Wigan 2 West Bromwich Albion 1
Dec 1 2008 by Christopher Lepkowski, Birmingham Mail
Yet it was a frailty elsewhere which cost Albion. Paul Robinson made an error for Wigan’s equaliser by sending a weak back-header towards Scott Carson, failing to spot Henri Camara waiting to clip the ball past the Albion keeper.
The winner came three minutes from time. Carson fumbled Olsson’s header over the line to concede a corner. Jason Koumas’ flag-kick was headed in by Emmerson Boyce, who was left unmarked by Gianni Zuiverloon.
Jon Greening was much improved behind the energetic Miller. Morrison oozed class and took people on. Borja Valero passed for Spain but faded while Robert Koren was neat, tidy and efficient in front of Olsson and co. in a holding role.
The midfield was buoyant, full of good movement, zip and energy. But there was little presence up top and a day to forget at the back. Albion were worthy of more but if you make mistakes in defence and only convert one of your three or four chances then you can’t complain, no matter how well the opposition keeper plays.
So those are the match facts, but where do Albion go from here?
They are finding themselves in their usual Catch 22 situation.
They made a bid of around £4million for Kevin Thomson in the summer, were prepared to invest a similar amount in Oscar Trejo (his club wanted so much more) and were also close to getting Fraizer Campbell on loan. So the money and intent was clearly there.
But we have to assume, from Tony Mowbray’s comments, that is no longer the case regarding the money bit. The manager talks about loans and cashing in on current players. Not the ideal recipe for survival.
Significant investment is needed into the playing squad, but we are now to assume that will not happen while there is a real danger of relegation as it compromises the club’s future. Transfers cost money, wages cost more, especially in the event of demotion.
Chairman Jeremy Peace and Mowbray know the price of players goes up in January, feasible targets are hard to come by and, often, are not interested in joining a relegation-threatened side. There is also a recession worming its way into football, which could cause untold damage. Right now we don’t know what will happen to West Ham’s legal battle with Sheffield United or other cash-threatened clubs. All of these are considerations.
But the fact is, Albion’s wage bill is the lowest in the division. This is reflected in the league table. Stoke and Hull have done a bit more. Not a lot, but just enough. They look healthier, although there is still a lot of football to be played.
The Baggies still have a fighting chance of survival but the manager needs help, not a nudge towards the bargain basement.
If Albion are to fall on their sword then, one would hope it’s because 17 other clubs are better – not because of what didn’t happen during two transfer windows.
