Our resident West Brom fans have been raising many a glass to the performance of Tony Pulis and his men in the Transfer Tavern this season.
The Baggies find themselves in the top half of the table and with a strong January transfer window behind them will look to gather as many points as possible to close the gap on the top six.
West Brom travel to the London Stadium on Saturday and with the Hammers sitting 5 points behind Tony Pulis’ men, our Landlord predicts that if the Baggies can get the result their fans desire here – the only way will be up for the west Midlands outfit.
The last time these two met was when the Irons were seriously struggling at the start of the season and West Brom took full advantage racing to 3-0 lead at half time through Nacer Chadli, Solomon Rondon and James McClean. Chadli added a fourth from the penalty spot in the second half before Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini replied for the Hammers.
Pulis and our resident Baggies’ fans will be hoping for a similar performance in this one and with that said, here is the XI that West Brom will field on Saturday…
GK: Ben Foster
An ever dependable figure in the West Brom goal, Foster has truly established himself as a true Baggies favourite. Often, his good work between the posts will go unnoticed, though not by any here in the Tavern.
RB: Allan Nyom
Nyom may have some regrets following his refusal to play for his nation following Cameroon’s AFCON win, though this game is a chance to prove he’s a big part of the Baggies’ setup.
CB: Craig Dawson
Dawson has been impressive for West Brom whilst deputising for Jonny Evans and our Landlord would not be surprised to see him keep the Northern Irishman out the side for this clash.
CB: Gareth McAuley
At the ripe age of 37, McAuley is outshining some of his younger peers with a series of impressive performances this season. Also a palpable goal threat.
LB: Chris Brunt
A converted left-back, Brunt has added a new dimension to West Brom’s attack from fullback this season, pushing up in support of his teammates further up the field.
CM: Darren Fletcher
The West Brom captain recently completed his 300th Premier League game, a truly fantastic achievement for the former Man Utd man.
CM: Jake Livermore
Our Landlord believes that January signing, Livermore, will keep his place despite Claudio Yacob recovering from the illness that kept him out of last weekend’s fixture.
RM: Matt Phillips
Phillips has really impressed our Landlord in his first season with the Baggies and has stood out with some consistent performances.
CAM: James Morrison
Morrison has been pulling the (broken) strings for the Baggies this season, contributing the winner in their last outing v Stoke.
LM: Nacer Chadli
West Brom fans in the Transfer Tavern will be hoping Chadli can repeat his last performance against the Hammers where he scored twice.
ST: Solomon Rondon
Rondon will simply have to fire in order to get West Brom over the line here, it won’t be easy against a 3 man West Ham defence though.
