00:00 Hello, Baggies fans. Welcome to ExpressingStar.com. My name is Jonny Durie. I am here with Lewis
00:12 Cox after Carlos Corbrandt's pre-match press conference ahead of the penultimate home game
00:18 of the season against Sunderland. Coxie, I'm sure there's plenty to discuss. And as always,
00:24 the fitness and injury news is what comes first. And there's two names to discuss. Jed
00:28 Wallace, who was missing on Wednesday night, and Josh Madger, who we did see but might
00:32 not see on Saturday. What's the latest with those two?
00:35 Indeed, Jonny. Good afternoon. Yeah, just finished up at Carlos's press conference. So the news
00:40 on those two, as you say, is fairly positive overall, I would say. Jed Wallace missed Wednesday's
00:48 win over Rovarin with illness, didn't he? So the aim and the plan is for Jed Wallace
00:54 to train this afternoon as we speak. The expectation is he'll come through that okay. He's feeling
01:00 better and over the illness. And if he comes through training, okay, Wallace will be involved
01:04 tomorrow, as a starter, as a sub, he'll be in the squad. That means, as a result, Josh
01:11 Madger won't be in the squad tomorrow against his former club Sunderland. And the plan is
01:15 for him to play for Albion's 21s, for Richard Beale's under-21s tonight at Manchester City.
01:22 So that's the ideal. That's the plan. Carlos Coburn has stressed that sacrificing Madger
01:28 and not having him available tomorrow against the Black Cats will be to his benefit. Those
01:34 vital minutes for the 21s. I think he's due to play an hour tonight against City's youngsters.
01:38 So that'll be massive in Madger's development and play a really big part, hopefully, in
01:44 developing his match fitness, match sharpness, so he can be a real factor for Albion from,
01:49 ideally, Leicester, Saturday week tomorrow, and then the final three games and then the
01:55 playoffs, ideally. So that's the aim. Obviously, all hinges on Wallace coming through training
02:00 today after illness, but he's expected to do that. So yeah, an interesting one, really,
02:04 in that we're seeing Madger from the bench the other night, which Carlos told me there
02:09 will be really beneficial to him, those 10 minutes against the Millers the other night.
02:13 But I think the hour he'll play this evening, albeit at 21s level, just in terms of that
02:18 match fitness and sharpness. Yes, not the intensity of the championship, but really
02:22 beneficial for Madger, then a four-week training for him next week, and then obviously Leicester.
02:27 So that'll be good. Good to have Wallace back on board, of course, always is. I don't know
02:33 if I'm trying to... I think in my predicted 11 that I've done for the Express Star newspaper
02:39 and that you can read online later today, I think Wallace will be on the bench. I expect
02:43 Tom Fellows will probably stay in, just in terms of, I think, momentum and probably rhythm.
02:51 Wallace's illness, not being well enough to be involved at all on Wednesday, that surprised
02:55 me. So yeah, positive that he's back around it. And I think good news on Madger, even
02:59 though he won't be involved tomorrow, in that he'll get those important minutes into his
03:03 legs for Beal's side tonight.
03:06 And just second of all, obviously what's Carlos said on Sunderland aside, that Corbyn's faced
03:11 three times, his Albion manager lost twice, that most recently come back, early in the
03:17 season at the Stadium. What's he said about Sunderland, who to be honest have had a bit
03:20 of an under-par season?
03:21 Yeah, I mean, they're sort of marooned in mid-table, aren't they? Are they 13th, I think
03:26 I'm right in saying? They can't do a lot, can they, in terms of up or down? Clearly
03:32 there's sort of little on the line in terms of being decisive for them. He sort of explained
03:40 Sunderland's broken up season, with the manager changes, obviously starting with Tony Mowbray
03:45 and then what happened happened with Beal, didn't it? Mick Beal. And yeah, now they're
03:50 sort of under the interim management of Mike Dodds, is it? Who was of course in charge
03:57 at the Stadium of Light in December, when Sunderland got the win, something Carlos pointed
04:01 out. Of course, that was also the day Josh Madger had his ankle ligaments basically ruptured
04:06 by that awful Dan Ballard challenge. So there's a bit of poetry really in Madger's kind of
04:11 return and Sunderland having an interim manager again. It's not gone well for them really,
04:18 considering the quality they've got in the squad as a whole. Yes, they've had problems
04:23 with availability. They're not near where they should be. Obviously, playoffs was it
04:27 for them last season and that would have been the target, I'd have thought, to improve on
04:32 that or at least match it. Clearly hasn't happened, even for the manager changes, obviously
04:36 hasn't happened. Carlos did stress, they've had Jack Clark and Patrick Roberts out injured
04:41 to the divisions, massive attacking players, two key wingers. Any side really in world
04:46 football that loses their two best attackers is going to struggle for it. And unfortunately
04:52 for Albion, both are back. And I think in Jack Clark's case, just back the recent games.
04:59 So I mean, he's such a good player, isn't he? And he's going to certainly be one to
05:02 watch tomorrow. Some very interesting quotes from Carlos Corbijn to come on Jack Clark,
05:06 because Corbijn sort of to thank for his development really. Had him as a, brought him up from
05:10 a scholar to under 23 level at Leeds did Carlos Corbijn. And Clark went on to have a big money
05:15 move to Spurs, didn't quite work and had to find his feet again at Sunderland. And some
05:21 fascinating quotes from Carlos to come about his kind of journey and how it all sort of
05:27 started really from around that time and a chance meeting with Jack Clark. But he'll
05:32 be back and around it and a big threat at the Hawthorns tomorrow. Carlos pointed out
05:36 that yes, Sunderland's form has been ropey a bit in and out. They were hammered at the
05:42 stadium of light not so long ago by Blackburn was it? I think five. And as a result, subsequently
05:47 to that, I've kept back to back clean sheets in, in goalless draws in nil nils, one of
05:52 them coming at Leeds. So, you know, for them to go and achieve that stalemate there and
05:57 get a point from Ellen Road is some go in, isn't it? And shows, I think, to Albion that
06:02 yes, nothing on the line from them, but they're going to, I think, be tough not to crack really
06:07 tough to break down. Yes, I haven't scored in those goalless draws, but as I mentioned
06:11 with Clark around and yeah, I don't think for a second it'll be easy tomorrow. I remember
06:14 speaking Johnny on recent podcasts and me putting down tomorrow's possibly as a, as
06:19 a draw in my prediction. So I don't think it'll be easy. Even though they're sort of
06:24 marooned in the middle of the table and I think it'll be a test. And I think it's almost
06:29 there for Albion, isn't it? Mathematically, that top six nearly, nearly, nearly, nearly
06:34 rubber stamped. I think if Albion win tomorrow, they can put results go their way. Of course,
06:39 they can put a 12 points between them and seventh and the chasers would only have 12
06:44 to play for. So obviously goal difference, which, which is also in Albion's favour. So
06:48 it can almost be done tomorrow. And obviously three games to come after that. So there's
06:53 a lot on the line and to make it sort of back to back home wins Wednesday. That did be great
06:58 for momentum and confidence, won't it? Shillen Patel again, the chairman, the owner will
07:02 be there. So yeah, lots to look forward to tomorrow. I think it'll be a good game. I
07:06 don't think by any means it'll be an easy game, but one, one Carlos Coburn on his side
07:09 will, will hope to get another three points from.
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