Everton and West Brom both desperately needed the points today. Just one point separated the two sides in the table prior to kick off, and are both dangerously close to the relegation zone. That is what made the game such an important one. The odds were strongly in Everton's favour, with West Brom winning just one of their previous fifteen visits to Goodison Park. However, West Brom could not be under estimated. With Tony Pulis at the helm they are now a far more organised side. The home fans had to be patient with their team. Everyone was expecting the Baggies to travel to Merseyside tonight and be a well disciplined side, and that is exactly what they were.
As you would expect from Everton, they started off controlling the game and keeping the ball for prolonged periods of time with little pressure from West Brom to close them down. Everton's ever threatening full backs, Coleman and Baines looked keen to get forward on every occasion and were the most threatening players on the pitch in the first half. In the opening ten minutes, West Brom had hardly touched the ball, let alone ventured in to Everton's half. The Toffee's continued to ask questions of West Brom's back line, but as you would expect from a Pulis team, they were resilient, and kept their shape well, rarely making mistakes. Everton turned up the tempo and created a number of chances, but Foster was more than capable of dealing with what was thrown at him. Eventually the pressure payed off. Just a few minutes before half time, Everton were awarded a penalty for a clumsy handball by Lescott. Mirallas stepped up, and rattled the post, much to the frustration of the Everton faithful. The teams went into the break all square.
The second half continued just as the first had ended. Everton were relentless. There was no patient passing around the back, they drove at West Brom with purpose, and it seemed only a matter of time before Everton claimed the lead they deserved. However, far too often the final ball was simply not good enough from Everton. Despite all of their attacking, Ben Foster always seemed comfortable, and it helped him massively that the defence that stood in front of him was solid. While the fans stuck with Everton for the majority of the match, they became increasingly anxious, almost angry at the fact that their team were not comfortably winning this game. It seemed to just not be Everton's day, regardless of what they threw at West Brom. The game ended with the home fans booing and Roberto Martinez looking very frustrated.
The West Brom defence could not be breached by Everton today. A point does not really help either side and they both still have a lot of work to do. However this draw is certainly more valuable for West Brom than it is for Everton, as you would expect that come May, West Brom would be in the relegation dog fight, and Everton will have sorted things out. Martinez will certainly see this as two points dropped, but it was a point nonetheless. West Brom showed the sort of fight tonight that Palace did last season under Tony Pulis, and I believe he will guide them to safety. As for Everton, they need to get over this bad spell. They have a lot of games to play, due to their Europa League qualification, and must be more efficient in games such as this, where they really should have bagged all three points.
It is fair to say that Cardiff have endured a rather shaky start to their 2014/15 campaign. After being relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, everyone had high hopes that they would go straight back up. It was all set up to be a successful season with one of Europe's most promising managers, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, at the helm, and a team that had the experience of playing in the Premier League. But unfortunately, due to a number of changes within the club and the on going battle between the fans and the owner for a return to the traditional Cardiff City, the season so far has been one of disappointment.
After just a few games into his first season in the championship, Solskjaer was sacked. In truth it was a decision that most fans saw coming. The Norwegian had not managed to keep the Bluebirds in the Premier League and failed to deliver in the Championship. Swiftly after that Russell Slade was named Cardiff's new manager. The former Leyton Orient leader continuously emphasises the need for togetherness and hard work within the camp, but this so far, has certainly not been reflected on the pitch.
Despite a strong start for Slade, results have been going down hill and the defeats are not unlucky ones, they are convincing. Most recently their 5-3 away defeat to Bournemouth and their 3-2 and 4-2 defeats at home to Brentford and Watford respectively. They look fragile and it is clear that the majority of the summer signings have yet to settle. In particular the strikers have been very poor. Adam Le Fondre and Macheda were recruited during the summer and they have both been woeful so far. They look sluggish, are devoid of pace and do not seem to have any sort of a strikers instinct. It seems as though there is still a lot to work on.
The season has produced a lot of negativity but there are some positives. There are a number of promising youngsters that have made the squad such as, Declan John, Kadeem Harris and Joe Ralls. Surely Slade could consider taking a leaf out of Louis Van Gaal's handbook, and give the youngsters more of a run in the team to give them confidence. It was also give them team some much needed pace in the case of John and Harris. The plays offs or promotion in general looks a long way off but maybe Cardiff fans can find hope in the fact that in recent seasons, there has always been a team that has put together a good run of results leading up to the end of the season, normally resulting in them swooping into the play offs. To repeat, this seems very unlikely with the club like it is at the moment, but there is always a chance that this year that team could be Cardiff.
Cardiff have a lot of work to do if they are serious about clinching promotion. There does not seem to be much passion in their play and it is frustrating for the supporters who spend their money on tickets to watch them perform well below par, particularly in front of the home fans. It is crucial for the club that they get back to winning ways and show everyone they want a return to the premier league. The cup match later today against Colchester is a crucial one. They must win that game, not only for financial reasons, but also for the sake of the Cardiff faithful.
