WBA (a) 1-1 Leicester Post Match thread

[oz was my hero]

1 hour ago, Hales said:

We are 3rd 🥳😂😂

More truthful  if you say those words in a strong Irish accent 

[Mendi]

Last min goal 

[funkyrobot]

1 minute ago, CloudFox said:

Hope Owynn or someone asks why we took off JJ at half time. He was knitting play together nicely at times, and just needed dropping deeper.

The problem was Soumare was having a good game with Winks so there was no deeper role for James to drop in to. I

[CosbehFox]

43 minutes ago, Golden Fox said:

L

 

But most importantly, we fight. That was a game under the lights with a bit of needle - we weren't getting much help from the ref, but we stuck at it. Think of the complaints last year about the lack of fight, and I can't see many on here acknowledging it is back.

,

Funny how folk differ cos I thought that second half showed very little. We were brainless, tactics out of the window, leadership went once Ricardo’s legs went. A very throw anything at it performance. 

[moore_94]

Martí Cifuentes Post Match

 

Cifuentes on the game

MC: “It’s always great to get a late goal. I’m happy for Bobby and to be able to celebrate with our fans at the end, it was important emotionally.

 

“It was definitely not the result we wanted. We played against a good team that defended deep and defended well.

 

“It was disappointing to concede this early goal. We started the game really well. It was a strong first half, having control, getting into the last third, perhaps we missed a little in the last third to create more open chances, but I felt the team was growing in the first half.

 

“Unfortunately through the minutes we started to get more emotional and we had some turnovers around minute 70/75 and we started to be more up and down.

 

“We had to chase a result and they got these two situations after the free-kick and on the counter. It feels like we lost a little bit there.

 

“I value the personality of the players to get through the emotions of the game at least to get an important point.”

 

Fourth time in seven games City have been trailing at half-time?

MC: “It’s difficult for me to remember other chances than the goal West Brom scored in the first half. For many minutes we were quite good.

 

“So it’s definitely disappointing to concede in a situation where we were trying to pressing high. We should have controlled that better.

 

“But football, like life, is about challenges and getting through these difficult periods, these ups and downs, and when I look back at these games and since I’ve been here, what I value most, because I know we will grow in the way we are playing, it’s the personality and the character the team is showing. It’s not easy to go through all these emotions again and again, and have the energy and the capacity to get something positive from those games.”

 

De Cordova-Reid impact?

MC: “He should be disappointed if it’s an own goal! Bobby has shown a lot of good things. He can play in many different positions. It’s important for him to get this goal in terms of confidence.

 

"What I value the fact that players from the bench are adding positive things. It was good to see Victor coming back after a long absence. Everybody is having their moment and helping the team. I’m sure it will be the case on Tuesday. We have a quick turnaround and the fact we have a strong squad will be very important.”

 

Did you get a yellow card?

MC: “Hopefully not! Someone on the bench got a yellow card, but I don’t know what happened.”

 

It's since been confirmed that it was Hamza Choudhury who received a yellow.

[East Langton Fox]

Before a ball was kicked this season the general feeling on here was that we would struggle this season, mid table at best. We are third and have only lost one game.

This team is a work in progress and we are showing fight, which we didn't have at all last season. 
im

I am feeling a lot more positive than I was a

couple of months ago. 
Clearly I am in the minority. 
 

[Gamble92]

I know it's petty but I can't help but think of the big fat ugly lad who supported West Brom in university ten years ago and raise a bond-esque smirk as i pour a Jack Daniels at this late hour

[CloudFox]

4 minutes ago, funkyrobot said:

The problem was Soumare was having a good game with Winks so there was no deeper role for James to drop in to. I

I think Soumaré had an okay game, aside from the error that lead to the goal...and a few misplaced passes. But he doesn't offer a lot of drive or energy in midfield (at least not until the last 15), and we really needed a player grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. I think JJ can do that. Soumaré cannot.

