Barnsley 3 West Brom 1: Chris Lepkowski's big match report and ratings
IT’S not often you can look back on a 5-0 victory and find yourself wondering if it gave a false reading.
Just 10 days separated Albion’s win at Middlesbrough from last night’s thumping at Barnsley.
Perhaps that Riverside battering gave us all the wrong impression.
Are certain footballers believing their own hype?
Many were guilty – myself included – of hurling the hyperbole in the direction of those who claimed such a fantastic win up in Teesside.
But now you find yourself asking more questions of this Albion side.
Did we build them up too much? Did they get carried away by that win? Did they think it would be that easy every week?
The defence played like a collection of individuals who had been thrown together 10 minutes before the kick-off.
Even the club’s ever-reliable Jonas Olsson had a day he’d rather forget, although not as much as Shelton Martis, his partner.
Martis was woeful and lacking in confidence. He let himself down with poor positioning, was too easily beaten to challenges and, to cap it all, scored an own-goal which came due to his panicking as he came under pressure.
Full-backs Gianni Zuiverloon and Joe Mattock endured nightmare opening halves.
Both players have represented their nations at under-21 levels for Holland and England, yet both struggled against wingers of arguably lesser pedigree who should have been taken care of.
And in midfield there was little to get excited about. Graham Dorrans and Youssouf Mulumbu were sublime at Middlesbrough, yet last night they struggled with the basics.
They over-indulged too much and, dare I say, at times were let down by their lack of know-how.
What should have been basic passes, were, at times, becoming long-range ‘Hollywood’ passes – with possession being lost too readily as a result.
All around the field, Albion were sloppy. The first half was particularly shameful from the visitors.
Tackles were missed or weak and it was all too comfortable for the home side, who took the lead through Adam Hammill after he nipped around Jonas Olsson and slotted past Scott Carson.
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