West Brom Banter - Join the debate with West Brom fans, staff writers and club legends

Carson: I'm here for the long run

2009-01-08T10:46:31Z

SCOTT Carson has insisted he is with Albion for the 'long haul' - regardless of whether they stay up or not.

The 23-year-old returns to Villa Park on Saturday for the first time since his loan spell last season.

Villa opted not to pursue the England goalkeeper, signing veteran Brad Friedel instead.

But Carson has no ill feelings towards Martin O'Neill and, despite Albion's current position, is happy at The Hawthorns.

And he intends sticking with the Baggies, even though he knew relegation is a big risk whenever signing for a newly-promoted club.

"I suppose it goes through your head that you may not remain in the Premier League," Carson told the Birmingham Mail. "I accept it may happen but I signed for the long haul, not just for short term.

"You don't know how a newly promoted club will perform.

"It's always difficult for clubs to establish themselves in the Premier League.

"But we still have a great chance of survival if we keep playing as we have. I just hope we can stay up.

"I'm looking forward to Saturday's game.

"There was a choice that Martin O'Neill had to make and a route he decided to go down.

"I really enjoyed it and had a good time there. They were a good set of lads and it was a good learning curve for me.

"But I'm glad I signed here and I am very happy and really enjoying it here.

"I've got no complaints. It's the first time I have been back and I'm hoping we can put a good performance in and hopefully get something out of the game."

Carson has been impressed with Villa's progress and he feels they are capable of finishing in the top four.

"Villa are a great side - I think their strengths are there for everyone to see," he added.

"They have probably surprised people to a certain extent by doing well consistently against the big sides.

"I think they can do it. It's going to be difficult because Arsenal are a great side who play good football.

"But Villa have started really well and the key is they have been really consistent. I think they have a good chance of staying in the top four."

A QUESTION - what is Albion's rightful division?

2009-01-08T10:46:31Z

Right now they seem to be in football's equivalent of purgatory, somewhere between the top two divisions.

Go back four years. Albion signed Kanu, Jonathan Greening, soon-to-be-star Zoltan Gera and then record signing Rob Earnshaw.

They stayed up. Just.

Since then the club has made great strides. The training facilities have improved, the West Stand boasts some of the best facilities you'll see in the Premier League and the club remains on a sound financial footing.

But Albion remain uncompetitive in the Premier League.

We can debate the rights and wrongs of the 4-5-1 over the 4-4-2 or manager Tony Mowbray's other tactical quirks. That's an issue for another day.

Yes, he's had money to spend on players in the sense that significant transfer fees have been paid.

But their wage bill is the lowest in the division. And history shows that clubs' salaries tend to correspond with the Premier League table come May.

Chairman Jeremy Peace, as I have pointed out before, has done a great deal of good in his six years at the club. But Albion are still keeping rigidly to their wage structure - endorsed by Mowbray - and their insistence that every player takes a pay cut in the event of relegation.

The top earner at The Hawthorns doesn't take home much above £20,000 a week. The Championship's top earner is James Beattie, on £40k a week. Blues' highest-paid player - and no it's not Kevin Phillips - is on £30k a week.

The flex-down policy encourages sound book-keeping, but is it merely carving out Albion's status as a perennial yo-yo club?

Albion have bounced back twice from relegation. Next time they might go the way of a Southampton or Norwich.

The Baggies' plight means that little of the money they didn't spend in the summer will be re-allocated for January transfers. It will be loans and cash raised through sales.

Players are difficult to come by in January. How much, for instance, will Everton's striker problems - losing Yakubu for the season and Louis Saha for a long period - affect Albion's chances of signing a forward on loan for instance?

Yet there is still a lot to play for. West Ham will have to shed players to cope with the fall-out of Sheffield United's compensation claim, Blackburn are sliding, Sunderland's season has become as ugly as the grey fluff around Roy Keane's mouth, Stoke will struggle, while Bolton and Hull cannot be ruled out either.

The Baggies are right to be prudent in many ways. Perhaps Peace simply doesn't have the funds to stretch Albion any further - this, he claims, was the main thrust in his want for outside investment during the summer.

