Jonny Drury is joined by Lewis Cox to discuss Albion's 1-0 derby win over Birmingham City.
After a tight first half the sides were locked level - and the second half ebbed and flowed.
Kevin Long hit the post for Blues before Andi Weimann came off the bench to win it for Albion.
Jonny and Lewis discuss the display, the result and the options Carlos Corberan now has at his disposal.
After a tight first half the sides were locked level - and the second half ebbed and flowed.
Kevin Long hit the post for Blues before Andi Weimann came off the bench to win it for Albion.
Jonny and Lewis discuss the display, the result and the options Carlos Corberan now has at his disposal.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Baggies fans, welcome to ExpressingStar.com. My name is Jonny Drury. As always, I'm alongside
00:13 Albion correspondent Lewis Cox. After Albion have won a derby, they've had two derbies
00:18 this week. We obviously had the disappointment of last week, but it was Birmingham today.
00:21 Something I don't really call, obviously, not as much of a derby, but still a little
00:26 bit of bragging rights.
00:27 Geographical derby.
00:28 Albion have come out on top. It was not vintage. It wasn't one, performance-wise, that will
00:32 stick in the memory for too long. But Andy Viamond's goal there on the ex-Villa man,
00:36 getting the win for Albion against Palouse has sealed it. And Coxie, I think the significance
00:42 of the win is probably big for Albion. You could arguably say neither side deserve to
00:48 win it. They beat the post, Albion had chances, but they've grounded out. I've just explained
00:53 on Twitter, these are the games you've got to win to get in the playoffs.
00:57 85 minutes, I don't think, were the most memorable, were they? I think it was tight, competitive,
01:01 a bit quiet at times, first half, certainly. Ramped up a bit after the break, didn't it?
01:06 But wow, Viamond's storyline, unbelievable really, isn't it? With his heavy Villa background
01:12 to do that on his home debut. Any debut, any home debut to score the late win is clearly
01:18 great, isn't it? And great scenes in here after that. We'll get on to other things,
01:23 but Viamond at the away end, at the end there, with his, giving it the clapping and allegedly
01:28 the 1-0 sign and the little wave, just slightly antagonising the away end.
01:34 Maybe not the wisest thing to do after last year.
01:36 Maybe not, Johnny. Maybe not. But to be fair to Tony Mowbray in there, asked about it,
01:42 he said, "Look, lad, come in, striker, scored a goal on his debut, rivals of his old club,
01:48 all of that." So I think Viamond's not speaking, thinking about Wolves last weekend, that moment
01:52 is in. It was a great moment and a massive goal. Let's be fair, a massive goal, a massive
01:58 win. It feels to me like one of the most significant goals and wins of the season, possibly the
02:04 most. I mean, they finished 0-0, I think with 20 minutes to go, Blues were on top, weren't
02:09 they? Had that one off the post, nearly edged it. At that point you were thinking, "Get
02:15 us 0-0, get us a point." But to do that late on feels massive, really. After a League Cup
02:21 defeat, we know all about Wolves last weekend, Norwich away from the previous league, again,
02:26 feels a long time ago, doesn't it? Obviously, that went along the trend of away defeats.
02:31 So to bounce back with a really important win, to get back on the bike, to get back
02:38 to winning ways, really important. I think obviously we know all about the record here
02:41 and the fortress it's become, generally. Massive, massive moments. In the context of the league
02:46 table, the chasing pack, there's a four-point gap now with rivals below having played a
02:52 game more than some rivals. So that's big and something I think we definitely have to
02:55 get into. And a new signing, one of the three new signings, all attackers, all on the bench
03:02 today, along with DK who also came on, obviously those four, but certainly the three new signings.
03:08 Carlos Coburn had something there to turn to when he needed it on the hour, when he
03:12 needed a goal, when he needed a winner. He's not been able to turn to, with respect to
03:16 players on the bench this season, he's not had any experience and hardly any attackers
03:21 to turn to full stop. And I think it's written and the clear message from today is just the
03:27 depth has already paid off, hasn't it, in that moment. I thought we saw flashes from
03:32 all three, obviously a lot from Wyman in the finish, but flashes from all of them. Great
03:37 scenes, great win.
03:39 Yes, it's a really good point, the depth did pay off. I didn't think Albion were great
03:44 for the majority of the game, certainly the first half. I think Carlos Coburn said defensively
03:48 he was unhappy in the second half and offensively he was unhappy in the first half as well.
03:53 But they sort of ground it out and got over the line in the end. And like you say, moving
04:01 forward, I'm not going to say it's a turning point because it's not like it's been on a
04:04 bad run, but could this be...
04:07 Springboard.
04:08 Springboard, a catalyst, in terms of those options that come on, I've just written a
04:11 piece now, there were some interesting points to look at on all the three new boys and not
04:18 fantastic displays by all of them, by any means. And it's hard to make an impact in
04:23 game. We saw enough that those and others coming back, we forget that Adjaye and Diengana
04:28 are still the African Cup of Nations.
04:30 Ready to face each other in the final, no doubt.
04:34 It could be a springboard, certainly a result like that on the back of a performance like
04:37 that, which wasn't, as we said, a memorable one.
