View from the Opposition - WBA fan

Hi,

We run a weekly View From the Opposition on our forum (westbrom.com) and I was hoping you would be kind enough to complete the questions beneath. The replies shall be created into an article which will be posted in this topic later on in the week.

Apologies to the forum administrators if this breaks any forum rules.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

9. And finally, score predictions.

Thank you.

Hi,

I'll have a pop.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?
Top four or at least, and I mean at the very least, a strong challenge for it.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?
I'm not sure whether I 'expect' anything but I'd say that repeating the excellent 8th place finish of last season would be a great platform to build upon. A good cup run is certainly a possibility too.
3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?
To cut a long story short the jury is well and truly still out. There were some excellent displays last year that gave us glimpses of the philosophy that Brendan Rodgers believes in and whetted the appetite for when he would eventually instill this 'total football' that we were all led to believe he was aspiring to. I've been very surprised to see him now instilling a totally different brand of football this season which does make me ask myself if there ever was a vision.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?
Well an 8th place vision last season was something I doubt any Baggies supporter expected. You're now hard to beat and are a threat throughout any 90 minutes of any game. That's a credit to Steve Clarke and the ethics he has brought in. And he done the double over us last year.
5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?
Sakho looks a player and Mignolet will become one of the best keepers in the league but after that? Disappointing from a fans perspective but a roaring success for the people down at our accounts department.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.
Ambitious and astute with a mixture of squad depth and first team strengthening in mind. Plenty of options now and competition for places which can only be a good thing.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?
We can hurt anybody with Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho and Gerrard on the pitch but we don't tend to do too much damage during the second half of games and our defending from set pieces is absolutely shocking.
8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.
Coutinho should be back for this one and he could be key for us. I'm excited to see how he does at the top of the midfield triangle.
 
                                        Mignolet
                    Toure             Skrtel           Sakho
       Johnson                                                    Cissokho
                           Gerrard                  Lucas
                                          Coutinho
                              Sturridge             Suarez
                               
9. And finally, score predictions.
If we turn up? 3-1 us. A Liverpool team like the one that went to St James Park? 1-1 if we're lucky.
 
Good luck.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season? To finish in the top six with a sustained challenge for the top four. In other words, I want us to be no more than five points from 4th place come April. Would like for us to have amassed 68+ points by season's end to show that we've improved on last season.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season? In the games I have watched them- Man Utd away and Arsenal at home- they have been very impressive so I think you should be looking to finish in the top half again. It'll be tougher to finish 8th this year because Southampton look excellent and Swansea have improved but you have a well-balanced team which seems tactically astute. Mulumbu-Yacob is a fantastic midfield pivot for a club outside the top six or seven, as long as those two stay fit you'll do well.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far? On a scale of 1-10, I'd b giving them a high 7. He seems much more flexible tactically than I originally thought and has got us playing some lovely football at times. It took a while for him to adapt to the job, partly because we had such a tough start last season fixtures-wise and had nowhere near enough quality to fight on four fronts. Coutinho and Sturridge were brilliant signings, since they arrived we must be one of the top three or four teams in terms of points secured. I still think he needs to settle on a system but I guess it's been tough so far in 13/14 with Suarez' ban, Lucas' baby and a number of injuries to the likes of Coutinho and Johnson. We're undoubtedly on the rise with him at the helm, it's just a case for me of how far can he take us? Which is hard to judge right now.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA? Really impressed. I had you down as potential relegation contenders last season but was pleasantly surprised to see him take you to a fantastic 8th place finish. While he was with us it was apparent that he's a very good organiser, turned on tactically and knowledgeable and all of those characteristics have been displayed by him as your manager. I like the way he rotates players for certain games, knowing where and when they will be useful. Annoyed that he had you do the double over us last season though!