While his name is above the main door then it's his right to do as he pleases with the club's funds, but you cannot help wondering whether just a touch more ambition could have significantly helped Albion's hopes of survival.

Albion or England?

2008-09-10T09:43:45Z

Liverpool's Jamie Carragher has reopened the club V country debate in his recently-released autobiography after admitting that he'd be more bothered missing a penalty for Liverpool than England.

Add to that England's travelling army suffering from falling numbers and Fabio Capello admitting that he'd prefer to play away from Wembley to avoid the Three Lions faithful's boos and groans.

So what do you think? Would you choose an England victory over Croatia tonight or three points against West Ham on Saturday?

Bolton Wanderers 0 West Bromwich Albion 0

2008-09-04T15:17:31Z

THERE are some things which defy logic or explanation.

Why are weather forecasts always wrong? Chicken or Egg? Clearly a conspiracy is at work.

Davina McCall? Again, who knows. Wasps, why?

So you can't possibly begin to explain why Albion have yet to score a goal despite controlling large periods of all three games they've played in.

The cynic would suggest that it's a lack of quality finishing on Ishmael Miller's part. That would be harsh and somewhat simplistic. He can score goals. He's just not doing so at the moment.

Albion are, right now, playing like a novice musical student who is stumbling his way through the piano notes but isn't that far away from getting them in the right order.

One day we may get a beautiful melody. Perhaps even a symphony.

In the meantime we're left to dwell on a goalless stalemate which broke all the rules of nil-nils in terms of entertainment.

Once again there were bursts of energy in Albion's five-man midfield. Robert Koren and Jon Greening hustled deep, while Borja Valero, James Morrison and Do-Heon Kim were full of invention in the final third.

Passes were exchanged, movement was swift and chances were delivered. And, this is key, because Albion are not short of creativity. Crucially Miller keeps finding himself in front of goal and in positions where he can score yet he simply lacks the confidence and, perhaps even, the finishing abilities to make the most of those opportunities.

Three times he looked odds-on to score. Thrice he failed.

The notable one was when Kim's shot cannoned off the underside of the bar and fell into his path. With a clear sight of goal, Miller sent his feeble header straight at Jussi Jaaskelainen's hand.

An earlier miss was just as unfortunate. Miller raced clear of the final defender and chipped the ball over the keeper...and over the bar. Miller has added that little bit of footballing intelligence and reads the game far better than he used to - as seen by his ability to find himself in goalscoring positions more frequently. His finishing will come, although he doesn't look comfortable as a lone striker.

Bolton were functional, pragmatic and robust. Defenders cleared the ball without fuss, midfielders were angry, while Kevin Davies raced up and down the channels. They are very much Gary Megson' team. Yet Wanderers were fortunate to escape unpunished, not least when Kevin Nolan's studs were introduced to Leon Barnett's thigh, and when Gavin McCann went in with two feet on the same Albion defender. Mind you, Albion received favours in return. Jonathan Greening clearly didn't handle the ball late on in the game when Nolan's shot struck his chest.

But referee Stroud awarded the foul - had he noticed where the 'offence' took place then he would have awarded a penalty, not a free-kick. In truth the official was poor and good for both sides, in equal measure.

Paul Robinson seemed to be enjoying what, at times, was more meat and potatoes football than Premier League cuisine. Challenges flowed, foots were raised, veins were bulging - Robinson was in his element.

His defensive colleague Abdoulaye Meite was less fortunate. The ex-Bolton man lasted less than 45 minutes when he went off with a calf strain.

Gianni Zuiverloon slotted into centre-half with Carl Hoefkens moving to right back. Zuiverloon's performance was stunning. The young defender has performed twice for his new club but has yet to show any weaknesses.

He looks comfortable on the ball, passes with intelligence, tackles well, reads the game and has immense pace. He has the composure of a player 10 years his senior, the ability of a playmaker and the defensive traits of a Darren Moore.

In midfield, Albion purred without really biting. Borja Valero, Morrison and Kim were at the fore of so many moves. One such intricate sequence was breathtaking.

Just after the half-hour point, four Albion players exchanged an eight-pass move. Borja and Robinson got the ball rolling with a neat 1-2, playing in Morrison, who passed to Kim, who returned the ball for Borja.

