Lewis Cox brings you all the latest from Tony Mowbray's pre-match press conference - as Albion prepare to welcome Hull to The Hawthorns.
The match is the final before the international break and completes a three game week, that has seen Albion pick up a victory against QPR and a draw at Burnley.
Lewis discusses the latest on the injury and availability front, after Albion missed a number of senior players in mid week.
The match is the final before the international break and completes a three game week, that has seen Albion pick up a victory against QPR and a draw at Burnley.
Lewis discusses the latest on the injury and availability front, after Albion missed a number of senior players in mid week.
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00:00Good afternoon Baggies fans, Albion Correspondent Lewis Cox here. Outside the Baggies training
00:06ground after the pre-Hull City press conference. We've just had the pleasure of a bit of time
00:12talking to Tony Mulberry, always a pleasure, ahead of the visit of the Tigers this weekend.
00:18The lowly Tigers really, aren't they, having a poor season. Really struggling down the
00:23wrong end of the table. Got a big win, it must be said, on Wednesday night, did Hull.
00:26So they've, I think, put five points between themselves and the drop zone. So they do arrive
00:31at Albion in a bit of form, at least ahead of the weekend and a bit more spirited. But
00:36look, this is almost running territory, isn't it really? It's running territory, I think.
00:41I believe nine games left as we speak in here and now. And Tony Mulberry himself really
00:47over the last week, certainly before QPR last week, obviously, and Burnley away in between
00:52has put real emphasis on home games really for Albion. And certainly more winnable looking
00:59home games, you know, ones that aren't against the big hitters as games that Albion should
01:03be looking to win the games really. And let's be honest, does Tony Mulberry know many other
01:08different ways really than going out to win games? We saw it at Leeds, he didn't want
01:12to go and defend and low block. Likewise, the other night, 1-1 at Burnley on another
01:18day, Albion could win that game, couldn't they? Admittedly, yes, Burnley could. But
01:22yeah, that's that. So as I say, Hull at the Hawthorns on Saturday does lead into the international
01:26break, first one since November. And I always think with the, I think I'm probably not alone
01:31in saying the September, October, November international breaks are hugely tedious and
01:37just get in the way of the start of the season really. But when the March one comes around,
01:41you kind of feel, I think the players certainly and the staff, but maybe even fans and the
01:45likes of us as well, I think are ready for a breather. You know, it's been quite mad
01:49and free game week this week, but yeah, and the running really is very much the other
01:54side of that break, isn't it? And it still gets intense. You know, there's a free game
01:57week after the break, just in early April. There's the Easter Bank holiday doubleheaders,
02:02you know, the Friday, Monday games. So there's a lot still to go, to be honest. I say nine
02:06games left, but there's a lot of football to play, really. A lot of balls to be kicked,
02:09a lot of points to be earned. We're starting on Saturday, we'll be there obviously. So
02:13tune in for all the coverage, all the build up certainly in the next couple of days, having
02:18just spoke to Tony Mowbray there. A bit of early team news, a bit of breaking team news
02:22really for you. It's encouraging, it's positive. It's that Kyle Bartley has trained today.