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment? The usual: some good, some bad (on first impressions). Mignolet looks to be a big upgrade on the Reina of the last three years and has already made some matchwinning saves, Kolo Toure has been a breath of fresh air who has clearly put lots of effort in to pre-season for one last go with a big club- I think he remains a terrific defender. Sakho has generally been solid, as you'd expect considering the outlay for him. Moses has been a mixed bag so far but that's partly because he's been played out of position so as to accommodate our SaS. We were linked with some top attacking players so we were a bit disappointed to only get a Chelsea loanee but I think he'll do a job once he's played wide/used as an impact sub. I'd have liked a top drawer left back to be brought in but Cissokho on loan will at the very least give Enrique some competition. My issue is with the money spent on Aspas, Alberto and Ilori. A total of just over £20m on those three. I can't help but think instead of bringing in the former two we should have kept our money and not sent Borini and Suso out on loan, because so far neither seem upgrades. Ilori may become a star, who knows, but we're very well stocked in the defensive positions so I can't help but feel that was a waste too. The three fees those commanded could have instead gone on a top class centre midfielder (Paulinho was £17m right?) or attacking player. So yeah, disappointed in that respect, but overall a decent window with the goalkeeper and defensive positions strengthened.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc. Good, from the little I've seen. Anichebe was very good at Old Trafford and could prove to be a less talented but still effective Lukaku for you. Sessegnon I have always regarded highly, he just needs freedom to express his obvious ability. Amalfitano looks a good player, too. Anelka is a bit past it in my opinion but will at least add experience. Vydra, Lugano and Sinclair will all be useful players for you to have in what is a good squad with many options.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses? Strengths- Suarez & Sturridge. Both individually and as a partnership. It's only when two strikers hit it off that you really appreciate a partnership in football. Rooney and van Persie are great individuals but haven't really hit it off. Same could be said for when Torres and Drogba were paired at Chelsea. SaS are clearly on the same wavelength though and it's just a joy to watch them every week. Coutinho's return will make SaCaS, hopefully, because we've sure missed him. We've an abundance of options in central defence now who will fit certain types of games. Mignolet actually makes me feel confident of saving shots, unlike Pepe since he went downhill. Moses is a good option for the wide area. When teams open up against us we're excellent but sides have tended to stick players back and without Coutinho and Suarez for much of the season we've had to rely on a bit of Sturridge magic to open sides up. Hopefully that will change once everyone is fit. We played some wonderful free-flowing fooball from January onwards in 12/13 and I look forward to more. Weaknesses- Gerrard has been the best player I've ever seen for Liverpool and Lucas, before his two awful injuries, was becoming an absolute machine but unfortunately due to age/injuries the pair aren't as good as they were, mainly because they lack the mobility they both used to have. Energetic midfielders such as yours can get at them. Gerrard still has some great moments and Lucas is still good but for those two to really play well they need a guy alongside them who can do all their running, i.e. Henderson, and unfortunately that means taking out an attacking player. Which leads me on to another slight weakness- lack of goalscorers. Outside of SaS, we don't have much. City, Chelsea and United can turn to the bench for more goals but our bench has very little in the way of goal threat. Coutinho will hopefully score ten or so in a season and Gerrard still pips in with a fair few, but we will be hugely reliant on Suarez and Sturridge steering clear of injury this season with Aspas not looking too great so far. Our main weakness is our defending of set-pieces, you made us pay in that respect a couple of times last season and a few times have already done so this campaign. It needs sorting because it can be costly and extremely frustrating.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter. I'd like to think we go back to 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 for this, else our midfield may struggle against your mobility in there. I don't think we will though, I expect BR will stick with our current 3-4-1-2 shape as it gets the best out of key players such as Johnson, Coutinho, Suarez and Sturridge. Mignolet; Toure, Skrtel, Agger or Sakho; Johnson, Gerrard, Lucas, Cissokho or Enrique; Moses or Henderson (Coutinho on the bench if he recovers from injury in time); Suarez, Sturridge.