The Spaniard, by now on the left-hand side of the penalty area, was undecided about whether to pass or shoot and it was reflected by his weak effort. The cultured, clever build-up showed that Albion are no mugs at this level.

Mowbray hasn't finished in the transfer market. A striker or two are needed, while the probable arrival of Jonas Olsson, coupled with the possible loan signing of Dutch under-21 international Ryan Donk, are steps in the right direction.

Albion may be among the backmarkers right now but they aren't far away from becoming the force that Mowbray wants them to be.

Hartlepool 3 West Bromwich Albion 1 (aet)

2008-08-27T15:15:58Z

ALBION suffered a humbling defeat at the hands of Hartlepool United in the Carling Cup last night.

What had meant to be a confidence-boosting exercise ahead of Saturday's Premier League reunion with Gary Megson at the Reebok Stadium turned into a nightmare at Victoria Park as Albion were ambushed by a hard-working League One outfit.

Robert Koren scored a superb equaliser in the 87th minute to take the game into extra-time.

But then the Baggies fell apart, conceding two goals in the five minutes approaching the break.

Tony Mowbray made six changes to the side that lost against Everton and his fringe players largely failed to take their opportunity to impress against lesser opposition.

Many of his first-choice picks didn't, either.

Luke Moore and record signing Borja Valero both made their official debuts and, while the Spaniard got stronger and more impressive as the game wore on and looks a fine addition, Moore's involvement waned.

He beat his man a couple of times in the first half with neat turns but looks a far cry from a £3million striker who is going to make an impact in the Premier League.

A forgettable first half passed by without incident.

The home side created the best chance when striker Joel Porter latched on to a nicely weighted ball over the top from Antony Sweeney. The Australian marksman was clean through on Dean Kiely but put his attempted chip over the bar.

Albion's best chance fell to Valero on 36 minutes after Marek Cech and Moore had a series of shots from the edge of the box blocked.

Finally, the ball deflected to the Spaniard who missed the target. He should have done better.

Albion were better after the break, an improvement which coincided with the arrival of Sherjill MacDonald, but they fell behind on the hour to the sort of calamitous goal that blighted their efforts against Everton.

Leon Barnett, the dawdling last line of defence, was robbed of possession by the lively Gary Liddle who broke down the inside left channel and squared to an unmarked Porter who slid in to convert.

If anything, the goal made Hartlepool more resolute.

Albion rarely looked cohesive and credit must go to the hosts for that.

They never gave the Baggies players time on the ball and that resulted in an uncharacteristically impatient and lacklustre display.

As Albion lost their composure, Valero was finding his.

He showed glimpses of what he is capable of by releasing Moore with a sublime pass but the striker hesitated and his shot was blocked.

Koren's follow up was deflected agonisingly over the bar with the Arran Lee-Barrett wrong-footed.

Albion pushed for the equaliser, which looked most likely to come from MacDonald who was proving a handful.

He was attracting plenty of defenders with his tricky and powerful runs but as is so often the case with Dutchman his fine work lacks the finishing touch.

After beating several defenders on separate occasions, he twice forced the keeper to make routine saves when he should have been picking the ball out of the net.

He and Valero were involved in the neat build up play for the equaliser, however, which saw Koren curl a wonderful effort from 25 yards into the top corner.

That forced extra time, which Albion started brighter and hit the woodwork three times before Hartlepool took the lead against the run of play.

Abdoulaye Meite crashed a header against the bar from a corner, Craig Beattie hit it from from a free kick shortly afterwards and then Jonathan Greening was denied by the woodwork after skilfully chipping the goalkeeper from the edge of the box.

But then, the shock.

Unlike Albion's defenders, David Foley was alert to a quick a free-kick and, after scuffing his first attempt, drove the ball home after it fell kindly back into his path.

As Albion pushed forward deep into stoppage time at the end of the first period, a break down the left saw Matty Robson whip in a good cross from the left which was headed home at the back post by Richard Barker.

HARTLEPOOL UNITED (4-4-2): Lee-Barrett; McCunnie, Nelson, Collins, Humphreys; Sweeney, Jones, Liddle, Monkhouse (Robson 57); Brown (Foley 85), Porter (Barker 85). Subs not used: Budtz, Power, Mackay, Robson, Powell.

