'The Finishing Touch.' April '26.

‘It isn’t acceptable’.

Put yourself in James Morrison’s shoes?

Crassly marginalized in the disastrous Ramsay regime, now asked to take the reins of a club in freefall, with the parachute struggling to open..

And within your first 26 Minutes of caretaker management you are 2-0 down to a team below you and have not won in seven games.

Add in, undoubtedly your most potent attacking threat [Mikey Johnston] limping off with an injury that I’m sure immediately had portents of season ending..

We lost the game.

Because that’s what we did.

The same, grimly inevitable outcome away from home for 13 games in a row.

Unlucky 13?

Absolutely not.

There’s no such thing as bad luck in a period lasting back to October, it’s an endemic tactical breakdown of cataclysmic proportions, involving two coaches who’d been relieved of their duties, and here was Mozza stepping into the breach.

Mozza’s first words to the press were not sidebite, waffle and flannel..

But to the point.

‘It isn’t acceptable.’

And the only way to make something acceptable is to make change.

To team shape.

To personnel.

To individual positions.

To levels of commitment.

I’d say the biggest plus for The Albion under Mozza so far hasn’t been the unbeaten run, more the awareness of what needed fixing, short term, and maximizing a squad, seemingly specializing on dwindling performances.

You lose, by far, your most creative presence, 'MJ's 9 League assists still dwarf the most by any starters from Easter Monday’s draw at Blackburn, Styles and Heggebo had the most assits with just three] and you better shore up the defensive side of your team because conceding a goal, it’s very unlikely you are going to win.

Go back to basics.

Defenders in their correct positions.

Central midfield plays deeper, exert control and controlled aggression.

Simply put, make it bloody hard for teams to play against you.

In simple terms, the polar opposite.

Simplify the strategy..

Who doesn’t know how to play 4-4-2?

And so it’s proven, six games unbeaten for Mozza’s Baggies, just four goals conceded, [two of course v a rampant Wrexham in the second half, the seemingly dropping off of control and impetus late in games a product of a 'thin' squad, where change may be deemed a risk?]

Partnerships matter..

Just seven games ago, The Albion’s central defence was the physically restricted Krytian Bielik and Charlie Taylor filling in, a combination that has all the potents of Division 1 football next season..

At right back was George Campbell, and Mozza's assertion of round pegs in round holes, as a core team ethos, set a transformation of defensive standards into plan.

Campbell was moved originally to centre half in an emergency situation for the Atlanta United second team, sacrificing his established role in midfield, but for George it was to be a sliding doors moment, one he’s never regretted.

From this central defensive role, Campbell immediately reflected on ‘seeing the pitch better”, and suiting his strengths.

As playing role models, Campbell states the likes of Vincent Kompany, Thiago Silva and indeed, ex Baggie, Joleon Lescott as the players he most admired, smooth, athletic defenders, who can read the game, be comfortable on the ball, and have good vision for an early pass, executed consistently well.

And this has for all intents and purposes been Campbell'as performance level, and it’s no accident that Nat Phillips has looked more assured in recent games than since he joined us, the pair becoming a solid, dependable base in central defence.

Of course the round peg, square holes, could apply perfectly to Campbell’s original role at right back, a position he gamely played through, never giving less than his best, but it was obvious this was a central defender masquerading as a full back..

There was an awareness of this as a club, as why else would you covet and sign Danny Imray for a loan spell in January?

Eric Ramsay saw Imray as part of his team, giving him a debut, only one session into training with his new club, [same scenario with Max O’Leary, in a similarly disastrous first impression in the first team].

Imray was deployed as a right wing back, notionally maybe not the worst idea, but when your three central defenders are moribund with lack of pace, and find it seemingly impossible to cover space, visitors can easily exploit those seams of opportunity with glee.

The Pompey chimes of freedom..

The deployment of three relatively one paced defenders in Mepham, Phillips and Taylor, looking back is beyond belief, Imray looked confused, an almost dishevelled character, confidence whacked by a half time substitution for a situation he in hindsight could take zero ownership for..

Fast forward to now…

Imray has looked like a missing link, the link obviously lost when we sold the much maligned Darnell Furlong to Ipswich, for a generous offer, without truly thinking about the replacement..

Well, we have the replacement here..