9. And finally, score predictions. I'll be honest, with our recent record against you (three defeats in a row in the league!) I'm not particularly looking forward to it. It's pretty important for us with some very tough away games coming up. I reckon SaS should have too much for you, but it'll be a narrow one. Liverpool 2-1 West Brom.

Firstly let me say it's nice to have fans from other clubs getting involved:

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?

My expectations have been lowered season upon season and currently I expect us to finish 5th or 6th and would be very surprised if we managed any higher.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

I think you did fantastic last season and I fully expect progress from you under Clarke but tiny steps as you've come from a low start and progressing past teams you're now in direct competition with becomes very difficult given your resources. So I'd expect 8th again.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

Mixed bag, jury well and truly still out. As WAHS (above) says his philosophy seemed set in stone last season and part of the criticism he received was for being too rigid. Now he seems to have thrown his ideology out of the window and is adapting to circumstance, circumstances he has to accept responsibility for and while getting results certainly isn't getting performances.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

Fantastic, a great loss for us and I think you've got a gem there.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

Extremely poor, we were desperate for competition in attack and midfield and we brought in squad players at best. We overloaded in CB's at, seemingly, the expense of all other departments, you can argue Brendan missed out on Mkhitaryan, Costa, Willian but at the end of the day, FSG got their man and they're not backing him to the fullest and we're paying for it.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

Astute signings from an astute manager, Anelka will do a job, Sessegnon is a quality player and you've most definitely improved. Missing out on Lukaku will obviously be hard to take but there's no doubt you did all you could to keep him so blame is difficult to attach there.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

Our strengths are in the SaS, they're the best partnership in the league and Sturridge getting 20 goals in 26 games is our fastest ever. With Coutinho coming back for the game, those 3 could cause problems for the best teams in the world. Our weaknesses lie in our inept ability to defend any set-piece, we couldn't mark training dummies at them. We also lack stamina in midfield when Stevie and Lucas play together so if we can't finish you off early on, we'll struggle as the game drags.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

Probably our strongest side of the season to be honest and while he could start 3-5-2 (as we've been playing) he could easily revert to 4-3-3

                         Mignolet
                  Toure  Skrtel Sakho
Johnson          Gerrard   Lucas    Enrique
                         Coutinho
                    Suarez  Sturridge

9. And finally, score predictions.

I think there will only be a goal in it, 2-1 or 1-0 to us.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?

My expectations are pretty high, even more so given our start, and fell that a challenge for the title isn't out of the question but at the very least a CL place is acheivable this season.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

Solid if unspectacular season finishing somewhere in mid table. If you had got Lukaku back it could have been even better.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

Again solid yet unspectacular. He is learning on the job which is not ideal at a club such as ours but I do feel he is gradually getting to grips with the job and improving as time goes on. I think he has learned from mistakes made last season and I've enjoyed a lot of the football played under Brendan.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

I think he's done well and is doing as I expected him to. It's difficult to do more than what he is doing given your budget and ability to attract a certain standard of player.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

We ended up not too badly off but personally I think we had no clear startegy in the summer and almost lurched from one target to a completely different one as weeks went on. The manager wasn't fully back I feel and although we strengthened at the back we do still seem short further up the pitch this season if people get injured.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

Some decent signings in there with Sessegnon the pick for me. If you could have got Lukaku then the European places would have been a realistic target but as it is I think your sqaud is a little short to get there.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

Our strengths are in attack and our attacking three in particular. Midfield isn't a weakness per se but currently the blend isn't right and has to be sorted.

Defending set pieces is our glaringly obvious weakness and has been for a while now.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

Same again with Lucas probably coming in for Hendo. He likes a settled side does the boss.

9. And finally, score predictions.

3-1.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?
To break into the top 4 and have a good FA cup run.

[2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?
Top 8.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?
I think his tenure has been very good so far. Disappointed with our showings in cup games but I think we're moving in the right direction under him.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?
I think he's done a good job. Always rated him as a good coach who knows how to organise a defense. I think he's stepped up well into the manager's role at WBA, hopefully he can turn some of those draws into wins for you. Apart from next week of course.   

