Clarke excels & Grant shines but pair must improve - West Brom player ratings so far

Ahead of the next, chunky, stretch of games, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to give the Albion first-team players a rating out of ten

Saturday marks the return to action of West Bromwich Albion - and then that’s it, no more international interruptions until March time.

Albion and Valerien Ismael will be back at it and tackling the heavy schedule that lies in front of them, which includes the Christmas schedule, all the while hoping to claw back some of deficit that has been created by the pace-setting pair of Bournemouth and Fulham.

It’s by no means been a straightforward campaign so far, and there have been plenty of bumps in the road away from home, though The Hawthorns form is excellent and they remain one of only five sides in the 92 who are unbeaten on home soil.

Ahead of the next, chunky, stretch of games, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to give the Albion first-team players a rating out of ten for the quality of their performances in the first 17 matches, provided they’ve played more than a couple of games.

Goalkeepers

Johnstone 7

He only missed the first game of this season, but Johnstone was restored quickly afterwards. Talk of his future and his contract won’t go away, inevitably - the clock is ticking down on his deal and a decision needs to be made, either way, very soon. On the pitch, he’s been very solid.

Any time Johnstone has been involved in an error, it’s often involved him racing out as part of his new sweeper keeper role, something Ismael has already insisted he as the boss must take responsibility for. Johnstone has, aside from that, made some extremely important saves, not least of all in the last game against Middlesbrough.

Defenders

Furlong 6

It was a season which started with the long throws, the towels, the drying of the ball which infuriated opposing fans and drew knuckle touches from Halfords Lane dwellers. It drew goals, too, but teams cotton on and that weapon isn’t quite as destructive as it was in those early games.

Besides that, Furlong’s form has fluctuated. Excellent in the air, and a real athlete, he’s dropped the odd clanger - especially at Swansea.

Ajayi 6

Like Furlong, Ajayi has been up and down in form too - not ideal when you’re a centre half. He started the season out of the starting XI, but he grasped his chance at Peterborough when netting the winner.

He stood out like a sore thumb in the grim defeat to Stoke, head and shoulders above all others in an Albion shirt, but he’s recently been dropped again and endured a tough afternoon against Fulham.

Kipre 6

Kipre barely kicked a ball in his first full season at the club, but he was surprisingly given the nod on the opening night of the season against Bournemouth. He was caught out down there, and there is still plenty for him to work on in his game, but with the ball at his feet Albion don’t have a centre half in their ranks who is as quality a passer of the ball.

Expect to see him more at The Hawthorns, where teams come and sit in and Albion have more of the ball. He impressed against Middlesbrough and Hull.

O’Shea 7

It didn’t take long for O’Shea to become one of Ismael’s favourites. Someone with a point to prove after not enjoying himself under Sam Allardyce, he began the season like a house on fire - in both boxes.

You’d have to say that O’Shea would be on for a player of the year chance had he remained fit and maintained his form, but that September international break brought about a huge injury blow and you can only hope that we see O’Shea again hitting the heights again before the end of the season.

Bartley 7

The game of football isn’t played purely with numbers - though in this era they are becoming increasingly important - but Bartley has been, at the time of writing, statistically Albion’s best performing player this season.

The kind of player at the back who thrives in aerial battles and can clear the lines all day long, Bartley is still the most vocal of the defenders - an important role to fulfil.

He’s still susceptible to the odd lapse in concentration, but he was desperately unlucky with a deflection at Preston and an awful refereeing call at Fulham.

Clarke 9

You could make a claim that Clarke is the best piece of business Albion did over the summer. When fit, he’s been an integral part of this Albion team and doesn’t often put a foot wrong.

He wins balls in the air, he executes brilliantly timed tackles again and again and never seems rushed in possession of the ball. You only hope that he can stay fit for the duration of the campaign, because be it in the middle or on the left, Clarke has made himself an essential member of the XI.

Bryan 6

Brought in to help Albion cope without O’Shea, he suffered the same fate of a long-term injury 40 minutes into his first start for the club. Bryan didn’t do an awful lot wrong in the time he was on the pitch in an Albion shirt, though admittedly against Hull he didn’t come up against much as regards to what they he had to cope with defensively.

Best wishes on the comeback trail.

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Townsend 8

A player who has extended his stay - again! - after a string of very positive performances.

Townsend is probably the best crosser of a ball at the club and his centre for Bartley against Millwall was duly nodded home, but ever the pro he gave everything he had when tucked back inside to the back three. It wasn’t plain sailing - the goals conceded to Stoke and Boro involved errors from him - but restored to wing-back, he’s been largely excellent.

Reach 6

The wing-back arrived on a free in the summer, and while not flashy you can't question his application.

Reach has a quite obvious engine down the left hand side, while there is an acceptance that, when Clarke and Townsend are in the side, there won't be room for him as a left wing-back deputy.

Reach turned in a man of the match display at Cardiff, but there have been one or two other outings when he could've offered more when in possession.

Midfielders

Livermore 7

The captain has been asked plenty of in this system. Now 32, he’s one of the more senior heads in this group and has, when available, played almost every minute for Ismael, who has previously outlined the importance of his skipper.

