Live – Stoke v West Brom

23 minutes: Pennant’s free-kick curls around the right side of the wall but Scott Carson shifts across his goal efficiently before punching the ball out for a throw-in on the right. The first bit of excitement from the home fans.

22 minutes: Kenwyne Jones makes a bullocking run towards the West Brom box, only to be crudely scythed down from behind by Yousuff Mulumbu, who is rightly booked for his challenge. Jermaine Pennant lines up a 30-yard free-kick from goal.

BBC 5 live summariser Craig Burley: “West Brom have got to keep the ball, not just go forward early, because it’s coming straight back at them.”

20 minutes: Not a classic so far, Ryan Shawcross’ weak header at Scott Carson remains the only goalbound effort. West Brom are attempting to press in midfield with their five-man formation, but Stoke are not an easy to boss around in the middle of the park.

13 minutes: Ooof! Danny Pugh takes an almighty clattering from Marc-Antoine Fortune, who pulls the most innocent expression of “what, me?” as referee Michael Oliver orders a free-kick. Pugh’s back on his feet in no time, but plenty of other players would take a few seconds longer to recover from that. Apologies for the odd formatting, it should be sorted now.

From Anon, text 8111: “Why oh why put the 1952 stat up?! You know my Baggies team are generous. I’m holding you personally responsible when stoke score in the first five mins!”

5 minutes: Set-piece time for Stoke as West Brom concede a corner. They haven’t been very good at corners this season. Cue very nervous Baggies fans…

3 minutes: Steven Reid, one of Hodgson’s four changes this evening, makes a foray down the right, but his attack is snuffed out without too much bother by the Stoke defence. It’s a bitty start, no-one doing anything particularly noteworthy so far.

2001: More stats to digest from

Infostrada Live

: “Stoke and Liverpool are the only teams that have kept a clean sheet against West Brom in all Premier League matches. Stoke (three matches) are one of three clubs to have won all Premier League matches against WBA, together with Liverpool and Chelsea (both nine matches). If Robert Huth scores, he will match last year’s top scoring total for a defender in the Premier League. Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen scored seven goals in the 2009-10 season. Huth is on six goals this season as the top-scoring defender.” And we’re off.

From Anon, text 8111: “Carson starting, Meite in defence, Odemwingie on the bench. NOT HAPPY.”

From Jacob, text 8111: “You say ‘yet to win a match’ but that isn’t really fair. Hodgson’s first match was Wolves, so he’s been in charge for one game, one point, but you’re making him sound like he’s done awful!”

1952: If you’re a fan of stats-based trivia you will love this – which teams is the only one of the 20 clubs not to score a goal in the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League match this season? No doubt Tony Pulis knows the answer. However, his Stoke team are notoriously difficult to break down while plenty of column inches have paid tribute to the Potters’ physicality.

1949: The word “hoodoo” instantly springs to mind when you consider this stat: West Brom have won only one of their previous 26 league clashes against Stoke since April 1989, they have only won once, a statistic which prompted Hodgson’s slightly bizarre Swedish expression at 1933. If your fingers are feeling idle or itching to get involved in some football banter,

tweet

or text me (via 81111) your views about this, that or the other. Or preferably about tonight’s encounter at the Britannia Stadium.

Dandelacour on Twitter:

“West Brom to get bullied tonight, and not just because of the way Stoke play. Expect the fans to play a big part in this game.”

1944:Stoke striker Kenwyne Jones returns to partner John Carew in attack, with winger Matthew Etherington fit enough to return to the bench after a back injury. West Brom have Scott Carson back in goal and make three other changes with Marc-Antoine Fortune playing the lone striker role with Peter Odemwingie starting on the bench. Abdoulaye Meite slots into central defence.

1940: The teams, the teams!
Stoke: Begovic, Wilson, Huth, Shawcross, Pugh, Pennant, Whitehead, Delap, Walters, Jones, Carew. Subs: Sorensen, Higginbotham, Collins, Whelan, Fuller, Etherington, Wilkinson.
West Brom: Carson, Reid, Meite, Olsson, Shorey, Brunt, Scharner, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Thomas, Fortune. Subs: Myhill, Tchoyi, Morrison, Vela, Odemwingie, Tamas, Jara.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)

1938: Hmm, I wonder if Roy is familiar with this particular Swedish effort:

“Det ante mej, sa han som blev utsparkad“

, which of course means “I suspected this might happen, said the one that was kicked out.” The former Liverpool, Inter Milan, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Finland etc boss has yet to win a match since taking over as Baggies boss earlier this month with his team one place off bottom in the Premier League. Add to that the worst defensive record in the top flight, leaking 52 goals and gone a club record 25 Premier League games without keeping a clean sheet, Hodgson faces a monumental effort to keep the Baggies in the Premier League.

1933: We love our traditional Swedish expressions over at BBC Towers, so we are ever so grateful to West Brom manager Roy Hodgson for this particular nugget:

“You could have a lot of fun without alcohol but why take the chance?”

No, not your average Saturday night out in Dudley but Hodgson’s pre-match press conference for his side’s Monday night Premier League match-up against Stoke.