Mowbray takes heart at number of teams struggling along with West Brom
Jan 22 2009 by Robert Tanner, Birmingham Post
Talk about being able to throw a blanket over the teams fighting it out at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League, a handkerchief would do the job.
West Bromwich Albion may be bottom at the moment, by virtue of goal difference, but they are one of five teams on 21 points and just five points behind tenth place Fulham.
In fact, from West Ham United in eighth place down, there is just an eight point spread, meaning no side below the Hammers can feel safe from the dreaded drop.
That may be great news for Albion boss Tony Mowbray and his side’s bid to complete another Great Escape after being bottom of the pile at Christmas because it keeps plenty of their rivals in touching distance with several of them yet to visit The Hawthorns.
However, the concertina affect in the division presents a completely different problem for Mowbray and his attempts to bring fringe players from other Premier League clubs on loan to The Hawthorns to boost his own side’s survival bid.
“I think it is half an issue because at the moment we are competing with those teams and it is only the top six who will not feel we are any sort of threat,” he said.
“Until you pick up the phone and ask those managers you never know. If someone asked me to loan my players to them and they were in a similar position I would probably say no.
“In years gone by, there may have been a ten or 12 point gap to a Man City or a Tottenham and they might let you have a decent player to take some points off their rivals.”
Mowbray is keen to add a midfield player to his current January acquisitions, strikers Jay Simpson from Arsenal and Marc-Antoine Fortune from Nancy, and he admits he is making progress in finding the right player.
“You are always only one conversation away,” he said.
“I could sit here and say, yes, we are about to bring another one in, but until you pick up the phone you don’t know how the conversations are going to go.
“If the answer is no, then we keep going until the last day of the window.”
If that is the case, Mowbray said he is more than happy to continue with his current squad and he believes he has the right strength in depth to cope with the current injury problems.
One player he has picked out for doing a sterling job since he came in for the injured Gianni Zuiverloon is right back Carl Hoefkens.
The Dutchman has produced some steady and consistent performances in the absence of his countryman, who could return to action soon.
Zuiverloon may be Mowbray’s preferred choice but the Albion boss was quick to praise the professionalism of Hoefkens, who has made more than 50 appearances for the Baggies since signing from Stoke City in August, 2007.
“Carl has had to step in and play against two of the best wide players in the country in the last two league games (against Aston Villa and Middlesbrough),” Mowbray said.
“Against Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, he has done exceptionally well.
“A bit like Pele, he has found himself on the outside after Zuiverloon was brought in at the start of the season. And yet he has shown he possesses the quality to do well when asked to and I’m delighted for him that he’s managed to help the team get some points.”