Livermore has led from the front in the press and at certain points - like at home to Hull - him winning the ball high has led to a goal. You can never question Livermore’s attitiude or commitment - he stands out even when things aren’t going well - but sometimes he lacks the accuracy to make that key pass through the lines. He visibly demands more of his teammates.

Mowatt 7

Livermore’s new partner in the middle Mowatt was a player who was well versed in Ismael’s methods before arriving in the summer. More of a technician but no less hard working, Mowatt gives everything in the two-man midfield and has been having his own goal of the season competition.

He laid Robinson’s equaliser on a plate in the first game at Bournemouth, and has scored superb goals against Sheffield United, Blackburn and Cardiff. His set pieces can still definitely be even more incisive than they have been.

Molumby 7

The Irishman arrived late in the window and in the middle of an international break, so it took him a little while to get up to speed and be considered ready for action. Molumby made a big impact off the bench against Birmingham, after cameos at Cardiff and Stoke, and then he and Robert Snodgrass delivered an excellent showing when deputising for the more regular pairing against Bristol City.

Molumby, like most others, struggled a little against Swansea but he was one of the picks of the bunch in the draw with Middlesbrough with Livermore injured. A player who Albion have plans to bring to the club permanently and is very good friends with Dara O’Shea, with whom for a while he stayed when he joined.

Snodgrass 6

Snodgrass is the veteran of the midfield quartet. The Scot, who is a character around the club, has had to get used to his new role that Ismael has fashioned for him. You think of Snodgrass and you think of an inverted winger, or at times a ten.

But nowadays Ismael sees him as being capable of playing in his midfield two when required. As mentioned, he stood out against Bristol City, with his unquestionable ability to pick a pass, but the demands are high and there are times when Snodgrass looks a little leggy.

Forwards

Phillips 6

It’s been a so-so season for Phillips, who has three goals to his name. Albion’s longest-serving first-team player has been well utilised by Ismael, and he’s proven that he can - though not in an ideal world - play up top. Still better used in a wider role, Phillips’ work-rate and being well versed in his defensive responsibilities makes him an attractive option for Ismael, as it was for Messers Allardyce, Bilic, Moore and Pulis.

He stood out at Peterborough when Albion otherwise struggled, and shone at Blackburn, but he’s also lacked the cutting edge when the Baggies have needed him to break down teams.

Grant 8

Admittedly, when Karlan Grant doesn’t score, there’s not too much to write home about. Then again, he’s there to pretty much score - and thank goodness he’s rediscovered his form this season just when Albion needed him.

He endured a pretty rubbish campaign last season, though he certainly wasn’t alone in that. The goal against Luton prompted optimism, but it wasn’t until QPR when Grant’s season really got going. That led to winners against Cardiff, Blues and Hull.

Grant would appear a player whose confidence levels impact his game. It’s not coincidence that he began using his abilities on the back of that night against the Hoops. The goals since, against Cardiff especially, have been superbly taken. He’s on for 20+, now he must go and deliver them.

Robinson 7

You couldn’t have started the season any better than Robinson, who bagged three goals in as many games in a centre forward role. Albion were pressing the life out of their opponents, and their very own CR7 was on hand to apply the finishing touch. The one from a set-piece against Sheffield United was particularly opportune.

He hasn’t scored since, despite his international exploits in that time, and perhaps that’s to do with opponents wising up to Albion’s ways. He has, though, delivered five assists - all of them for Grant. Against Luton, Swansea, Hull and both strikes against QPR Robinson was on hand to tee up his mate.

He’s had a couple of stinkers recently, but that shouldn’t detract from what has otherwise been a very fair season so far - and he can get better.

Diangana 5

He’s been an enigma. A player who can excite in glimpses from the start of games, Diangana just hasn’t found that magic touch that he possessed between August and December 2019, the form under Bilic that prompted the club to spend so much money on him. He chipped in with an assist against Cardiff and then rescued Albion with a fine finish against Middlesbrough, his first goal in front of fans since he struck at Blues on the day that Charlie Austin is better remembered for.

You hope, because that’s all we can do, that that goal against Boro might’ve reignited something in Diangana, much like the glut of goals have done for Grant who endured a similarly dismal year last year.

Hugill 5

There are centre forward qualities that Hugill has shown, that have explained why Ismael and Albion moved to bring him to the club, but we’ve not seen them anywhere nearly enough. He could put a poor performance at Preston behind him when the goal opened up for him at the death, but his effort that day summed up his afternoon.

He’s been better off the bench, especially at home against defences sitting in. Hugill changed the game against QPR, and though he didn’t have any assists to show for it, he played key roles in both goals. He also got himself off the mark against Bristol City, on an afternoon when he ought to have had a hatful. More to come.

The rest

Button 5

Only played the one game, at Bournemouth, and he didn’t cover himself in glory for either goal, but he did pull off one superb save.

Zohore 2

What happened? He looked the part in pre-season, and Ismael himself revealed that they’d had a breakthrough in training, but we mightn’t see Ken again in the first-team unless there’s an outbreak of injuries. He was dreadful against Luton, and Ismael has dropped him ever since.

Gardner-Hickman 8

The young wing-back was called into the starting XI very late in the day against Arsenal and held his own for large parts, but it was against Hull that he will be judged - and, quite frankly, better remembered for.

In the absence of the suspended Furlong, he turned in a superb display of composure, forward passing, deliveries from wide. Very exciting.