[Silverfox14]

Not great….still cannot shake my dislike of some of the established players for previous.

[worthosoriginals]

54 minutes ago, CloudFox said:

Hope Owynn or someone asks why we took off JJ at half time. He was knitting play together nicely at times, and just needed dropping deeper.

That pass across the pitch  he made  into row z wasn't great

[Dmitry]

West Brom should’ve been up by two or 3. This was some rancid football from ours truly.

Ayew can make molasses look like OW-18 motor oil…

Daka…might as just ANNOUNCE he’s been subbed in, and leave him on the bench. A total ghost.

Desperately need a creative center-mid, center back with head on his shoulders, and a half-decent finisher. Otherwise we are stuck in this mire for years.
 

[OntarioFox]

24 minutes ago, East Langton Fox said:

Before a ball was kicked this season the general feeling on here was that we would struggle this season, mid table at best. We are third and have only lost one game.

This team is a work in progress and we are showing fight, which we didn't have at all last season. 
im

I am feeling a lot more positive than I was a

couple of months ago. 
Clearly I am in the minority. 
 

Nah, I'm with you there. I do think Marti is drawing unnecessary pressure on himself by continuing to make selections that the fanbase would rather not see though.

That said, A) he does seem to be learning, as with Skipp now being absent from the first XI, and B) I'm seeing more fight from the players than we got under the last two wasters. I no longer know a game's over as soon as we concede, so that alone is progress.

 

On the second point, we need to be careful to channel that energy correctly. Today it was less fire in the belly and more losing our heads - a lot of unneccesary yellows, particularly Vestergaard and Monga. Though the ref was appalling and 90% of the reason we ended up doing silly things - Carranza should have had a free kick, gets booked for diving and plays on egg shells for the rest of the game.

Like I said earlier, it's a decent point in the circumstances against 12 men.

Edited 26 September 2025 by OntarioFox

[grth2004]

16 minutes ago, East Langton Fox said:

Before a ball was kicked this season the general feeling on here was that we would struggle this season, mid table at best. We are third and have only lost one game.

This team is a work in progress and we are showing fight, which we didn't have at all last season. 
im

I am feeling a lot more positive than I was a

couple of months ago. 
Clearly I am in the minority. 
 

Feel the same and some people were dooming us to be a lot worse so kind of ok with where we are but I hope we can just find that extra gear. 
Still missing a striker though which will probably be the difference in is going up or fading out of the playoffs. 
 

[adamkhalifa]

Better start today, and sometimes you have to take your hat off, and applaud that individual goal. 

 

I was expecting us to ramp up play in the 2nd half, and we lost that edge. 

 

I think we had about 2 or 3 shots on target. So we should look to understand why, and find ways to improve. 

 

I know it's the modern game and all that, but I'd like us to get some through balls down the middle. I do miss the attacking midfield.

 

The ref was awful.

[sm1]

I like Marti, but his obsession with Ayew is not doing anything for the team. His subs were abit strange today as well. I'm not sure why VK was brought on and even Reid was shit, although his cross ends up as the og.

[squidsworth]

Well hopefully we now have 6pts on the board and 18th place before the rest of the weekends play. At this rate we should be able to avoid relegation. 

First half we played some decent football without a cutting edge, second half was a shower of the brown stuff and we're so lucky to come out of it with anything.

But we do show heart.

 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Stand by my opinion that a lot need to pack it in. Ironically the "purge" many have been desperate for might have casualties closer to home

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Shite.

Do feel Marti is now starting to get away with it. 

 

I do want to give him time but he's doing odd things. Why can't he see Ayew can't be a striker, we have nothing going forward when he's there. He also shouldn't be taking free kicks and corners, they're wank. 

 

The way he's clearly set the full backs up is painful too. Ricardo will do an underlap now and then but Thomas absolutely nothing. It leaves Mavididi basically against two men all the time. What's wrong with full backs going past their opponent and drilling it into the box?

