Brom climb up to third in the Division One table. Meanwhile, chairman Paul
Thompson admitted that United did not act improperly after Saturday's game.
Thompson told TEAMtalk: "I don't think that Sheffield United acted improperly.
"It was unfortunate for Sheffield United that they are in this situation and I
have a degree of sympathy for the club." |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 20 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 19 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 18 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 17 |
|
|
Chairman confident of justice
(17/3/02) |
 |
| Chairman Paul Thompson believes "justice" will be done as
Albion look certain to be awarded all three points after the Bramall Lane
brawl. Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock and his chairman Derek Dooley have
already made it clear that they expect the high-flying Baggies to be awarded
the points, and Thompson has underlined the fact that they should get the
points to strengthen their drive for top-flight football. Thompson, a Football
League official, feels confident that Gary Megson and his team will see that
justice is done at the end of the day. He said: "I think natural justice
requires that we are awarded the three points, and I am sure the Football
League will ensure that it is done." The disgraceful scenes that marred the
game will be discussed at the League's board meeting on Thursday, but Megson
has already made it clear that he will not co-operate if a replay is ordered.
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 16 |
|
|
Sheffield UTD 0 - 3 WBA Match Abandoned report
(16/3/02)
|
 |
| This match was abandoned after Sheffield United were left with
only six players on the field. The Blades had three players sent off and two
had to leave the field through injury. West Brom were leading 3-0 when referee
Eddie Wolstenholme brought the match to a halt with just eight minutes
remaining. Football League officials will discuss in a meeting on Thursday
whether to award the three points to the visitors or to order the game to be
replayed. But West Brom manager Gary Megson insisted his side will refuse to
take part if the League orders the game to be replayed. |
|
MEGSON: A SINGLE PERSON WAS TO BLAME
(16/3/02) |
 |
| Megson admitted he had never been involved in anything like it
in all his years in the game. He claimed there was "a single person"
encouraging the United players to get themselves sent off or to come off
injured. "I've been in football professionally since I was 16 and I'm 42 now
and I've never ever witnessed anything as disgraceful as that," he said. "There
is no place for that in any game of football, let alone a professional match.
"I am not naming names but there was a single person on their bench telling
people to come off and go down, in the certain knowledge that the game would
not be allowed to finish. "The things happening on the sideline were things
I've never witnessed before and that's why I went and sat in the stand." He
added: "The referee tried to play the game in the right manner and he went with
the rules. There is no way on God's earth that the result doesn't stand."
Blades boss Neil Warnock was giving little away about the game, although he
insisted Brown and Ullathorne had come off with injuries. "Michael's had a
groin injury and I was calling to him, saying Tuesday's game is more
important," he said. "If you are injured, you are injured and you have to come
off. I didn't envisage Brown coming off or Ullathorne but I'm not surprised,
they covered every blade of grass today." He refused to comment on suggestions
that his captain and player-coach Keith Curle was trying to get himself sent
off. |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 15 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 14 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 13 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 12 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 11 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 10 |
|
|
WBA 0 - 1 Fulham >> FA Cup 6th round Match report
(10/3/02)
(10/3/02)
|
|
| Gary Megson could not fault the effort of his West Brom side
after their FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Fulham. Steve Marlet's headed goal
from a disputed free-kick just after half time was enough to beat the Baggies.
Megson admitted West Brom had been made to pay for slack defending at a
set-piece. He told Sky Sports: "We played well and put on a good show but it
matters not a jot if you can't defend set-pieces. "It is that that has cost us
the chance of a semi-final appearance and possibly about 10 points this season.
That is our Achilles heel. "If one of their players had knocked it in from 35
yards or beaten a few players to score we'd accept that is the quality of their
side. "But it wasn't a game like that and it came down to a free-kick that
settled the game and we didn't defend it properly. "They have got some
exceptional players and I hope they go on to do well in the cup because there
is some solace in losing to the team that wins it. "We couldn't have worked any
harder and we made a Premiership team defend very hard for the last 40 minutes,
but when games are tight it can come down to a mistake." |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 9 |
|
|
Moore caution needed
(9/3/02) |
 |
| Gary Megson admits he is "still hesitant" about fielding calf
injury victim Darren Moore in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final at home to Fulham.