04:39 Well, hopefully it just starts a bit of momentum again, maybe. I mentioned the two defeats
04:43 and in the space of two weekends, that's felt like a bit of a downer and dampener on both
04:48 fronts really. Obviously, Wolves speaks for itself, but it was about a month ago now,
04:53 going to Swansea and losing, wasn't it? So it's been a bit checked, hasn't it? The consistency
04:57 is falling away a little bit, you could say. The away form doesn't help that clearly and
05:02 it becomes ever more important to win here, really, which it shouldn't have to. But obviously
05:06 a trip to Ipswich next week and hopefully you can just start building some momentum.
05:10 I wrote before this game, it feels a bit like lying in the sand, second half of the season.
05:16 Now we've got bodies, players to come on and impact things and influence things and they
05:20 did. I mean, Mikey Johnson played a massive part in the goal, the Celtic loanee. We said,
05:25 watching him, he looked really sharp and you could see what he was about. And I think he
05:28 moved left to right with a ball, played it out to Furlong, we got the crossing for the
05:32 Wyman goal. Carlos talked to me about how Callum Marshall was involved in it as well,
05:36 presumably in terms of, I don't know if he was on the ball in the build-up to it, but
05:40 being in the box there, ready, occupying defenders, that sort of thing. Great cross from Furlong.
05:45 You're right, I think it was one of the poorer 45 minutes of the season in terms of the spectacle,
05:51 wasn't it, the first half? You disagreed slightly and I know what you were saying, it was quite
05:56 even competitive, but there wasn't a lot happening in the final third.
06:00 In the first half, I think they were cancelling each other out, but yeah, the quality wasn't
06:03 there certainly until later on. Just finally, Coxsey, I know Albion fans will have seen it,
06:07 we're not going to talk an awful lot about it, there was an alleged incident in the Halfords
06:10 Lane stand in the second half. I think it was Bakuna, the Birmingham man, who has made an
06:15 allegation of a racist comment, which Tony Moble and Carlos Corbett have both spoke about in there,
06:20 about an investigation. So we're not going to talk about that. We're going to finish on a
06:23 more positive note. Moving forward now into next week, it's exciting moving forward now.
06:29 Daryl Dekay came back at the end there as well and we've gotten a real tussle down here with one
06:34 of the Birmingham centre-halves, which was quite amusing. It's just exciting to see what Albion
06:39 have in front of them now. You go into Ipswich next Saturday, not thinking Bear 11 and a few
06:46 options off the bench, like I've put Pippa on as the number 10. They're going there with a real
06:51 chance of winning against a side that are doing really well this season, and a chance to face
06:54 the man who you thought he wasn't getting much game time at Albion in Jeremy Salmond.
06:59 Got to turn the script on Holmby away form, just have to. I think if it doesn't and the away form
07:05 continues down in 16th, 17th level of the Championship, it's going to be very hard to
07:09 stay in the top six. That's my opinion. But I think, as I mentioned, that sort of line in the
07:13 sand, I think it is a little bit of a turning point this season. Not just today's result,
07:16 I just think the outcome of the window, I think it's changed. We know there was a centre midfielder
07:20 short and Carlos wants to get one in the free agent market. But I think in terms of the attack,
07:25 how many times have we said this season on these videos, on the podcast, in written words,
07:30 that it's just been the sticking point of the season, really. Too much on Thomas Sassante,
07:35 struggling again today, wasn't he? He wasn't alone, Swift struggling. A lot of players below par,
07:41 I thought, for the first half, first 60 minutes. But Albion were much brighter after the break,
07:46 Corbijn must have got into them. The response. And yes, I just think, you're right, going to Ipswich,
07:52 yes, got the away form to contend with. But I think, travelling baggage fans down there,
07:57 the squad will go down and players certainly will look around them and think,
08:00 they've got today as an example, haven't they? If X and Y isn't quite doing it, then we've got
08:07 those options. And A and B can come off the bench and really sort us out, dig us out, get us a goal,
08:15 get us an equaliser or a win, like today. I just think it changes the dynamic of the season and
08:20 what Corbijn can do, really. He's had his hands tied since coming into the club, still has,
08:24 but the club have done what they can in the market for him. In terms of those attacking
08:28 demands, free attackers, we didn't see that, did we? But it's already paid off today. So the chances
08:32 are, ideally, it's going to continue paying off. I think there's a long way to go in terms of
08:37 performance levels. Albion can reach above today. And maybe it's a good thing that it's been a
08:42 victory in a so-so performance, probably. Lots of work on, but it's been a crazy week. Obviously,
08:50 congratulations to the Corbijns, their new arrival. It's been a fairly crazy week for him,
08:54 hasn't it? Crazy 24 hours for him, the end of the transfer window, trying to prep for this,
08:58 all sorts. But yes, you think with a four-week training going to switch the new boys to really
09:05 get bedded in, it bodes well, doesn't it? I think the dynamics have changed and I think
09:12 the options are encouraging. Performance levels need to be better than today, but it feels,
09:16 like we said at the top, like a really significant win. Yes, a significant win indeed. Albion 1,
09:21 Blues 0, all the rest of the reaction, head to expressantire.com. The Baggage Broadcast will be
09:24 back this week, but I won't be presenting it. Unfortunately, it'll be someone from
09:27 the world that's persuading who's going to be alongside. That's terrible. Terrible.
09:30 Until next time, goodbye.