The West Brom Blog’s take on West Brom’s starting XI and Its first ever liveblog tomorrow at 17:30 BST

So, you’ve spent eight hours creating, dismantling and recreating your Fantasy Football team (s!) – eventually coming to the conclusion that you’ve been cheated somehow before the games have even started – and you’ve cut off contact with all those freaks who don’t care about football, but you’re still not quite ready for the start of the season. Before you can be truly ready, you need to read The West Brom Blog’s take on West Brom’s starting XI.

West Brom’s best lineup

Scott Carson in goal – Boaz Myhill has been signed from Hull City as strong competition for England’s finest, but Carson will keep his place as a starter – at least until he gives Roberto Di Matteo a reason to take it away. With a good enough season under his belt, he could even force his way into the England setup.

Steven Reid at right back - Initially signed as a centre-midfielder, Reid found his place at West Brom as a full back. Having signed a permanent deal at the club during the summer, Reid will be looking to prove that he is still capable of reproducing the form that saw him linked with Manchester United little over three years ago.

Gabriel Tamas at centre back - Like Reid, Tamas made a loan spell permanent during the summer. A tough tackling centre-back, Tamas played with Nemanja Vidic at Spartak Moscow and is equally suited to the Premier League – albeit a lower level of it.

Pablo Ibanez at centre back - Having not bothered to watch any pre-season games it’s difficult for This Blog to discuss new signing, Ibanez, with any kind of genuine insight. Normally it would make something up, but tonight It can’t even be bothered to do that; instead, It’s going to do a fucking SKY SPORTS NEWS and tell you that

Nicky Shorey at left back – read this…READ IT!

Yusuf Mulumbu in defensive midfield – Combative Makelele protégé, Mulumbu’s performances this season could prove decisive in whether the Baggies stay up or not. Can he dominate midfield battles against the likes of Cesc Fabregas? Probably not.

Gonzalo Jara in defensive midfield – Signed a new three year deal at the club yesterday after an impressive World Cup with Chile. If he was four inches taller he’d be playing for a Tottenham or a Man City already, as it is, they’ll probably steal him in January once they’ve seen what he can do. His versatility – he can play anywhere in midfield or defence – makes him a major asset.

Chris Brunt on the right – Cutting in from the right and shooting with his left will land Brunt a number of Robben-esque goals this season. Brunt is a Premier League-class player.

Graham Dorrans in attacking midfield – Quite simply, Dorrans is West Brom’s best player. He is capabble, This Blog believes, of playing Champions League standard football. Unfortunately, such is the hype which has surrounded him from very early on in his Baggies career, most clubs will already know how good he is and work hard to keep him off the ball.

James Morisson on the left – Injured for much of last season, Morisson is not certain to start, but at his best his drive from midfield can make things happen. You may sense that these summaries are getting shorter – it’s because it’s getting later.

Ishmael Miller up front – Miller looked good before his injury in the middle of West Brom’s last Premier League campaign. He is yet to recover that form, but may be the best of limited options.

And there you have it. This post flickered between semi-serious and attempts at humour – THIS WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. It was supposed to be serious, but who can really be bothered once it gets this late? Well fuck you, This Blog can’t.

The point of hate goes to The Blog tonight because It knows it can do better than this. The score is 6-3 to The Blog, probably.

Category: Player talk