02:28Obviously the defender missed out Burnley on a Tuesday night. Now we know Kyle Bartley
02:32looked 33 turning 34. Struggles with, you know, he's got a bit of a historical knee
02:37issue that Albion manage and when it comes to three game weeks, just struggles to play
02:42in all of them really. And obviously he was left out on Tuesday night at Turf Moor. Tony
02:46told me afterwards that the knee was really quite swollen and he could have played if
02:50he absolutely had to, you know, final game of the season. But they opted to rest him
02:54to manage it and he's trained today, so he should be OK to face the Tigers on Saturday,
02:59which is a boost for Albion of course. Also back in the reckoning is Tom Fellows, the
03:03young Albion winger who actually unfortunately missed out on Tuesday night due to a family
03:07bereavement. Obviously we wish the Fellows family all the best and Tom, but he's been
03:12back in today and trained and had a little chat with the manager and said he's obviously
03:16available so he's back around it as well. Tama Bani, the January recruit, he missed
03:20out on Tuesday night, obviously hasn't started a game yet and he's still injured for another
03:24week or so, so not involved. But otherwise with Bartley back available, with Fellows
03:28back available, that's useful for Albion, isn't it? Because let's be honest, that point
03:31at Turf Moor the other day, it was a pretty unfamiliar Albion side, wasn't it? An unfamiliar
03:36formation, a back three, a back five, however you want to say it. There was Isaac Price,
03:43a midfielder used at right wing back, there was Ousmane Diakite, a midfielder used at
03:46centre back, there was a very unfamiliar bench with young players on it who had never been
03:50involved in senior football. So I think Saturday it'll be a more familiar Albion side. Obviously
03:55we know the long-term injury issues, Josh Madger, Jed Wallace, Shemi Ajayi are still
04:00out for a little while and won't return until a week or so after the international break.
04:04But yeah, it will be a slightly more familiar Albion line-up against Hull and a Hull side
04:08who have improved. I mentioned at the top of this video, they got a big win on Wednesday
04:13against Oxford and they've generally improved under Ruben Seles, the Spanish head coach
04:17that went in in December to replace Tim Walter. More consistent wins, I think they've won
04:22three out of six. They've got some good away wins of late. They've been to win at Sunderland
04:27who are fourth, as we know. They've been to win at Sheffield United who are one of those
04:33fighting for automatic promotion at the top there. And I think Tony said today basically
04:37that they're a bit similar with us with their mindset. They don't come and low-block defend,
04:41they come to have a go and attack and credit to them for that. Albeit, you know, Mowbray
04:46also said, look when Portsmouth came here to do that, we put five past them. So it would
04:50be interesting to see if that's maybe to Hull's detriment on Saturday when Albion have a real
04:55go and whether Hull have got the quality at the back to keep them out. Albeit, like Tony
05:00says, I don't necessarily see a 90 minutes of dominance really. You know, Hull will look
05:06to have a go and have, you know, they've got quality. They were side fighting for the playoffs
05:10last season, weren't they? Obviously a very different side now, but they've still got
05:13quality to damage and hurt and score goals. So it will be an interesting battle, but certainly
05:19a game Albion at home, as we say, will look to win. Some good team news, as I mentioned,
05:24plenty to write up from today's presser and all the usual stuff ahead of the weekend.
05:28So keep your eyes peeled on our website. And obviously when Saturday comes around, Johnny
05:32and I will be at the Hawthorns to bring you all the latest from the game, before, after,
05:36from the head coach. Just one more, actually, while I remember it, and I'm about to go and
05:41write it up, actually, so it's a good job I did remember it. Obviously Joe Wildsmith,
05:45Albion's keeper, has been the topic of debate as an E. He had an unfortunate night the other
05:48night, let the Burnley goal slip sort of through his grasp and that was an error. As we reported
05:53from Lancashire that night, he will start again on Saturday. We feel, we believe Tony
05:59Mowbray's as good as said that there. Tony Mowbray's backed him. He said, look, keepers
06:03are allowed one mistake, the odd mistake, it can't keep happening again. And Tony Mowbray's
06:06mind that hasn't happened. So I know there's a debate at the moment, you know, Josh Griffiths
06:10waiting in the wings to come in, but Tony's, you know, full faith and back and he's behind
06:15Joe Wildsmith. That doesn't mean, you know, he can continuously make errors and cost goals,
06:19but Mowbray believes what he's seen by and large, almost totally has been, you know,
06:24pretty good stuff from the former Sheffield Wednesday man. So yeah, expect Wildsmith between
06:28the sticks. And yeah, I just thought I'd mention that one because that's obviously been rumbling
06:32on and we'll write that up. But yeah, otherwise cheers for watching and listening as ever.
06:37And I hope you enjoy the stories and the words and the coverage, of course, when it comes
06:41to match day. So yeah, stay tuned.