ALBION (4-4-2): Kiely 6; Hoefkens 6, Barnett 5, Meite 6, Cech 6; KOREN 8 (Pele 95), Greening 6, Valero 7, Brunt 5 (MacDonald 45) 8; Moore 6, Bednar 6 (Beattie 65) 5. Subs not used: Dorrans, Pele, Carson, Slusarsksi, Martis.

Referee: Mark Haywood (West Yorks).

Borja Valero set for Albion debut

2008-08-26T13:20:56Z

BORJA Valero could make his Albion debut in tonight's Carling Cup clash at Hartlepool - as Albion continue their search for new firepower.

Tony Mowbray wants to play his new £4.7million midfielder Borja in the game at Victoria Park, but will not know until later today whether that is possible.

Albion applied for international clearance before the weekend, following Borja's arrival last week, but the Bank Holiday weekend has delayed matters.

The Baggies have also not given up of signing Borja's ex-Real Mallorca team-mate Oscar Trejo.

Mowbray is desperate to bring in a new striker following Albion's unconvincing start to the season in front of goal.

Trejo has a release clause of around £8million but Albion are optimistic of agreeing a fee in the region of half that amount.

The loan market also remains an option for Albion as regards other players.

Mowbray, meanwhile, is looking forward to seeing Borja in action, claiming that the player is desperate to make his debut.

Hartlepool: (from) Lee-Barrett, Sweeney, Nelson, Collins ,Humphreys, Jones, Boland, Liddle, Monkhouse, Brown, Porter, McCunnie, Robson, Foley, Power, Barker.

Albion: (from) Kiely, Carson, Hoefkens, Zuiverloon, Hodgkiss, Martis, Barnett, Meite, Robinson, Cech, Greening, Koren, Morrison, Brunt, Kim, Borja, Pele, MacDonald, Beattie, Bednar, Miller, Slusarski, Moore

Gianni Zuiverloon: There's more to come from me

2008-08-25T10:19:47Z

GIANNI Zuiverloon did not take long to get up to speed with the demands of the Premier League.

He was named man-of-the-match after his home debut for West Bromwich Albion, an achievement made even more impressive considering he wasn't even fully operating on British time.

The young Dutch full-back only returned from the Olympic Games on Monday and a week of sleepless nights and jet-lag had blighted the Dutchman's preparation for the game against Everton.

Although Albion supporters loved what they saw, Zuiverloon promised there was far to come.

He said: "For the first game it went very well and I am happy to be named man of the match. But it has not been easy this week.

"I could not sleep for the whole week. I kept waking up at 4am, so hopefully I will be better next week.

"I was not nervous. My mum, dad and little sister are here so that was good, and everything went well. I am looking forward to playing in the Premier League."

Although his first experience of life in the Premier League ended in defeat, the division - and his new team - lived up to the images Zuiverloon had in his mind.

"The crowd was wonderful and the tempo of the game was very high; lots of long balls as I expected," he said. "The tempo in China for the Olympics was very high so the difference was not that big but, compared to Holland, the Premier League is much quicker.

"We played very well for 80 minutes and dominated the game and played good football. They had no chances except for the two goals.

"If you look back at the game there are a lot of positives. Playing at home we will get better because of the crowd and when I train more with the team, I will get better."

Tony Mowbray set to give fringe players a chance

2008-08-25T10:16:29Z

WEST Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray is set to turn to some of the men on the fringe of his first-team squad for the trip to face Hartlepool in the Carling Cup second round tomorrow night.

Luke Moore, fit again following a minor thigh problem, is set to feature with Baggies boss Mowbray expected to favour players who were not involved in international action last week. However, he is adamant it will still be a Premier League-strength line-up.

Marek Cech, Carl Hoefkens, Roman Bednar, Craig Beattie, Sherjill MacDonald, Pedro Pele and Dean Kiely could all come into contention to start at Victoria Park.

West Bromwich Albion 1 Everton 2

2008-08-23T16:09:31Z

EVERTON recovered from a dismal opening 45 minutes to register their first win of the campaign against West Bromwich Albion thanks to second-half goals from Leon Osman and Ayegbeni Yakubu.

