Is Corberán under pressure as Baggies go to Hull?

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·8. November 2024

Is Corberán under pressure as Baggies go to Hull?

Hull City v West Bromwich Albion; MKM Stadium, Sunday 10th November 2024, 1pm

The natives are definitely restless around the Hawthorns as the Baggies’ winless run was extended to eight games with the goalless draw against Burnley, and I heard several fans commenting that it was time for Corberán to go. For me, it is a very short-sighted viewpoint given the remarkable job that the Spaniard has done over the past two years. And let’s also not forget that the draw means that Albion are unbeaten in six, even if they are all draws, and still in the top six.

Having said that, Bobby Gould’s team went unbeaten for nine games at the end of the 1990/91 season, but winning just twice in that run saw them relegated to the third tier for the only time in the club’s history. The difference, however, is that Corberán’s Albion are playing well in this current run but failing to find the clinical touch around the opponents’ penalty area often enough.

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Corberán maybe under pressure, every manager who didn’t win their last game is, but I don’t believe he is even remotely close to the sack, nor should he be.

One of the more intelligent comments I have heard since Thursday’s match came from Alistair Jones of Action4Albion fame when he said on X that the team seems to have resorted to safety-first football since the defeat at Hillsborough, in an attempt to fix a problem that didn’t need fixing. It certainly makes sense to me.

Looking back to the draw with Burnley, the result was hardly a surprise – both clubs have been struggling for goals but defending very well, a goal-fest it was never going to be. On the night, a draw was probably a fair result although the visitors had the better of the chances. The disallowed goal may have been controversial according to “Dingle Don”, and Scott Parker of course, but it looked like a fair enough decision to me. Parker should really be blaming Anthony as he would have won the header without the clear push into Styles’ back.

It would’ve been tough on Styles had that goal counted as he had an excellent game. If he continues in this form, the left back spot is his to lose and, with Heggem performing well at centre-back, Semi Ajayi may find his route to the first team blocked when he does return from injury next year. Grant and Furlong also put in strong performances with Mowatt and Maja both having a rare off night.

Sunday’s opponents are enduring a difficult start to the season and, ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, they are in 18th place but only outside the bottom three on goal difference. After harshly dispensing with the services of Liam Rosenior at the end of last season after they missed out on the play-offs by one place, the club appointed Tim Walter in July and the German has not had the best beginning to his career in English football. It was the second half of September before the Tigers recorded their first victory of the season, away to Stoke City but, after following that with two more wins at home to Cardiff City and away to QPR taking them to ten goals in three games, it seemed as if Hull were on the march. However, in the six games since then, Walter’s team have picked up only three points and were beaten at Oxford United on Tuesday evening.

The Tigers have actually scored one more goal than the Baggies this season, but have conceded ten more (18) and have just one clean sheet to their name this season, in a 0-0 draw with Millwall back in August. City’s defensive record will be music to the ears of Albion fans and I feel that, if the team plays as well as they did against Burnley, they will get far more clear opportunities at the MKM Stadium.

Hopefully, that will be enough for the Baggies to claim all three points.

History

The Baggies have lost just one of the last nine meetings with Hull City, winning seven of them. That run extends to two defeats and ten wins in the last sixteen encounters. However, Albion have not won on their last two visits to Humberside with Grant’s double securing their last victory in East Yorkshire in March 2022.

Neither of the clubs’ current squads have players to have played for the other team, but there are plenty in recent history to have turned out for both the Tigers and the Baggies.

The most recent is Conor Townsend, who was born in Hessle at the north end of the Humber Bridge and started his career with Hull City – he only made one substitute appearance for them before moving across the river to Scunthorpe United in 2016. Ryan Allsop, who was City’s first choice ‘keeper last season before moving to Birmingham City in the summer, started his career at the Hawthorns but never made a senior appearance for the Baggies.

Others in recent years include Kamil Grosicki and Jake Livermore, who both moved from Hull to the Albion in 2020 and 2017 respectively, and both went on to score against their former club. Livermore scored the winner at the KC Stadium in 2019 while Grosicki’s only goal for the Baggies was in a 4-2 win over the Tigers in July 2020.

Robert Snodgrass, who moved to the Hawthorns in January 2021, spent three years with Hull before moving to West Ham and Lee Peltier, who made a handful of appearances for the Baggies that season, had a brief loan spell at the KC Stadium in 2007. Liam RIdgewell, Boaz Myhill, James Chester and Keith Andrews, who all played in the Premier League for the Baggies in the 2010s, have also played for City.

A few players who played for Albion in the noughties went on to play for the Tigers, including Curtis Davies, Shane Long, Neil Clement, Robert Koren, Paul McShane and Lee Marshall.

Going back a little further, Kevin Kilbane and Richard Sneekes both went on to play for Hull after leaving the Albion, as did Peter Barnes who moved to Boothferry Park in 1988. Meanwhile, Frank Griffin and John Kaye had both played on Humberside before making their names at the Hawthorns.