West Brom fans left to cry into beer as Barry shows task facing new regime
WEST BROM 1 McAuley 9 EVERTON 2 Mirallas 45, Barry 60
NEW West Brom owner Guochuan Lai marked his first home game in charge by buying a drink for all home supporters at the Hawthorns.
But unless the Chinese entrepreneur can oversee a flurry of transfer activity before the end of the month, fans may be asking for a few more.
Tony Pulis believes he needs up to five new faces after a summer spent waiting for the takeover to go through and Ronald Koeman’s Everton added weight to his case here.
Veteran Gareth McAuley gave the home side an early lead from (surprise, surprise) a corner, but once the visiting manager had introduced Chelsea target Romelu Lukaku into the action on 38 minutes the Merseysiders looked the likely winners.
A sublime equaliser from Kevin Mirallas on the stroke of half-time and a carbon copy of McAuley’s far post header from Gareth Barry gave the Toffees three points on an encouraging afternoon which saw new pair Yannick Bolasie and Ashley Williams come off the bench to make debuts.
Koeman himself wants more new arrivals, but on the evidence of this Pulis is clearly more in need.
And yet it had started brightly for the home side, with Maarten Stekelenburg powerless to prevent 36-year-old McAuley leaping like a man half his age to power in Craig Gardner’s corner at the far post.
With not much happening for the visitors, Koeman had seen enough, thrusting Lukaku into the action. Almost immediately Everton looked a different proposition and levelled just before the break when Mirallas started and ended a flowing move, sweeping home from 12 yards.
Whether it saved them from a rollocking is unclear, however Ramiro Funes Mori could have copped one after the restart when he missed a clearance to give Darren Fletcher a clear sight of goal. The midfielder was denied by the excellent Stekelenburg, who seems to be trying to convince
Koeman that there is no need for City outcast Joe Hart on the blue half of Merseyside.
Hart’s former teammate Barry arrived at the back post to put Everton in front moments later after another spell of pressure.
Koeman then introduced Yannick Bolasie, after paying Palace £25m for the winger last week.
After a surging run down the right that left Arsenal target Jonny Evans standing, Bolasie laid a cross right on to the forehead of an unmarked Ross Barkley who headed wide. The 22–yearold would have been desperate to score after the death of Everton scout Sid Benson, who passed away last week at the age of 74 and who unearthed Barkley, among many others.
After the final whistle there were boos.
According to the six pages of propaganda in the West Brom programme, Lai made his fortune with a landscaping company that creates new ‘eco-towns’.
The entrepreneur will need to put the skills he learned there to good over the coming days if he is to help Pulis construct a side capable of building on last season’s 14th-placed finish.
You get the impression that anything north of 17th would do.