David Moyes' side, shorn of several key players through injury, looked to be suffering a hangover from their last-gasp defeat by Blackburn against an Albion side who played some fluent football.

But they lacked the killer touch - bar a late penalty from Roman Bednar - and were given a taste of the harsh realities of Barclays Premier League football as the Toffees took advantage of the few chances that came their way.

Baggies boss Tony Mowbray again opted to play only the one out-and-out striker in Ishmael Miller and they failed to create many chances.

But they were still able to pin the visitors back for long periods until Everton play-maker Mikel Arteta started to impose his class on proceedings.

Albion will need to find that firepower if they are to survive but on this performance Everton have still to reach their best.

The first half saw Albion showing virtually all the attacking intent in their first home game in the top flight since being relegated at the end of the 2005-2006 campaign.

Joseph Yobo had to head clear a whipped-in cross from Robert Koren after he was found in space by debutant Gianni Zuiverloon who had been on Olympic duty with Holland.

Baggies defender Abdoulaye Meite won an aerial challenge just outside the Toffees box but he failed to make proper contact with his volley which flew harmlessly wide.

Predictably Joleon Lescott was booed everytime he touched the ball by the home fans because of his one-time connections with Wolves.

Do-heon Kim was not too far off target with a dipping 25 yard free-kick and Everton keeper Tim Howard produced the first save of note after 18 minutes when he went down low to his right to turn a Koren effort around the post.

Everton looked ineffective and Yakubu vented his anger at Lescott after he misdirected one floated pass straight through to Carson.

Albion continued to press and Leighton Baines did well to block an effort from James Morrison after he had wriggled into the box.

Koren was not too far wide with a low drive and Chris Brunt cut in from the left flank and was only inches too high with a dipping drive from fully 30 yards out.

Osman became the first player to be yellow-carded by referee Rob Styles after 38 minutes for bringing down Koren.

Meite was booked in first half injury-time for bringing down Osman and then Zuiverloon followed him into the notebook for disputing the decision.

Albion began the second half in the same vein as the first - on the attack - and Everton boss David Moyes must have been hoping for a big improvement from his side.

But there were few signs of it in the opening minutes with Howard twice called into action.

He was well positioned to cling on to a fierce rising left-footed drive from Miller.

But the American keeper had to react quickly to come off his line to deny Miller after he had attempted to lob him following good play by Brunt.

Moyes made his first substitution after 58 minutes, bringing on James Vaughan in place of Baxter but Everton were pinned back deep in their own half.

Then against the run of play they went ahead after 65 minutes through Osman.

Immediately before that Jack Rodwell had a header from an Arteta corner disallowed for what looked like a push on Paul Robinson.

But Arteta was not to de denied and within 60 seconds he had played the ball into the path of Osman who drilled a low shot across Scott Carson into the corner of the net.

Albion were stunned and Brunt was yellow carded for chopping down Arteta.

Mowbray responded by bringing on Bednar and Sherjill MacDonald in place of the impressive but tiring Koren and Kim.

Osman came close to doubling Everton's lead with a volley from 20 yards which was only a foot too high.

Then a mix-up between Carson and Meite allowed Yakubu to nip in and head the second goal with 14 minutes remaining.

Bednar converted an 89th-minute penalty after Phil Neville handled but Everton held on for the three points.

Baggies strikers tipped to prove their Premiership pedigree

2008-08-22T08:06:26Z

WEST Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray has tipped his two youngest strikers to come of age in the Premier League.

The stories behind Ishmael Miller and Luke Moore, England Under-21 internationals both, are similar.

The failure to make a lasting impact at their former Premier League clubs has left them hungry to prove people wrong and, now that Albion are back on the stage they believe they belong, their manager is eager to see them grasp the opportunities before them.

"I hope all the strikers get off the mark in the next few weeks and the midfield players are threatening to score," said Mowbray.

"I have no fears Ishmael's goals will come if he continues to work as hard as he does. I sensed an extra edge to him this pre-season.

"He is hungry to show the world he is a Premiership striker and how does he do that? By scoring goals and threatening the opposition every week. That is a great positive for us.

