Anger is an energy?

Like most fans I'm still mystified by what Sam Allardyce said about energy levels after the West Brom defeat. Big Sam claimed: "It was probably coming based on what we've had to cope with the over the last few weeks and I think it told on us today. I have to give West Brom a lot of credit… but I look at the players and there was not the energy we know they've got baed on all they've done in there last few weeks."

It's certainly true the energy wasn't there, but then all the other Premier League teams have had three games in a week as well. Yes, we did play with ten men (nine really as the injured Carroll was a passenger) for the last 30 minutes at Southampton, but that doesn't account for a four-goal deficit. The absence of Collins and Reid didn't help, as Kouyate, after two great games, was suddenly found out as a centre-back. Jenkinson and Cresswell might be tiring in their first full Premier League seasons and Valencia was an amateur a few seasons ago. 

But other teams have new players too and nothing can really excuse such a lacklustre performance when manager and board had prioritised the FA Cup. We needed much more leadership from the likes of Nolan, Song and Noble. It was the worst day at the office since secretary Lois started a motorised lawn mower at a drunken office party and cut off Guy MacKendrick's foot in Mad Men.

But, as Ken Dyer says in tonight's Standard, it's not exactly a crisis yet. A week ago we were two minutes away from beating Man United and on Wednesday earned a sound point at Southampton. We've only won two in ten, but also only lost two in ten. Eighth place is better than any of us hoped for at the start of the season. But it's important to keep going for these final 13 games. Like Public Image, WHU now need to prove that anger is an energy.