The Albion boss is still hopeful that his key defender will be fit for the tie
after missing their last five games with a niggling calf strain. Moore has
revealed he feels fine for about half an hour but the calf muscle begins to
cause him pain after that. Megson says the 27-year-old is not far off a
first-team return but admits the clash with The Cottagers may come too soon for
him. If the centre-back has to bow out again, then Tony Butler will plug the
gap once more as Albion bid to grab a place in the semi-finals. |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 8 |
|
|
Balis steps up to score
(8/03/02)
|
 |
| Igor Balis has been put on the spot by his team-mates as
Albion's new penalty taker and could therefore make his one-on-one debut on
Sunday. The Slovakian international defender will be taking all The Baggies'
future penalties after fellow players missed eight of the club's last 11
spot-kick awards. Neil Clement has failed three times from the 11-yard mark,
Scott Dobie has been unsuccessful twice while Bob Taylor, Jason Roberts and
skipper Derek McInnes have one miss each. "We've talked about the problem and
have decided Igor is the best man for the job," said Clement. "He's been
playing great football for the team, and we also discovered he's been taking
the penalties for his country in their international matches." |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 7 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 6 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Boss applauds transfer efforts
(6/03/02) |
|
| Gary Megson says all The Baggies can do is "keep making the
calls" after they missed out on landing Spurs' Ukrainian striker Sergei Rebrov.
The club have now made tentative enquiries regarding West Ham duo Paul Kitson
and Titi Camara, as well as audacious bids to land Coventry's former Baggies
star Lee Hughes and the £11million Tottenham frontman on loan. But
despite their best efforts, the Albion management have not made any signings
since they snapped up Danny Dichio from Sunderland in a £1.25million deal
in November. Megson admitted: "A lot of effort is going on to bring in the new
players we need. Paul Thompson is working hard with the chief executive John
Wile. "We are not only trying to buy new men but bring others in on loan. All
we can do is keep making the calls and keep our fingers crossed." |
| Give
your view in the Forums |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 5 |
|
|
Baggies 1 - 1 Watford Match report
>>
(5/3/02) |
 |
| A second-half Danny Dichio header salvaged a point for West
Brom in an uninspiring 1-1 draw against Watford at The Hawthorns tonight.
Dichio's hot run of form in Jason Roberts's absence will have delighted Gary
Megson, but Albion's failure to secure all three points will have damaged The
Baggies' automatic promotion hopes. |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 4 |
|
|
Roberts operation was successful
(4/3/02) |
 |
| James Quinn has moved back to West Bromwich Albion after his
move to Notts County fell through. The Magpies were keen to seal a permanent
deal for the striker after he enjoyed a successful loan spell at Meadow Lane,
scoring three times. But the move has fallen through as County are believed to
be unable to meet the Baggies' £100,000 asking price for Quinn. The
Northern Ireland international is now back in training with Gary Megson's
first-team squad, although Notts County hope the deal can be resurrected.
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 3 |
|
|
More adulation for Hoult
(3/3/02) |
 |
| Gary Megson and Andy Johnson have again heaped praise on
Russell Hoult - with the boss insisting he is the best keeper outside the
Premiership. Hoult kept Wimbledon's attack at bay on Saturday, and The Baggies
have now conceded just 25 goals in their 37 league matches this season. Megson
said: "We've got a good defensive record and we've got the best goalkeeper
outside the Premiership at taking crosses." |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 2 |
|
|
Wimbledon 0 v 1 West Brom Match Report
>>
(2/3/02) |
|
| A second-half goal by Daniele Dichio was just enough for West
Brom to rob Wimbledon of the points in a hard-fought 1-0 win at Selhurst Park.
With Jason Roberts absent for the rest of the season with a broken foot, the
former QPR striker will be expected to take on the responsibility of scoring
the goals that will lead The Baggies to promotion. And he showed all the
composure needed to do that, when he powered home a far post header in the 51st
minute from an Igor Balis right-wing cross, which turned out to be the winner.
|
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
| 1 |
|
|
McInnes - We need a new striker
(1/3/02) |
 |
| Derek McInnes has called for the club to bring in a new striker
as soon as possible to cover for the injury sustained by Jason Roberts this
week. Roberts broke a bone in his foot for the third time in seven months in
Tuesday's defeat at Preston at a time when the striker was in top form -
hitting six goals in eight games with Albion pushing for promotion and a place
in the FA Cup semi-finals. And skipper McInnes has urged the club to act now to
find a replacement - before it is too late. "We need a new striker and I am
sure the boss is working extremely hard to achieve that aim," he said. "The
loss at this time of the season is a major blow to the club. "We have done well
to stay near the top of the table and it is important we hold our place in the
race now we are getting nearer to the finishing post." |
|
|
|
Back to Top... |