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?
Good. But we overlooked midfield and it's currently showing.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.
Don't get to see much of WBA or said players although I wished we had made Anelka permanent when he was here on loan - good player indeed.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?
Strength = Attack. Weakness = Midfield.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.
Mig, Johnson, Toure, Skertel, Enrique, Gerrard, Henderson, Lucas, Coutinho?, Studge, Suarez (hopeful we go back to a flat 4)

9. And finally, score predictions.
Tough game for sure. A narrow 2-1 win to Liverpool, after our debacle at Newcastle we have to get three points, won't be easy though.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?

Top four. Fingers crossed for even better.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

8-10th.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

Mixed bag. When we're at our best we look invincible but those performances are few and far between. But the positive is he seems to have learnt to grind out results.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

Can't speak higher of him. Terrific coach and deserves his time in the spotlight as a manager.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

For a team scraping for funds to spend on the first team, we spent 15m on two youngsters who have been sat in the reserves. Also our only attacking options who have featured for the first team were a loan signing as a Chelsea reject and an attacker from a lower Spanish team. Expected much more.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

Shrewd and intelligent. Adds depth and quality without being spectacular.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths; Sturridge and Suarez. I imagine Coutinho would be added to the list had all 3 featured together at one point this season. Also the re-emergence of Skrtel.

Weaknesses; Attacking and defending set pieces and consistency through 90 minutes.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

Have a feeling he'll be back to his 4-3-3 or a variation of it if Coutinho is fit;

Mignolet

Johnson   Toure    Skrtel    Cissokho

Henderson     Lucas     Gerrard

Coutinho

Sturridge    Suarez

9. And finally, score predictions.

Any kind of win will do me. 2-1 i'll go for - our way of course!

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?

I'd expect us to finish inside the top four or at the very least two or three points outside it.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

I think you should be aiming for a top half finish and I reckon you will achieve that. Clarke is a good manager and I think you've got a good squad on your hands. Could see you having a good go at a cup too.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

He's been okay. I like him and I'm willing to give him time, but it's been average so far. It's not been bad by any means, he just hasn't done anything extraordinary like win a trophy or finish in a Champions League place. His signings have been similar, he's brought in a couple of gens, but there's a few average ones in there too. He seems to be getting better on this front though.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

I have a lot of time for him. Really rate him as a manager and last year when many expected you to go down I didn't think you would because of him. He's improved you massively and I think if you had kept Lukaku you could've had a hope for 5th.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

Mignolet looks good. He sometimes gets a bit too comfortable with the ball at his feet and this forces him to make an unnecessary save.
Toure looks class. He's easily been one of the signings of the season along with Flamini at Arsenal.
Sakho is a monster. He heads absolutely everything.
Ilori is still an unknown.
Alberto looks a tidy player. Hope he starts against you lot.
Aspas looks very average. Had a great preseason, but he's been disappointing after that.
Cissokho looks average. Too early to judge fully.
Moses looks average. Does some things well and then does other things terribly. 

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

Experience and depth. I like your business. So far Amalgitano looks good I think. Sessegnon and Vydra excite me the most though.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

Our strength is our front line. They're incredible. Even if we're having a poor game, count on them to score one or two. They're sensational.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

Mignolet; Johnson, Toure, Skrtel, Sakho, Cissokho; Gerrard, Lucas; Coutinho/Alberto/Moses; Suarez, Sturridge.

9. And finally, score predictions.

3-1 to us.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?