"He was at Manchester City as a boy but never had too many opportunities.

"He used to get on the bench every now and then and would only get five minutes here and there.

"But now he is a leading striker for us in the Premier League. His progression has been swift and he will say he only needed the opportunity. We gave him that opportunity.

"He feels he has pushed himself to the front of our list of strikers but to maintain that he has to keep producing because in Roman Bednar, Craig Beattie and any new signings we may bring in, they are all going to be pushing hard."

Luke Moore will, too, the moment he has recovered from injury and is back playing, which could be as soon as this weekend.

He has several points to prove, especially to Baggies fans who have yet to see him score in an Albion shirt since he joined the club on loan from Aston Villa for the latter part of last season's promotion-winning Championship campaign.

A £3.25 million price tag and a much-vaunted reputation adds up to a lot of expectation.

Now is his time to establish himself as a leading Premier League striker, says Mowbray, and to do that he will have to topple his England under-21 team-mate.

He added: "Luke has looked bright in training, too. He got injured but he has come back and has looked sharp. I believe Luke feels he belongs in the Premier League.

"I hope all my strikers can all play on the Premier stage but not all of them will be able to do and some may drift away. That's football."

Tony Mowbray pays tribute to Dean Kiely

2008-08-21T11:31:02Z

TONY Mowbray has paid tribute to Dean Kiely's professionalism following Scott Carson's elevation into Albion's first-team.

The England keeper played in goal for Albion in last Saturday's game at Arsenal, forcing Dean Kiely on to the subs' bench.

Kiely, aged 37, had been the club's undisputed No.1 for the last 18 months, but will play second fiddle to Carson for the forseeable future.

Baggies boss Mowbray admitted Kiely had responded well to the blow of losing his first-team place.

"It was a close call," said Mowbray, regarding his decision to opt for Carson.

"Dean Kiely was very good during pre-season and has reacted in a very positive manner to Scott arriving.

"We saw during pre-season that there was very little between them I would suggest.

"They've both excellent, both made good saves, both looked very hungry on the training ground.

"Ultimately I have to make a decision and Dean reacted how I expected - like a consumate professional.

"While he was disappointed he accepted the decision and is getting on with working hard."

Leon Barnett has a bright future - Tony Mowbray

2008-08-20T11:34:32Z

TONY Mowbray has predicted a bright future for Leon Barnett after the young defender came through his first Premier League game with 'flying colours'.

The 22-year-old grew in confidence during the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal, enjoying the better of his exchanges with Emmanuel Adebayor.

Mowbray remains on the look-out for a new centre-half but feels Barnett is clearly capable of stepping up to the top flight and maintaining his early promising form,

"I thought Leon was a big positive," said Mowbray.

"Leon is a young boy, who not much more than a year ago, was playing at a lot different standard when he was competing to stay in the Championship.

"He's made a huge jump and he's coming on leaps and bounds every day.

"There is a bright future for Leon on the evidence of playing against those players on Saturday.

"There was a spell in the second half where he learnt about pressing in their half and there is space in behind you, when to loosen off a bit and when to get tight.

"They are all very important lessons in a young defender's progress. He came through with flying colours."

Despite Albion's defeat in north London, Mowbray is confident Barnett's confidence will not have been dented too much and he hopes he will can learn from Saturday's game.

"Leon did exceptionally well," added Mowbray. "Part of any players job as you along is to learn.
"Any defeat, bad performance is not the end of the road.

"You've got to get back to training and try to learn those lessons to make you better in the next game. I'm sure Leon will do that. But no two games are the same.

"A lot of that was defending deeper because they pushed us back."

Arsene Wenger backs Albion's Premier League credentials

2008-08-17T19:20:39Z

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger backed Albion's credentials to compete in the Premier League after praising them for not "crumbling" in their opening-day defeat at the Emirates.

Tony Mowbray admitted he feared the Baggies were in for a "good hiding" when debutant Samir Nasri opened the scoring after just four minutes of the Gunners' 1-0 victory yesterday.

But Wenger's words of comfort add weight to the Albion manager's unflinching belief that his team should be aiming for a mid-table finish rather than mere survival in the top flight.

