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Ahead of Sunday's season finale against Stoke
at The Hawthorns, we caught up again with Rob, from the website
Chief Delilah.
He gives us his views on City's
season,
Mark Hughes, Peter Odemwingie
and more. You can also follow
Rob on Twitter @ChiefDelilah.
With Stoke
going into the last game already guaranteed a top ten finish; you must be
pleased with how Mark Hughes’ first season in charge has gone?
It's gone better than many of us dared to dream to be honest.
Hughes wasn't a universally popular appointment after the QPR debacle, but after
a slow start he's got the team playing arguably their best football since
promotion. We're more positive in our approach, we've scored some fantastic
goals and we're a lot easier on the eye. It's resulted in our first top flight
top half finish for nearly 40 years and seen us confirmed as top
Midlands club for the first time
in our history. We're all delighted.
Anything Hughes needs to do
better?
Our away form could be better. That's one of the few things that hasn't really
improved as we've only won twice on the road all season.
How’s Peter
Odemwingie doing for you?
He’s been a revelation. It seemed like a total panic signing
at the time given that he’d done nothing at Cardiff and there were question
marks over his attitude since the car park farce, but he’s provided the pace and
cutting edge we were missing and is the most clinical finisher we’ve had for
years. A very pleasant surprise, especially since we managed to get rid of the
waste of space that was Kenwyne Jones into the bargain.
What areas of
the team would you like to see improved over the summer?
As well as Peter Crouch has done, we’re desperate for a
quick, powerful, 15-20 goal a season man in the Bony/Benteke mould. A right back
and a winger would be nice too.
Former City
boss Tony Pulis has done a fantastic job at Crystal Palace, lifting them from
relegation certainties to the comfort of mid-table. Has the job he’s done at
Palace surprised you given how his last season went at Stoke?
It has and it hasn’t. I thought Palace were goners and that
nobody could keep them up, so the job he’s done there is nothing short of
incredible. But fighting relegation is very much his forte and he knows how to
make a team tough to beat. What’s most surprising/annoying is that he’s got them
playing some good, pacey, attacking stuff when his last couple of seasons at
Stoke were the opposite of that despite a hefty transfer budget.
Player of the
season?
Ryan Shawcross. Has led by example all season. A club legend
already.
Villain of the
season?
Martin Atkinson, whose‘homer’ performance at Newcastle on
Boxing Day saw him send off two Stoke players for pretty much nothing, miss a
clear handball in the build-up to one Newcastle goal and fail to spot that the
ball had gone out of play for another. An utter buffoon.
Highlight of
the season?
Blowing Aston Villa to smithereens on their own patch in
March.
Moment you
would rather forget?
Being out-thought and outfought by Pulis’ Palace in January.
Thoughts on Albion’s season?
Looking from the outside in, the decision to get rid of Steve
Clarke seemed a harsh, strange one (though I know many Baggies fans weren’t
happy). You’ve got some good players like Yacob and Mulumbu and just needed a
couple more to push on, but then you spunked all that money on Anichebe, got rid
of the manager, and it just looks like a bit of a mess. Mel not being allowed to
bring his own staff in sounded counter-productive and there doesn’t seem to be
much of a plan. It all seems to have descended into chaos so quickly because for
years you looked like the model of a stable, well-run Premier League club.
Best chant
heard this season?
I enjoyed Darren Bent’s own fans calling him a w**ker.
Thoughts and
prediction for Sunday’s game?
I could see it being a high-scoring kickabout really. WBA 2-3
Stoke.
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