 

The horseshoe football we're playing also is so frustrating. Pass round the edge of the box to the wing back to middle back to other wing repeat in a horseshoe formation. Some of that links to having no proper striker on the pitch...we just have no presence in the box 

 

We've had what I'd say is a 7/10 max start to the season points wise but it does feel like we have the shackles on mostly at times. 

 

Very worrying how we just don't seem to test the keepers at all. We're so timid up top.

 

Beat Wrexham and then I'll probably be happy again though! 😂

[phoneticerror]

Absolute dogshit, but the satisfaction of shutting up the home fans that had been giving it the biggun was priceless.

[OntarioFox]

Given the table and how the game went, you can also say that's way more two dropped for them than one gained for us.

That said, i'm basing that on us not getting a points deduction. These draws are absolutely going to bite us on the arse if we do end up having to make up an extra 6-10 points.

[lee7]

27 minutes ago, sm1 said:

I like Marti, but his obsession with Ayew is not doing anything for the team. His subs were abit strange today as well. I'm not sure why VK was brought on and even Reid was shit, although his cross ends up as the og.

You have hit the nail on the head. 

Starting Ayew every week is absolutely baffling.

Unfortunately he doesn't pose much of an attacking threat! 

 

I would prefer to see Mavididi upfront with Monga and Fatawu playing on either wing. 

[cityfanlee23]

2 hours ago, Tommy Fresh said:

To be fair, at this level most teams will sit back against us, so regardless of manager we'd be having most of the possession 

Yeah you’re not wrong there at all, the issue is how we are currently using the possession. Usually the whole idea of possession is that you spend less energy passing a ball than the opponent having to run around moving into position, just like under Enzo we spend most of the game passing the ball so slowly that the opponent midfielders can literally walk side to side. 
 

I was sick of Enzoball for the same reason, I’m all for dominating the game if we are moving it quickly and trying to play it forward then high pressing if we lose it, we pressed quite well at times today but we were just so slow for most of the game. 

[Dan]

Got out of jail again. Another pretty shoddy performance where we've not been properly punished for it.

 

Really dislike these team selections. Becomes more and more apparent to me that this is less about lack of options and more about his preference.

 

This season should either be getting promoted or clearing the decks to leave us in a stronger place going forward. I see very little evidence of either happening.

[cityfanlee23]

Regarding Ayew I often feel bad slating him because I don’t think he’s generally played very badly, his game just doesn’t suit what we need him to do. 
 

If we are protecting a lead and we need a striker to come on and slow the oppositions build down and hold up the ball and provide a link up, I don’t think he’s really done much wrong in that respect, the issue is we need him to be an out and out striker and he’s just not that. 
 

I don’t think it’s fair for me to criticise him too harshly because he’s a hard worker and he’s done quite an acceptable job at the things he’s good at. Scoring just isn’t one of them therefore he needs to be dropped or we need to play a different system. 

Continuing to pick him then play a style that doesn’t suit his strengths is just asking for trouble. 

[Dan]

2 minutes ago, cityfanlee23 said:

Regarding Ayew I often feel bad slating him because I don’t think he’s generally played very badly, his game just doesn’t suit what we need him to do. 
 

If we are protecting a lead and we need a striker to come on and slow the oppositions build down and hold up the ball and provide a link up, I don’t think he’s really done much wrong in that respect, the issue is we need him to be an out and out striker and he’s just not that. 
 

I don’t think it’s fair for me to criticise him too harshly because he’s a hard worker and he’s done quite an acceptable job at the things he’s good at. Scoring just isn’t one of them therefore he needs to be dropped or we need to play a different system. 

Continuing to pick him then play a style that doesn’t suit his strengths is just asking for trouble. 

It's been the case ever since he's come in. He's got some uses as a player and I don't think a single manager has played to suit them.

 

He should not be starting as a centre forward but I really think he's going to do so probably 30+ times - and that I think will be enough to stop us going up.