I think we will finish top 6, hopefully with a good cup run. If we buy well after Christmas we have a definite chance of top 4. I think a title challenge is starting to look a little beyond us now though.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

I think you will finish in the top half of the table, maybe again with a decent cup run

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

Decidedly average up to now. I think he is learning as he goes along. I am not sure he will be here in a couple of years if he doesn't quickly realize the demands and expectations at a club like Liverpool are very high.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

I really liked Clarke when he was here, I think he will be a great success with W.B.A. (top half of the table most years with the odd good cup run)

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

We could have done with a couple more signings to ensure we got top 4. Only Mignolet and Toure have been an unqualified success up to now. We did better last Christmas when we signed Sturridge and Coutinho. Coutinho is a little gem of a player.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

Always liked Anelka from his time here. The rest seem good signings that should cement your position in the top half of the table by the end of the season.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

Midfield seems to be our main weakness at the moment. We are strongest up front and reasonably good in defence, but our midfield needs strengthening.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

Mignolet, Johnson, Enrique, Toure, Sakho, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Suarez, Sturridge.

9. And finally, score predictions.

If Coutinho is fit to start I think we may win by 2 or 3 goals, if not we will probably see a much closer score line, perhaps 2-1.  

Hi lIam. It'd be a pelasure to give our feedback and it's good to see opposition fans engaging.

Apologies to the forum administrators if this breaks any forum rules.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?
Based on our second half performances last season and our run so far, I'm firmly expecting to challenge for a CL pleace. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that I would be disappointed if we didn't make it. We are playing better fotball and are more consistent than United and Tottenham, who are the other traditional challengers.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

I'm actually expecting WBA to challenge for EL place.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

I am very pleased overall. There has been (and still are) some teething problems and some issues with formation/results, but overall, it genuinely feels like he is building something solid and special. The players have a lot of respect for him, he has developed a much better winning mentality and tactically he is very astute. I also like the way he dealt with Suarez over the summer when he refused to give in - it's a good reminder that no player is bigger than the club and he is a player on our books, so we expect him to honour the contract.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

I've been impressed (and pleased) with his development of WBA. You guys are playing better football now, have improved defensively and are capable of beting big teams (not just fluke results but on merit). Steve was excellent for us and is a great professional, and it feels like he is instilling the team mentality and tactical awareness at WBA.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

I was very pleased with the defensive recruitment. The only trick we missed was to recruit another midfielder. With Coutinho out, we really lack the creativity in midfield, which is showing through in our last few performances (lack of posession, number of chances created etc).

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

I think having Anichebe, Sessesgnon and Sinclair were excellent additions. They're all hard working professionals who will only improve WBA. Acquisition of Anelka is inspired imo. You won't get 20 goals out of him, but he always had a reputation for being extremely professional (despite his reputation) and his experience will definitely help the youngsters.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

Defensively, we have come a long way. Getting Toure and Sakho have been fantastic, and Skrtl seems to be a reborn player. In Sturridge and Suarez, I think we have the best strike partnership in the prem 9rooney/vp being the only other possible talking point).

Our weakness is still midfield. Gerrard isn't gonna be the same dynamic, driving midfielder and his performances have been lacklustre too often. Lucas is great and Hendo is a hard worker, but apart from Coutinho, we really lack a creative player who can keep posession and create something out of nothing from midfield.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

I think it will remain unchanged from Newcastle game with Cissokho possibly being replaced by Enrique and Lucas coming back in instead of Hendo.

9. And finally, score predictions.

Sorry - 3-1 to us

Thank you.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?

I think we'll challenge for the title some time around Christmas, but that the slimness of our squad and the lack of competition/cohesion in our midfield will cause us to fall away into a dog fight for fourth.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

Top half, particularly if you can keep the two centre halves and keep them fit (McCauley and Olsen isn't it?), both good players.  

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

Think he's done a fantastic job, not only bringing in some excellent players but also in moving out a fair bit of dross. My one criticism would be his failure to bring in a quality defensive midfield player in the Summer. [b/]
 
4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

 Done a superb job.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

 Didn't really have any as I'd never really heard of many of the players. With the benefit of seeing some of them play, Kolo Toure is an inspired signing on a free, Aspas is poor, Alberto is a tidy footballer who might make something of himself, Sakho is quality, I've never seen Lloris play so don't know, and Victor Moses is a brilliant loanee.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

 The first three are all good players who will enhance your squad, particularly Sessignon who you stole .

