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Post by Football News on Sept 12, 2015 17:24:25 GMT
Saido Berahino gets mixed reception as West Brom held by Southampton West Brom 0 - 0 Southampton
Tony Pulis talks to substitute Saido Berahino as he enters the fray for West Brom against Southampton at The Hawthorns. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images If Harold Wilson reckoned a week was a long time in politics, 11 days in football must seem close to an eternity. A lot has happened since Saido Berahino said he would not play for West Bromwich Albion again on 2 September having been denied a transfer to Tottenham. Yet he made his comeback as a second-half substitute in this otherwise dull affair, met by a mixed a reception. His introduction will serve as the only lasting memory from a forgettable scoreless draw. Although his 35-minute cameo produced nothing more than a blocked shot from mid-range with 12 minutes remaining, he certainly offered more than the man he replaced, Rickie Lambert, whose performance could hardly have been more muted. How Tony Pulis, who said everybody should take some blame for the fallout from the non-transfer, could do with Berahino’s goals – this was their third blank from five games and only Newcastle and Liverpool have plundered fewer. Action wise, the attention will surround an early penalty claim. Callum McManaman went down at the feet of Matt Targett 16 minutes in, the teenage left-back sliding in with a touch of recklessness to take both man and, crucially, ball. Stuart Attwell, in charge of his first top flight game of the season, dismissed the firm appeals but there was a sense that luck was on Targett’s side. That apart, a Craig Dawson header over from a teasing Chris Brunt corner and, at the opposite end, Jay Rodriguez turning a Dusan Tadic corner off target were the only noteworthy moments of a dour opening half. West Brom were evidently lacking in ideas up top. Lambert and Salomón Rondón are much of a muchness and when combined some key components of any successful strike partnership are absent. If only Pulis had a striker who could provide pace, the key missing ingredient, to compliment either of his big men. Their limitations meant Virgil van Dijk, freshly arrived from Celtic, enjoyed a comfortable start to life as a Southampton defender, while Albion’s own debutant centre-half, Jonny Evans, was not too bothered by an isolated Graziano Pellè. Territorial advantage belonged marginally to the visitors, many of their moves enabled by a typically neat performance from Victor Wanyama in a holding role, but they too created little to bother Boaz Myhill. Rondón really should have threatened Maarten Stekelenburg 54 minutes in when fed from the right. He turned and although his footing gave way there were disappointed groans when he blasted over. That teed up the re-integration of Berahino, receiving a standing ovation from some Baggies fans and boos from others. It will take some time for him to win everybody over but few could argue he is their best attacker. Southampton still appeared a tad more likely to break the deadlock entering the final stages and a rapid counterattack from the left should have yielded more than a James Ward-Prowse hack over. Pellè sent a low cross to Rodriguez who could not get his shot away. Tadic picked up the afters, played back to Ward-Prowse but the midfielder snatched at the attempt, whipping the ball into an increasingly exasperated travelling support. Guardian
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