West Brom v Watford - Lewis Cox match preview
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00:01Baggies fans, Albion correspondent Lewis Cox here in front of the sign at the club's training ground in Walsall.
00:07So you know what time of the week it is. We've just had Tony Mowbray's pre-Watford press conference here on Thursday afternoon.
00:15Sorry, a couple of days away from that one.
00:19Look, I mean, everybody knows where we're at. The team have lost three games on the spin.
00:25They haven't won in five games and we're deep into crunch time now, aren't we?
00:30I mean, you know, Albion are where they now are. They've dropped out of the top six down to eight.
00:35They are, after Coventry's last-minute winner last night, five points adrift of the Sky Blues in six.
00:42They're six points adrift of Bristol City, obviously after the events of Ashton Gate the other night.
00:48And in essence, overall, it looks, well, it is a real mountain to climb now for a top six finish.
00:56It'd be a huge ask. And look, that's a shame. It's, you know, this is one for another day.
01:02But if Albion don't finish in the top six, how do you rank it as an underperformance, do you?
01:06Yes, you could argue that. But look, Albion's consistency or lack of all season banged on about it many times on video and podcasts this season.
01:16You know, away record being an atrocious one, the consecutive victories or lack of for the whole season.
01:23So, you know, you could make the argument, have Albion really deserved to be in the top six all season other than the first month of the campaign that started so well?
01:31But anyway, we'll move on from all of that stuff because there are still five games left to play this season and things potentially left to change before we really analyse the campaign.
01:41And it's Watford at the Hawthorns on Saturday in a couple of days' time.
01:45It's a Watford side that in tenth, two places below Albion, but only one point, you know, an away victory at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
01:52They could, would see the Hornets jump above the baggies.
01:55But look, Albion are on a bad run, a really bad run of form, you know, three defeats in a row.
02:00Tony Mobley is aware of that, obviously, and he spent a lot of time in that press of talking about the frustration around the place in the ranks.
02:07Because by and large, he feels, you know, parts of, most parts of the last three performances in the defeats have been encouraging and positive.
02:16And he believes the sort of stats and the underlying numbers and all of that, when you look at XG and stuff, are in his side's favour.
02:22His performance level is high in that things will turn if it remains that way.
02:28So, look, that's up to him, his staff and obviously his players to go out and prove really starting on Saturday.
02:34You know, it's a Watford side that they won their midweek clash, 1-0.
02:38They edged it, got a couple of injuries, including a couple of their key players, including the Georgian midfielder,
02:44Chak Vatadza, I think is how you pronounce it, and Kwando Bar as well.
02:47So, a couple of big absentees for Watford.
02:49But they won the other night, they got over the line, Tom Cleverley's side.
02:54Before that, they'd only won once in six.
02:56It's sort of checked their progress a bit, but look, they're riding Arbin's coattails now.
03:00Just a point of drift.
03:01Got some team news to bring you from this press conference.
03:05Obviously, be writing it up imminently to go with this video.
03:08Mixed, really.
03:10One quick thing is that Isaac Price came through the other night fine.
03:13Arbin obviously patched him up to get him out, that ankle ligament problem.
03:17And he came through and he's okay.
03:19Arbin will make a late call on Torbjorn Hegem, the defender, as to whether he can do the same tomorrow.
03:25So, basically, he hasn't trained yet, Hegem.
03:28Hurt his ankle against Sunderland last weekend.
03:30But he has to train tomorrow, Friday, to patch him up, basically, for Watford on Saturday.
03:36And Arbin hope to do that, I think.
03:38They hope he'll be okay to train on Friday.
03:40There's sort of cautious optimism there.
03:43Usman Diakite got a pretty bad kick in, didn't he, the other night at Bristol City.
03:49In the incidents that led to Jason Molumby's red card, sort of.
03:53I think Arbin and Molumby were a bit irritated by Diakite being down and clearly injured.
03:57Well, Diakite's knock is a pretty bad one and it'll rule him out of Saturday, unfortunately.
04:01So, I mentioned Molumby's red card, which Arbin have appealed at the time of recording.
04:05We still don't know the outcome of that appeal, but it felt, to me, unlikely.
04:08So, let's work off the basis that Molumby won't be available and we'll have a three-match ban.
04:12Which will be a, you know, it'll be a miss, by the way.
04:15Mowbray selects him at most, if not all games, for a reason.
04:18But, yeah, Diakite's got, as I say, this knock as well.
04:21I think it's a deep cut to his shin ankle that will rule him out of Saturday.
04:26So, light, really, on the midfield bodies.
04:28The big fresh news injury line from today is actually on Tam Urbani.
04:33He's been for a scan today on a hamstring complaint.
04:36And that's a real shame because he's looked really bright, hasn't he, from the bench last couple of games.
04:40And with Molumby, you know, potentially suspended, with Diakite out, you'd really have him in there, wouldn't you?
04:46And Mowbray feels he's ready to start that.
04:48But, yeah, he's got a hamstring issue.
04:51You know, it might only be a strain, we'll have to see, but he won't be involved.
04:55So, yeah, a couple of things, really.
04:57Some okay, I think, in the form of Hegham.
05:00Some less so.
05:01Shame with Bani, Diakite.
05:04One for, I think, further down the line, when it comes to the games after Watford,
05:09which are the Easter doubleheader, actually, Coventry and Derby.
05:12Good Friday, Easter Monday.
05:14It could be the period for Jed Wallace and Shemi Ajayi to get back into some form of action on the bench.
05:19So, that's positive.
05:20They've both been out since February, and it'll add more depth and competition to Mowbray's squad.
05:24But, yeah, those are the headline news.
05:26I'm going to go and write all that up and other things the head coach had to say,
05:30obviously, ahead of Watford, and about the frustration about where he sees his side are at,
05:36how they can end this poor run of form, this really untimely run of form, let's be honest.
05:40Yeah, and stick with us for the coverage, both before Saturdays, 3 o'clock at the Hawthorns,
05:44and obviously during and after.
05:46We'll be there. I'll be there with my colleague, Johnny.
05:48We'll bring you all of the latest.
05:49So, stay tuned. ExpressOnStar.com