Fur flies as Baggies stay top
BILIC GETS TOUGH
WEST BROM
BRENTFORD
WEST Brom boss Slaven
Bilic dealt with a training ground bust up with Egyptian international Ahmed Hegazi before keeping the Baggies top of the table.
Bilic dropped Hegazi from the squad and admitted: “Something happened yesterday on the training ground.
“Nothing major that I’m going to discuss or share.
“It was little things but big enough for him not to be in the squad today.”
It is believed Saudi Arabian club Al-ittihad, where Bilic managed before coming to the Baggies, have made a £3.4million bid for Hegazi and he wants to go.
Hegazi missed the start of the season because of an ankle op and is unhappy about not starting a game since.
The Baggies though still are No.1 at Christmas, even if Charlie Austin couldn’t come up with a present.
Super sub Austin thought he’d done it when he came off the bench and put an 89th minute chance away.
But Scrooge had got the flag and waved Austin off side
Austin tried to get the linesman to change his mind, waving a finger at him, but it made no difference.
Austin wasn’t going to add to his six goals in five games, five of those after coming on as substitute.
Bilic said: “Brentford started the better but all we failed to do in the second half was to score a second goal. We ran out of time.”
Albion got away with a penalty shout against Kyle Bartley in between the two goals.
Bees boss Thomas Frank said it was blatant and honest Bilic admitted: “I saw the handball. I’ve seen them given. If I was him ( Brentford manager) I would say the same.”
Brentford were the better team in the first half and held out firmly when the Baggies upped the pace later.
But Albion got away with it. With Leeds losing, Albion are three points clear at the top with a 12 point gap between them and Fulham in third.
It’s still looking like a happy automatic promotion new year with West Brom unbeaten in 13 games.
But their last three performances Albion have not been as powerfully impressive as what went before.
Brentford should have been in front much earlier than the 43rd minute.
But having got the lead, they gave it away. That was taking the Christmas spirit too far.
The Bees buzzed around Albion but couldn’t find any sting until they put away a pretty orthodox corner.
Mathias Jensen took it and captain Henrik Dalsgaard was free when he got his head to the ball first.
Where one right back succeeded another did as Darnell Furlong connected with Matt Phillips’ corner in exactly the same way as Dalsgaard had in first half added time.
“I am not happy with a point,” said Frank. “The handball? We didn’t have the decision we should have had.”