New Blogger Liam Blackburn on West Brom and Odemwingie

An excellent first post by our newest contributor to the blog, Liam Blackburn. Liam has worked at The Sunday Times and The Manchester Evening News and is currently studying journalism in Sheffield. Check out his blog at http://samenamedifferentgames.wordpress.com/.

In recent weeks, there have been few teams I’ve avoided more than West Bromwich Albion. An inability to keep the ball out of the net and a host of defeats have meant they’ve offered little value in fantasy circles.

Their poor form has ultimately culminated in the sacking of manager Roberto Di Matteo. The timing is bizarre and the decision seems strange for one of the league’s better run clubs. West Brom sit outside of the bottom three and the January transfer window has just slammed shut.

But it seems those in charge of the West Midlands outfit have pinpointed their forthcoming fixtures as pivotal in their fight for survival. Their next four fixtures West Ham (H), Wolves (H), Stoke (A) and Birmingham (A) are all very winnable on paper. The Britannia and St. Andrews may be perceived as fortresses but Stoke have lost four times at home and Birmingham have only managed three wins.

West Brom have been laboured with the tag of yo-yo club in recent times and their chances of bucking this trend rely heavily on these games.

So, are any West Brom players worth a punt? The question becomes particularly pertinent because the Baggies face a double gameweek this week.

The one West Brom player who will certainly be attracting considerable interest for the next few weeks will be Peter Odemwingie. With nine goals already this season, Odemwingie is currently ranked as the ninth best striker in the league and is available at a fraction of the cost of those around him. His form may be patchy but at £5.3 million he represents a low risk, high reward option.

At £5.6 million, Chris Brunt may also be seen as a steal. He’s amassed 10 assists this season but hasn’t managed to score more than two points in a single game since the start of December. His form has correlated directly with his team’s recent slump with only one win coming in that time. Despite this Brunt has to be seriously considered. As well as creating plenty of chances for his team, he’s also something of a set piece specialist.

His midfield colleague Jerome Thomas is another intriguing prospect. Thomas has weighed in with 6 assists this year including two against Wigan in West Brom’s last home game. The tricky winger should enjoy plenty of success against the porous defences he will meet in the next few weeks.

It would take a brave man to take a chance on a West Brom defender. They’ve only kept one home clean sheet all season and that came in their second game. But then the attacking prowess of West Ham and Wolves shouldn’t pose as many problems. If they’re ever likely to keep a clean sheet then it could come in this gameweek’s home fixtures.

The Baggies may also be buoyed the arrival of a new manager with Chris Hughton the clear favourite for the post. The sacking of Di Matteo may be ill-judged but in terms of fantasy football, it could bring a fresh impetus to West Brom players at a time when points appear to be there for the taking.