We have compiled an A-Z of West Bromwich Albion’s 2016.
West Bromwich Albion’s Gareth McAuley celebrates scoring their first goal with Chris Brunt
Ageless
2016 saw West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley hit his 37th birthday. The ex-Ipswich Town man is still going strong in English football’s top flight.
Broken transfer-record
Nacer Chadli signed for a club-record fee from Tottenham Hotspur in August. The Belgian has already endeared himself to the Albion supporters.
Chinese takeover
Chinese businessman Guochuan Lai completed his takeover of West Brom in September.
Dwindling attendances
Albion’s attendances have dropped in 2016, with record-low Premier League crowds for the Baggies against Swansea City.
End of an era
The arrival of Lai at the Hawthorns brought an end to Jeremy Peace’s 14-year tenure at the club.
French fitness camp
It was another frustrating year for Saido Berahino. The forward was sent to France to rebuild his fitness and confidence.
Gomes saves, again!
Watford goalkeeper Heurehlo Gomes produced one of the shocks of 2016, when he saved two penalties from Berahino at the Hawthorns in April.
Hat-trick hero
Salomon Rondon’s hat-trick against Swansea City in December was the first by a West Brom player since Romelu Lukaku in 2013.
Injury heartbreak
Chris Brunt missed Northern Ireland’s European Championship campaign after suffering a serious knee injury in Albion’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace. Brunt has since recovered and reclaimed his place for club and country. James Morrison also missed a large chunk of 2016 with a ruptured hamstring.
Joyful Hawthorns
For all of the dull matches at the Hawthorns in 2016, there have also be a few games to get Albion supporters out of their seats. Albion’s 4-0 win over Burnley in November was one of those occasions.
Keeper excels
Ben Foster returned from injury in 2016 to rediscover his some of his best form in an Albion shirt. His performance against Tottenham Hotspur in October was a stand out moment of the year.
Late form
2016 was shaping up to be an below average year after a disappointing end to the 2015/6 season and a mixed start to the 2016/7 season. But a late surge in results means West Brom will head into 2017 on a high.
Madejski nightmare
The Baggies 3-1 defeat to Reading in the FA Cup was certainly one of the lowest points of 2016. The poor result was compounded by a coin throwing incident involving Chris Brunt after the game.
New deal
Amid rumours that Albion’s new owners would want to install their own manager, Tony Pulis was handed a new two-year contract in October.
Outcasts out
Sebastian Pocognoli and Cristian Gamboa finally got moves away from the Hawthorns. Pocognoli got a loan move to Brighton Hove Albion and will surely move on when his contract expires in the summer. Gamboa signed for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic. There were also moves for Rickie Lambert and James Chester.
Party crashers
West Brom weren’t afraid to cause an upset in 2016. Memorably, Tony Pulis’ side held Tottenham Hotspurs to a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane to ruin their title hopes.
Quality delivery
The addition of Matt Phillips in the summer has added to Albion’s quality out wide. Phillips, Brunt and James McClean can all be counted on to cross the ball for Rondon. It has also helped West Brom continue their excellent goal scoring record from set pieces.
Rotherham at home
Albion supporters celebrated the plight of local rivals Aston Villa with a chant based on The Beautiful South’s song ‘Rotterdam’.
Shots on target
The Baggies failed to register a shot on target in four Premier League games in 2016.
Transfer meltdown
Supporters were left frustrated when West Brom’s 2016 summer transfer window came to a underwhelming close. Albion Chairman John Williams released a club statement to explain what went wrong.
Underutilised loanees
West Brom started the year by terminating Serge Gnabry’s loan from Arsenal. The trend of under-utilising loanees continued with Alex Pritchard and Brendan Galloway.
Venezuelan superstar
Salomon Rondon has gone from strength to strength in 2016. The ex-Zenit striker will want to carry his form into 2017.
We’ve lost the ball
Albion supporters came up this amusing chant to make light of their team’s lack of possession against Manchester City in October.
XI
Albion’s first game of 2016 saw Tony Pulis name an XI of: Boaz Myhill, Craig Dawson, Gareth McAuley, Jonny Evans, Chris Brunt, Stephane Sessegnon, Darren Fletcher, Claudio Yacob, Craig Gardner, James Morrison and Rickie Lambert.
Young stars
2016 has been a breakout year for a crop of talented Albion academy products. Jonathan Leko, Sam Field, Tyler Roberts and Kane Wilson have all been handed first-team appearances.
Zoltan’s Euro’s
Baggies favourite Zoltan Gera gave everyone a reminder of his class at the 2016 European Championships with his displays for Hungary.
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