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

[Our strength is the best front two in the league, Steven Gerrard and the goalkeeper. Our weaknesses are a lack of legs in midfield and defending set plays.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

Mignolet, Johnson, Sakho, Toure, Cissoko, Gerrard, Allen, Lucas, Coutinho, Suarez, Sturridge.

9. And finally, score predictions.

2-1 Liverpool. Sturridge to get both, McCauley to score for you guys with a header.

Thank you.

The finished article - http://westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=12416.0

Thank you very much for the replies.

The finished article - http://westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=12416.0

Thank you very much for the replies.

F***ing hell lads...we're famous.

Well put together piece that mate, nice one.
Gonna get your arse kicked at Anfield tho' - entirely different game on the cards than our recent showing against you, 2-1 I'm going with.

Well put together piece that mate, nice one.
Gonna get your arse kicked at Anfield tho' - entirely different game on the cards than our recent showing against you, 2-1 I'm going with.

I'm quietly confident we can get something from the game.

Similar tactics to before. We'll let you have the ball in areas where you can't punish us. We've been very good defensively this season and I expect us to replicate that on Saturday. We'll always be a threat on the counter attack so hopefully we can use that tactic well.

F***ing hell lads...we're famous.

Made me chuckle,

Excellent work Liam and best of luck for all your games against anyone but us!

I'm quietly confident we can get something from the game.

Similar tactics to before. We'll let you have the ball in areas where you can't punish us. We've been very good defensively this season and I expect us to replicate that on Saturday. We'll always be a threat on the counter attack so hopefully we can use that tactic well.

If WB sit deep hoping to catch us on the counter, it must play into our hands. We have SaS who are able to unpick any defence and when the sit deep strategy evaporates so does the surprise counter aspect of it.
2-1 for us on the day.

Well put together piece that mate, nice one.
Gonna get your arse kicked at Anfield tho' - entirely different game on the cards than our recent showing against you, 2-1 I'm going with.

Only 2-1 Stuey, I say 4-1 It's going to be a good day 

The finished article - http://westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=12416.0

Thank you very much for the replies.

Nice swan.


bad luck for Sat, good luck rest of the season.


YNWA

Only 2-1 Stuey, I say 4-1 It's going to be a good day 

I don't think it'll be easy by any stretch.

I don't think it'll be easy by any stretch.

One can only hope!

Don't think you need much of a scouting report to suss our main weakness, the bloody set piece.

Just to add to the Steve Clarke love-in, he was very well respected here and I think he thoroughly deserved the chance to step up as a manager and he seems to have taken it quietly but very effectively. Good coach and a respectable person too.

Wishing all Baggies fans good luck... after the weekend.

One can only hope!

  


You might.

