It’s rare nowadays that top-level players have a connection with their clubs like Cyrille Regis did with West Brom back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. But the passing of the legendary striker this week ought to be a tidy reminder to those who pull on a Baggies shirt at Everton this weekend that they are part of something bigger.
Of course, it’s purely speculative to suggest Albion’s chances of getting a result on Merseyside might improve because of a ’do it for Cyrille’ sentiment, but there has been a whirlwind of emotions swirling around the Hawthorns this week that ought to make the players feel a healthy sense of obligation to represent their club with distinction.
That sad news and the next performance might be entirely unconnected, but if it’s going to have any sort of impact, you’d argue it’s more likely to be galvanising than crippling. As the away side coming up against a team higher up the table, Alan Pardew’s men start the game as clear underdogs, which means they’re unlikely to be labouring under any unhealthy pressure.
Such is the monotonous existence for most clubs outside of the Premier League’s top six that West Brom rarely find themselves centre stage, but we can confidently assume they will be first up on the Match of the Day if they pick up maximum points here. And this Everton side should hold few fears given the pattern of their last meeting and how recent it was.
The two teams played out a 0-0 draw in the Black Country on Boxing Day, a game the Baggies spent on the front foot from start to finish. Sam Allardyce came away lamenting his team’s inability to retain possession, but his tactics of late have been doing little to get the best out of them as an attacking entity.
In the last five matches, Everton have managed just four shots on target and their 'expected goals' scored figure has averaged just 0.58 per 90 minutes. Admittedly, it’s a sample that includes games against Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, but that caveat is not going to quell the murmurings of discontent beginning to surface on the Gladwys Street.
Allardyce is good at what he does. He brings a guaranteed level of competence but the uncertainty avoidance inherent in his methods doesn’t suit everyone. Already, his tenure on Merseyside is starting to resemble the four-year loveless marriage he had at West Ham rather than the casual flings that fulfilled simple ambitions at Sunderland and Crystal Palace.
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Once that fire over an unfancied philosophy begins to burn, you can rest assured Big Sam will only fan the flames with his dogmatic responses to media questioning. Everton might be comfortable in ninth position, thanks to four wins in the first five matches under the new regime, but now conditions are ripe for a different sort of crisis.
Pardew, by contrast, was made to wait nine games for his first triumph, but the often-abrasive south Londoner appears to be keeping his counsel and slowly generating a tide of goodwill. A routine 2-0 success over Brighton last weekend came on the back of their first win of any kind since August in the FA Cup at Exeter. Both victories built on an early breakthrough.
Prior to that, Albion had only won two of their previous 31 outings and we shouldn’t underestimate the paralysing effects of such a wretched run on performances. Now that weight has been lifted, there’s scope for the Midlanders to go about their business with an added spring in their step and, indeed, Pardew himself is renowned for being a streaky manager.
The former Crystal Palace boss won 19 of his first 36 league matches during his two-year spell in charge at Selhurst Park, but could then only muster four wins in the next 38. When Pardew strikes upon a winning formula, he usually rides it well. But when things take a downturn, his personality seemingly becomes a problem and he rubs too many people up the wrong way.
Given the current dynamic at West Brom and the fact that very few of the players have crossed paths with him before, we can assume there's a degree of novelty involved and take a leap of faith in a belated bounce effect. Albion might be second from bottom at present, but they look ready to kick on and have a proper go at dragging themselves out of the drop zone.
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West Brom +0.25 on the Asian handicap at evens
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