"I believe they defended intelligently, they tried to play in a positive way, we expected them at some stage to crumble a little bit and they never did," said Wenger.

"They kept going until the last second of the game. They had fantastic spirit and a positive attitude towards the game. They were not dirty but they were resilient and well organised."

Tony Mowbray takes the positives from defeat

2008-08-16T14:45:04Z

WEST Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray insisted his side could take "a lot of positives" out of their 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.

He said: "We didn't get off to a great start with them scoring early in the game but they are a great side.

"But once we got a grip of the game we gave a decent account of ourselves, although they had about 20 opportunities and we probably only created one or two ourselves.

"We had a few problems down the right side and they capitalised on that, but once we sorted out the problems we performed a lot better.

"There are a lot of positives to take from the game - we don't go away hammered and go away believing we can compete in this league but there is plenty to work to do."

Arsenal 1 West Bromwich Albion 0

2008-08-16T14:19:39Z

A DEBUT goal for Samir Nasri proved enough to give Arsenal a 1-0 win over new boys West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the Barclays Premier League season at Emirates Stadium.

The £12million Frenchman netted after only four minutes as the Gunners dominated the first half.

However, it was a different story following the restart as last season's Coca-Cola Championship winners fought back and were unfortunate not to get something from the match.

Arsene Wenger - whose injury-hit squad had battled to victory in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against FC Twente in Holland during the week - was in the end no doubt happy enough with the final result.

But the Gunners boss knows it will take more than such average performances over the next nine months to secure a first league title since 2004.

As expected, Arsenal were soon on the offensive, and forced a succession of early corners.

It proved to be a dream start for Nasri. The ball was worked quickly through the right side of the penalty area to Denilson, who cut the back into the path of the French winger and he calmly guided his shot low into the far corner.

Arsenal were soon rampant again, as Emmanuel Adebayor chipped the ball over for Theo Walcott, whose goalbound close-range header was blocked by Baggies defender Paul Robinson.

Gunners captain William Gallas was allowed space some 30 yards out - and his low, rasping drive was only just wide of Scott Carson's right-hand post.

West Brom were struggling to get a foothold in the game and Arsenal surged forwards again in the 18th minute.

Right-back Bacary Sagna let fly with an angled drive, which deflected off Meite and almost into the far corner.

Nicklas Bendtner headed wide from a near-post corner as the Gunners threatened to extend their lead once again.

There was finally some respite for the battered Baggies when they forced a corner in the 27th minute. However, the delivery was poor and eventually the ball went out harmlessly for a goal-kick.

Manuel Almunia was eventually called into action on the half hour when Ishmael Miller flicked on a long ball into the path of Do-Heon Kim.

The Korean held off his marker and drilled in a low shot from the edge of the box, which the Arsenal keeper had to turn behind at full-stretch.

Johan Djourou then did well to get back ahead of Miller as the West Brom striker looked to sneak in behind the home defence.

This was now the best spell for the newly-promoted Black Country club.

However, the visitors were still unable to create another decent opening as the interval approached.

Neither manager made any changes at the restart, although news did filter through that full-back Justin Hoyte's £3million move from Arsenal to Middlesbrough had now been completed.

Adebayor sliced wide from an acute angle when the ball broke kindly to the big African in the left side of the penalty area.

On 50 minutes, there was a big let-off for Arsenal.

First Miller's close-range effort was blocked by the legs of Almunia after he had sprung the offside trap, before Djourou cleared Robinson's follow-up shot from in front of his own net.

Arsenal could then have made it 2-0 moments later when Adebayor got clear into the left side of the area once more - and this time bent a low, curling effort just wide of the far post with the keeper beaten.

After the Gunners had dominated the opening half, this was now a much more evenly contested match-up.

The Baggies continued to press and Arsenal sensed they needed the cushion of another goal.

Substitute Robin van Persie's far-post header from a cross by Adebayor was straight at Carson.

The Dutch forward almost netted an acrobatic strike when he turned in the six-yard box to poke a left-foot effort just wide, but in the end 1-0 to the Arsenal proved enough for victory.

Baggies fans, meanwhile, could console themselves that, for today at least, they are only three points behind the leaders.