Only 2-1 Stuey, I say 4-1 It's going to be a good day 

They will sit deep Gareth but we have the answer, the SaS set up should worry the hell out of them, even so I don't think they'll be a pushover.
4-1 will do for me tho' mate and I admire your optimism.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?
I think a top five position would be realistic, it would be fantastic to get into the top four, which at the moment is a real possibility.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?
I think they will finish just above mid table - prediction of 8/9th place. A good year to consolidate again a build upon with Steve Clarke.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?
Very excited about him as the manager. The opinion on this site that he has 'changed his ideology' is utterly unbelievable - yet this Liverpool forum is largely negative towards Rodgers (this does not account for Liverpool fans in general). He has not changed his ideology, we still play the pass and play - there has not been one performance where there is a fully confident performance for the whole 90 minutes, but certain halfs of game and many phases, it has still been about possession based football. The way some folk on here go on about it is as if he has turned into Sam Allardyce. There's an heir of more caution thrown in, but those who complained that his tactics were too rigid last year are now criticising him for adapting to certain aspects. Of course, Rodgers is still clearing up the mess of previous and it will take a long time before the club is fully up and running with his ideology. Importantly, he has implemented possession based football and the exact same tactics for the first team right down to the youth squads. This can only be great news for future development playing this manner. Give him time and the club will deliver I can assure you of that. The table doesn't lie and we are deserving of our position at the moment - a world away from the disasters of previous seasons, it is mind boggling how fans don't take into context how bad we were for a few years yet there is still so much negativity despite only being two points off the top in late October. Unbelievable.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?
He has been brilliant - didn't think he would make it as a manager personally, but delighted to see him working so well at WBA. With more shrewd signings they can push on and become a real staple in the Premier League and along with Southampton and Swansea, can show what clubs can do coming up from the Championship. I wouldn't be surprised to see WBA competing in the Europa League soon.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?
Very solid if unspectacular, but given the disasters of previous years, it was good. I like the look of Aspas and his pace, movement and dribbling are good but with Suarez and Sturridge, he is understandably not going to get much playing time any time soon, plus he looks very lightweight for the league. Hopefully he can adapt and, just like Giroud with Arsenal, become a different player this time next year. Mignolet was a great piece of business, he has saved us in games this season that Reina didn't do last year (as much as I love the guy, it's clear that his time was up). Sakho was a great piece of business - he looks like a great defender in the making and Rodgers seems to have solved the central defensive issues. Moses, as a loan deal, I don't expect him to do too much - he's got great pace and dribbling, but his play making skills are poor. We won't see the full effect of Liverpool's tactics under Rodgers until we get more playmakers - ala Arsenal who are spoilt for choice. At the moment, we only really have Coutinho. Cissokho - haven't seen too much of him, but fingers crossed he can give Enrique a run for his money. That pretty much needs to happen because the full backs are a liability to Rodgers tactics at the moment - it's important they play high up the field and support attacks, but our full backs aren't good enough at the moment (Johnson, although adept at going forward, is incredibly inconsistent).

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.
Don't know too much of their signings this year but I thought they were in trouble at the start of the season. However, all that seems to have changed and the results seem to be going their way.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?
We can dominate games, but chances can come few and far between at times - again, this is a problem of not having enough playmakers. Only Coutinho seems to be able to consistently cause defences problems with his defence splitting passes. My opinion would be to play Joe Allen and give him his chance further up the field - he only played in his preferred position at the start of last season and impressed but played deeper and he is useless. Henderson, although a rock in midfield at the moment and pressing wise is fantastic, will not offer defence splitting chances. Allen seems like one of a few legitimate choices as a playmaker himself. Strengths would be the SAS partnership - if they are given free flow on the counter attack, the pair of them will do damage, but they will suffer from lack of receiving the ball if Liverpool play like they did against Newcastle.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.
Not many changes from last week at Newcastle, but Lucas should return from last week (his wife gave birth). Not sure with Enrique, but should return if fit.

9. And finally, score predictions.
As a fan, biased prediction would be 1-0 to Liverpool. But West Brom are an incredibly organised team and I fear it will be a real struggle to break them down - not enough creativity in midfield at the moment. Might go on the prediction of a 1-1 draw.

My answers are in the quoted box below:

Hi,

We run a weekly View From the Opposition on our forum (westbrom.com) and I was hoping you would be kind enough to complete the questions beneath. The replies shall be created into an article which will be posted in this topic later on in the week.

Apologies to the forum administrators if this breaks any forum rules.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?

- To stay in the top 6 at least, push for 4th and remain within 10 points of the eventual title winners by the end of the season.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?

- WBA continue to impress with their signings, set up on and off the pitch and their performances under Clarke.
I fully expect top 10 at the least and at most 8th.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?

- I personally back the fella and believe given time he will certainly develop us into a better club, team and more importantly deliver a better league position in coming years. I feel one of the problems is lack of money, doing too much too quickly, being a tad too rigid with strategy and being held back by fear of dropping certain star names.

4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA?