Imray has pace to burn, is such a good attacking threat in an area we are truly struggling in, with Mikey Johnston and now Jed Wallace’s injury woes, has a very good long throw in and defensively looks more solid game on game..

Imray is out of contract this summer at Palace, the price of players will always dictate whether a bid will represent good value to the Albion, but if Imray maintains this form, we’d be myopic not to look at this as an option?

Perhaps the signing of Imray would stymie the potential opportunities of a home grown talent and a player I hugely rate, Alex Williams, but on those future calls, rests the long term progress of the club..

Central midfield in the Portsmouth debacle were Jayson Molumby and Ousmane Diakite, and this is a partnership that has obviously strengthened in time.

Strength is a key component of both players and in many ways is part of why this engine room of the team has improved so much recently.

For Molumby, in my eyes it’s been mental strength..

We all know how Molumby plays with his heart on his sleeve, marauding forward, maybe as ill judged as his sometimes mistimed challenges, as his record of 35 yellow cards and two red cards in his first four Albion seasons suggests.

But this year, we are looking at a far more disciplined and astute decision maker, averaging one yellow card every thirteen games, accruing just three this season.

Molumby’s street smartness was seen in the award of the penalty v Wrexham for being dragged down by his marker, Karbore’.

Molumby offered words of advice to his assailant, with a smile not a sneer, and was a microcosm of the player and character he’s been refreshingly showing more and more this season.

It’s worth remembering, Molumby is still only 26 years old…

Ousmane Dikaite is just thirteen months younger than Molumby, something people overlook, and overlooked was something Diakite appeared to be, by various Albion managers..

Even the signing of a new twelve month contract, was happily received rather than ecstatically, but the trust Mozza has in his Malian midfielder is obvious..

With Diakite, it was the strength to maintain a full 90 Minutes and the confidence Mozza has in the rangy, athletic Ousmane is really being rewarded..

Diakite can still come over as a very young player, despite his age, how else can you explain his truly unnecessary yellow card v Blackburn Rovers at the start of the second half?

Mozza’s best laid half time plans of shape, discipline, gone in an instant, a key player at breaking up attacks, one mistimed tackle away from a red card, and as a consequence, Alex Mowatt was immediately warming up.

But this is where I admire Mozza, a man of his convictions and absolute faith in his players..

To keep Diakite on, to trust his instincts was huge, here was a player, far often taken off in games, and whose confidence would have been further damaged.

But let’s face it, this decision goes wrong it’s on Ousmane AND on Mozza!

But it was faith personified, none better seen than the brilliant block Diakite put in to deny a golden chance for Blackburn Rover that was technically difficult and the timing imperative, but a fully deserved reward for loyalty to his player by Mozza.

And Diakite fully deserved his Man of the Match performance but Mozza’s role in this cannot be understated..

What cannot be overstated is the lack of goals from our strikers..

Heggebo’s hot streak was six in six games in late Autumn, which means he’s scored three in his other thirty five appearances.

Work rate of course cannot be faulted, but the lack of goals is hard to defend.

Josh Maja, similarly, has looked good in build up play, gained more fitness in the Mozza rein, [although it’s a low bar], but has netted just three goals, and the ever willing Daryl Dike, in six hours of playing time this season has just one assist.

This is the business end of the season, and in my eyes, Mozza has looked at the situation and deduced, team shape, defensive organization and clean sheets are an absolute priority.

And it’s working.

As Chris Hall from the excellent Albion Analysis quoted this week, our last two consecutive away game clean sheets, were in 2019/20.

Even defensive doyen, the Spanish maestro, Senor Corberan, with an arguably better defence could not lay claim to that record..

That’s Mozza’s.

A triumph for accountability, team discipline and playing for the shirt.

The easy to dominate.

The easy to score on.

The ease to play against, days are over…

For us to survive these core principles must stay in place..

The rest of April will yet again I think, show tight this Championship really is, as Easter Monday’s fixtures proved.

Seven of the eleven games being draws, and only one team won by two clear goals.

Home, hopefully, is where the heart is, with three of the next four games being at home, the only away trip to Preston who have won one game in their last eleven games.

Maintaining the four point buffer is so important, Mozza's last six games have clearly shown the groundwork for survival is there, now it’s going to be the finishing touches…

Or simply the finishing..

It may well all come down to that..