West Brom v Newcastle: Premier League – live!

3 mins: An early corner for the visitors, which is cleared, re-centred by Willock, and cleared again.

The players are out! Newcastle are in bright yellow, the officials in shocking pink. Time for the feet to do the talking.

‘If we are going to get anywhere near them, three points is vital for us today’

Sam Allardyce has a chat with Amazon’s microphone-wielder, about Thursday’s game at Everton:

Well, apart from the result it was our best performance since I’ve been at the club against Everton and really we should have delivered more in terms of points, but we have to say the players played that well, how can I make any changes? Recovery time is something we’re going to have to keep an eye on, and they won’t have the same energy they had on Thursday night. They will in the beginning, they know how big the game is, but we’ll have to use our substitutes as we need to.

We can only go out and play as well as we played on Thursday night, but more importantly we have to start creating and taking our chances. We’re creating them but not taking them. A win for us is critical, obviously. It’s massive. We’ve got to try to get the three points to get closer to Fulham and to get closer to Newcastle and Brighton. If we are going to get anywhere near them, three points is vital for us today.

Steve Bruce has a chat. He says he has picked Paul Dummett “for his experience, and we know what to expect from West Brom from set pieces and the threat they pose in that area”, and there’s also this, on his bust-up with Matt Ritchie:

Look, these things happen up and down the country. Unfortunately it’s got too much airtime. As far as I was concerned it was done and dusted within 24 hours. We move on. Let’s hope we can galvanise if that’s the right word, and get a result.

And this, on life without Almiron and Saint-Maximin, and a squad containing nobody who has scored more than two goals this season:

I mean, look, it’s difficult. When you put in Callum as well, you have your front three players. But we simply have to find a way. We have good players to come into those positions so let’s hope they can produce something a bit special and make sure we win the match. We had a really decent season last year, and our top goalscorer was Jonjo Shelvey with six. We know it’s not easy, but it is what it is, we have to find a way.

The teams are in! West Brom stick with the side that lost to Everton on Thursday while Newcastle make three changes: Lewis, Almiron and Saint-Maximin are out; Dummett, Fraser and Hendrick are in.

West Brom: Johnstone, Furlong, O’Shea, Bartley, Townsend, Yokuslu, Matheus Pereira, Gallagher, Maitland-Niles, Phillips, Diagne. Subs: Robson-Kanu, Ajayi, Robinson, Livermore, Sawyers, Peltier, Snodgrass, Button, Ahearne-Grant.
Newcastle: Dubravka, Krafth, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett, Hendrick, Shelvey, Hayden, Willock, Joelinton, Fraser. Subs: Carroll, Ritchie, Gayle, Lewis, Fernandez, Manquillo, Murphy, Darlow, Sean Longstaff.
Referee: Martin Atkinson.

Hello world!

What a day this is for Newcastle, what a moment. Sure, they are 17th and have impressed few people this season, but today, right now, right here, they have an opportunity to leave a difficult week emphatically behind them and extend their lead over 19th-placed West Bromwich Albion from nine points to 12, with 10 games remaining, and effectively leave themselves with only one relegation place still to worry about. Steve Bruce said this week that his team “will do our utmost to get out of the trouble, unfortunately, we’re in”, and that means perform, today.

(I wasn’t present at his press conference, but it seems more than usually rambling. For example: “More than ever, I’m 100% committed to trying to get us out of the trouble we’re in. I think the players are too. I’ve got 100% faith in them, and I think that remains vital to us. So, no, just because things get tough … I always knew things would be tough. Maybe it’s tougher than I thought, but I always knew it was going to be tough. It’s a tough gig this one, there’s no disputing that. But I’ll try my best, like I always do, to make sure that we’re OK.”)

Sam Allardyce’s response to stories about blazing rows between Bruce and Matt Ritchie was also enjoyable: “It’s a disagreement, what’s wrong with it? I like disagreements.” He agrees with disagreements. He finds disagreeing agreeable. That really is splendidly contrary of him. Anyway, it goes without saying that this is an enormously important game for the Baggies; whereas Newcastle really can’t afford to lose, they really can’t afford not to win … and you can’t really afford not to keep an eye on it.

Welcome! This could be a cracker*!

* He said, with no confidence whatsoever.