- excellent! Can see a big future for Clarke if he stays at WBA for a while, learns his trade and gains a bigger reputation which all top managers need before they in the running for the top top jobs.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?

- In some areas we did great....in others we missed out and are still lacking. The limited options in the attacking midfield department are a worry but when compared to previous windows i have to say i am certainly more content than i have been.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.

- Well much like as with us, some have been instant successes and some may need more time or may prove to be duds.
Clarke has a good eye and his persistence in going for Sessegnon has to be admired. Has been proved right so far.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?

- too rigid, too slow in the middle, over reliance on a few players, no real mental strength to comback when things are against them, a lack of focus in the second half of games and the inability to kill games off or to take chances and ride our luck.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.

- to be honest don't expect many changes from the last few games.
Personally want a return to 4-4-2 and can't wait for Coutinho to return from injury and for Joe Allen to be given a run out.

9. And finally, score predictions.

- Tough one. Gonna be a difficult game. Before the Newcastle game i would have said 2-0 but since that result i hope for a 1-0 but fear another draw against teams, with all due respect, that we need to be beating to stay in the mix of my own expectations.

Thank you.

- Thanks for reaching out and asking our opinions!

Hi,

We run a weekly View From the Opposition on our forum (westbrom.com) and I was hoping you would be kind enough to complete the questions beneath. The replies shall be created into an article which will be posted in this topic later on in the week.

Apologies to the forum administrators if this breaks any forum rules.

1. What are your expectations for Liverpool this season?
As I club I would always expect we are challenging for the title/Champs Lge. But the reality of this team/ownership is that we will end up between 4th and 7th. Probably 5th. But could sneak 4th bearing in mind the objective is to ignore all cup competitions.

2. What are your expectations for WBA this season?
Should be a midtable team. Maybe as high as 8th or 9th. But most likely 9th to 12th or so.
I hope they do well, as I have visited the Hawthorns a bit as a kid when I was in the area and the Reds werent playing.

3. You appointed Brendan Rogers last summer, what have you made of his tenure so far?
The guy hasn't done that badly, bearing in mind the weaknesses of the squad. But the truth is, most of us were shocked that he'd been chosen when Rafa/Kenny and others were available. We feel he was signed for his compliance, low demands, low wages etc and that he hadnt proven himself to the level formerly demanded of LFC. There was always an unwritten principle that we'd back "our manager". However, many of us feel (me included) that he was our owners manager, not ours.



4. Steve Clarke, formally a Liverpool coach was also appointed last summer. What have you made of his tenure at WBA? I think he's done terrific given the circumstances. He's very under-rated, and I see him as actually more evolved than Rodgers at this stage. Ofcourse he has less resources at his disposal.

5. What were your views on your summer recruitment?
Sakho is ok and could really become good. Ilori is just a youngster. Luis Alberto and Aspas never impressed me and reek of the bargain basement attitude of our owners. Does not speak well for the future ambitions of the American board.

6. What did you make of Albion's summer recruitment? The additions of Anelka, Anichebe, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano, Sinclair, Amalfitano etc.
I don't know enough about them to validly comment. I think the blend and balance and tactics will be more important. Thought Lukaku was fantastic last yr and wonder if you will miss him.

7. We're early in the season, but what are Liverpool's strengths and weaknesses?
Wonderful front 2. Midfield lacks depth and Lucas-Gerrard will struggle over congested fixture schedules.
Defence has good players. Rookie manager, poor support staff. Lack of depth. Coutinho may become a real gem.

8. What side is Brendan Rogers most likely to choose ahead of Saturday's encounter.
Similar to last week. Maybe some defensive changes. Lucas will return.




9. And finally, score predictions.
2-1 or 3-1 to us. I'll say 3-1.

Thank you.
Thankyou too. Nice to see a Baggie here!

Only 2-1 Stuey, I say 4-1 It's going to be a good day 

I rest my case 

I rest my case 

It was a very good day mate.... nice prediction.