Thank you Alex for joining us here on TheStamfordShed. To begin with, as always we like to find out a little more about our opposing fan. How and why did you start supporting West Brom?
I’ve supported West Brom for as long as I can remember and it comes through both my Dad and Granddad supporting them. I used to listen to stories from them as a young kid and just I wanted to experience moments like that. Granddad told me of the glory years of the 1960’s I’m still waiting for those days but hopefully they will come soon!
What has been your biggest highlight as a fan?
As I mentioned in the previous answer I’m still waiting for the glory days but there have been some very memorable highlights. Staying up on the final day in 2005 after being bottom at Christmas and needing 3 other results on the last day was unbelievable. We faced Portsmouth and their local rivals Southampton had got relegated, the whole ground celebrating was a moment I’ll never forget.
Tony Pulis started a revival at the club when he first took over, your form has now been a little more mixed of late. Can you tell us a bit about his time at the club?
He was brought in to steady the ship and keep us in the division and he’s done exactly that. He’s come in after Alan Irvine who looked out of his depth in his first Premier League management position. The squad was low on confidence but he has given them a kick up the backside and we’re finishing the season strong. He only managed to sign to people in the January transfer window but Darren Fletcher was a fantastic coup. He’ll be here for a long time and I’m more than happy with how he’s done so far.
What are the main differences under Pulis?
The defence has improved a lot but it still isn’t perfect but you can see he knows how to set up a team. We’re capable of soaking up a lot more pressure now a perfect example was the 1-0 win against Manchester United. He’s also been ruthless with his team selection leaving the likes of Berahino out after he’d caused trouble off the pitch, showing nobody is bigger than the club.
Which West Brom player is likely to cause the most threat to Chelsea on Monday night?
Now we’re safe I’d like to see some rotation to the squad so I’m going to pick Callum McManaman. He’s been dangerous coming off the bench recently and I’d love to see him start a match. He’s quick and skillful and I’m sure he could cause some problems for Chelsea on the counter attack.
From a West Brom view, who do you see as Chelsea’s biggest threat?
You possess quality all over the pitch but if I had to pick one player I’d chose Eden Hazard. He’s not quite on the level of Messi or Ronaldo but he’s in the batch of players who could step up when those 2 begin to slow down. He can make something out of nothing and terrorise any defence in the world. If we give him space during the match it will be a recipe for disaster.
The reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge this season saw Chelsea run out victors, what differences are you expecting this time around?
West Brom have a very respectable home record against Chelsea being undefeated in 3. Most of the players played in those games too including Gareth McAuley who now has his own ‘He’s better than JT’ chant. Tony Pulis knows how to set up against the top teams too and hopefully he’ll be able to frustrate Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho has confirmed former West Brom player, Isaiah Brown will feature on Monday. Could you tell us about his time at The Hawthorns?
It was a very promising one but it never came to fruition. He was billed as the next Albion star performing above his age at the youth ranks but never quite making the first team. The season he left we were safe with 6/7 games left I still believe he should of started every single one of those games. Instead he was only making the bench so you cannot blame him for leaving for Chelsea.
The transfer was a controversial one, do you think he will receive a bad reception at The Hawthorns?
I think it will be mixed as you will always get the people who boo former players. There will always be the claim that he left for more money but would he rather sit on Chelsea’s bench or Albion’s? He would have seen more first team action at Albion and I think fans will boo him as he turned his back on the club that raised him.
Finally, can we get your score prediction and your goal scorer predictions for Monday’s game?
Neither team has anything to play for so I reckon they will cancel each other out. I’ll go for a 1-1 draw with Berahino and Hazard getting the goals.
A big thank you to Alex for answering my questions. If you would like to hear more from Alex, you can find him on Twitter @AlexRobNewton. You can also find him on TheBaggiesWay.
