Stoke City 1 West Bromwich Albion 0
Nov 24 2008 By Chris Lepkowski
HAPPY birthday Tony Mowbray. Not quite.
The Albion boss might was born on the day JFK was assasinated but there were to be no 'where were you?' moments prompted by an unlikely Albion victory at Stoke.
It's now 26 years and counting since the Baggies beat the Potters in their own manor.
More worrying than Mamady Sibide's goal was the manner of the loss.
Scott Carson was given plenty of stick by the home fans following last midweek's events in Berlin and his decision to reject Stoke in the summer.
He responded with a good performance.
But what of opposite number Thomas Sorensen? Who knows. He was probably cold, like the rest of us.
Fact is Albion did not test the Stoke keeper once and that is simply unacceptable.
When the Baggies visited Stoke last season you knew that their defeat was a blip - they always lose at Stoke, goals and wins would soon follow and Mowbray's men duly obliged.
But can you see where Albion's next goals are coming from? Or even their next win.
Tony Mowbray is facing the biggest test of his managerial career so far. His efforts last season were outstanding and his visions for the future are empassioned and ambitious. He has a long-term goal which he is determined to see through and one would hope he is granted the chance. But the present is what he will be judged on and, right now, it's not going to plan. But there is only so much any manager, whether it's Mowbray or Mourinho, can do when he's working to the parameters of the division's lowest wage budget and may have little to spend in January.
Mowbray, to his credit, ensured that his team were well-drilled to cope with Rory Delap's throws. The Stoke player was off-form in that respect but Albion also defended it well and, after the break, gave just one throw-in away in their own half. Clearly research had been done.
