This is a must win game, we’ve shrugged off all the public statements now and we’ve found out who we’re getting in the cup, but now we must go back to pressing matters and the top priority which is surviving in the Premier League.

West Brom are starting to have a bit of grit at home, with a wins against Man City & Tottenham. Hopefully we will have ‘learned’ something from the last time we played them in our 0-1 defeat at home. The crazy thing is if we do suffer a double defeat to the Baggies they will be level on points with us, MOTD 2 will be unbearable to watch (as you’ll want to smack Adrian Chiles’s & Lawros smug face.)

Digard is a doubt for the game due to his Kieran Richardson (cock) inflicted tumour, Josh Walker is definitely out with his ankle ligaments (shame). Its’ anybody’s guess on Gary O’Neil on his sickness, if he’s fit hopefully he can be slotted in the spare space on the right hand side whilst Digard, Arca and Downing can be slotted in the middle. Same as before but Tuncay can get that free role on the left, with Alves leading the front.

If we applied the same dogged determination like our previous away game (Man Utd), we could get something here. Patience and motivation from fans is now starting to wear a bit thin as you start to look at the fixture list to think where our next batch of points will come from.

Boro need that much needed confidence boost, this could be it, in fact this has to be it we’ve got no choice, after that we’ll have Wolves in the cup and Chelsea away so if we lose on Saturday and we’re in the bottom 3 we could be in there till the Blackburn game.

You can breathe a sigh of relief, James Morrison will miss the game against his former club so we won’t get any ex player shocks, although WBA will have another 2 chances to do that as I’m sure Tony Mowbray knows all too well about the omens, with Chris Brunt and Jonathan Greening likely contenders to start.

Boro will be lucky to allocate all the 18 spaces for the squad, with Aliadiere out, Emnes injured mid-week and Josh Walker we might have to dip into emergency players from the youth team (but all the experienced ones are out on loan, Craddock, Johnson and Grounds etc) so we might not even have a full allocated bench which wouldn’t be the first time this season.

We have to win, we must win otherwise the bums will squeak off the seat and walk off and then things will get ugly.

I’m going for the same as Sunderland but by god we need the 3 points.

1-1

Come on Boro!

MarkA