Bruce: It’s haul over for certain players
STEVE BRUCE has warned his West Brom flops that a “major overhaul” is on the cards this summer.
The Baggies boss admits he is baffled at the way his players perform against the top teams only to let themselves down against rivals closer to them in the Championship table.
Stoke showed more purpose, imagination and fighting spirit than West Brom – much to the frustration of former Newcastle manager Bruce.
He said: “We are verging on a major overhaul. We have got to change our mentality and be better. I can see too many disappointments. We play Bournemouth or Fulham and turn them over – and then we play like this.
“It is the level of how we go up and down so quick. This encapsulated my eight weeks here. The table doesn’t lie and halfway in the division is not good enough.”
A Jake Livermore own-goal paved the way for a Stoke win confirmed by secondhalf goals from Jacob Brown and Lewis Baker. Albion enjoyed a brief revival through Callum Robinson.
Potters boss Michael O’neill said: “I’m delighted. It was a good reaction to
Tuesday [the defeat to Reading]. We dealt with it well and played good football. The second gave us a good little cushion and we showed great mentality at the end.”
The first half was mainly Stoke’s thanks to an early breakthrough.
Tommy Smith’s free-kick found Baker whose pass was inadvertently turned into the net by Livermore.
Bruce’s Baggies were well below par and looked nothing like the side which had beaten Fulham and Bournemouth in recent weeks.
The Potters made the most of it, and when Smith sent over a free-kick, there was Brown to steer a header past keeper Sam Johnstone to double the lead.
Bruce threw on Robinson and Karlan Grant, and was rewarded when Grant failed to connect with Andy Carroll’s header, but the ball fell to Robinson and his finish was easy.
Finally, the Baggies started to play well enough to encourage the crowd and the inevitable happened – Stoke’s Baker scored on the break in added time.
WEST BROM: Johnstone 7; Ajayi 6, Bartley 6, Clarke 6; Gardnerhickman 6, Livermore 6, Mowatt 6 (Robinson, 57, 6), Molumby 7, Townsend 6 (Reach, 78); Diangana (Grant, 57, 5) Carroll 7.
STOKE: Bonham 6; Forrester 6, Jagielka 7, Harwood-bellis 7; Smith 7, Allen 6, Vrancic 6 (Wilmot, 81 Baker 8, Tymon 7; Brown 7, Fletcher 7 (Maja, 75).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Lewis Baker: A free-running show topped off by a lovely goal in added time.
REFEREE: Andy Davies 7.