BirminghamWorld reporter Charlie Haffenden's reaction to West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Blackburn Rovers in the Championship with two fine goals from Makhtar Gueye.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00West Bromwich Albion 0, Blackburn Rovers 2, and it's a devastating defeat in the playoff
00:06fight for Tony Mowbray's men. A really disappointing performance really on the whole,
00:11in the first half Albion dominating possession but unable to create too many clear-cut opportunities,
00:16so many occasions where the wide players in particular Tom Fellows and Mikey Johnston and
00:20then Isaac Price in the middle you could argue as well, the two midfield players Jason Molumbi
00:25and Alex Mowat trying to be incisive with their passing, getting between the lines,
00:28but Blackburn sat in quite a deep back line, just weren't able to penetrate them at all,
00:33the quality of pass wasn't good enough, Blackburn in fairness were strong themselves defensively,
00:38and then this is the second half you're thinking okay maybe a bit of a lift here can Albion try
00:43and get through this defence once and for all, but Blackburn actually came out the better of
00:47the two teams in that second half, and Mactar their striker with two incredible finishes within
00:53fairly quick succession, the first one was a corner which Tony Mowbray in the press conference
00:57was so disappointed about, it was headed back into the danger area, and then Mactar with an
01:03acrobatic effort, a bit of a bicycle kick, not quite, you can get away with calling it a bicycle
01:08kick, but acrobatic nonetheless on the volley into that near post, and then Joe Wildsmith the Albion
01:13goalkeeper not strong enough whatsoever, it's disappointing for a goalkeeper to be beaten at
01:17his near post, but in the manner it was it's simply not good enough, it went through his hands
01:23and then he kind of patted it into his own net, you want more from your goalkeeper don't you
01:27really, I think there'll be calls after this one for Josh Griffiths who's been recalled from Bristol
01:31Rovers to come in, but Alex Palmer would have saved that I think most would have argued, so
01:35disappointing, I know it's harsh to really critique a player, but when you're making mistakes like
01:39that and it's costing your team you've got to be held accountable, the second goal I think
01:44Wildsmith's at fault again, it's a long crossfield ball into the box, he's coming, he's going, he's
01:50making his mind up, Hegum and Holgate in front of him don't know what to do either,
01:54complete mix-up at the back, it's kind of knocked back, scuffed by one of the Blackburn wingers,
01:59and then Muxar is then once again there, it's a great touch from the striker in fairness,
02:04he composes himself well and fires it into the roof of the net, before you know it it's 2-0 to
02:08Blackburn, West Brom when 1-0 down did have two goals disallowed, the first one I think was pretty
02:14harsh, Adam Armstrong after a corner, he's at the far post, he heads it in, it's deflected on the
02:19line and goes into the roof of the net, I think it would have been his goal because it's on target,
02:23but it wasn't given, the referee calling it back for a push in the back of Hegum,
02:28the Blackburn defender, I think it's really harsh and Mowbray said so in the press conference as
02:33well, he said everyone in the box is just battling, they're throwing each other around,
02:36their bodies, it's very physical, and then one little nudge in the back is penalised,
02:40unacceptable probably from the referees there and it could have been 1-1 in a very different game,
02:44and then the second one, Will Lancashire, the top and low knee, he pokes it in from an Isaac Price
02:50cross, he's offside in fairness, through a crowd of bodies, so many men offside, I think that one
02:55can't have too many complaints about, but the first one, the Adam Armstrong goal being disallowed I
02:59think was pretty harsh and Albion fans rightfully aggrieved, but nonetheless Blackburn, more clinical
03:04on the night, not good enough for the baggies and that inconsistency, it's continuing under
03:10Mowbray, it's been here all season, we saw it under Corbran as well, no back-to-back wins since
03:15September, something needs to change soon with other teams picking up form in and around Albion,
03:19although the playoff football might not be on the cards this season.