West Brom are next up for Paul Warne’s Rotherham United, as the Millers travel to The Hawthorns for their last away game of this season.
Here, we take a look at who the Millers will be facing in our opposition analysis…
In the Dugout
James Shan will be the man in the dugout for West Brom this Saturday. The 40-year old is currently caretaker boss following the sacking of Darren Moore in March 2019. As a player, Shan spent time in the Walsall youth system before attending trials at Torquay United and Sheffield Wednesday. He represented his local club Paget Rangers before being part of the coaching set-up at Birmingham City.
Shan joined West Brom in 2006 as part of the coaching staff, starting work with the club’s under-7s age group. He worked as manager for the under-18, under-21 and under-23 sides at the Baggies before joining the first-team coaching staff at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Stats
The Baggies currently sit in fourth position and have confirmed their play-off place after securing a point against Reading last time out. West Brom have accumulated 77 points this season after 44 games and have a goal difference of +26. In the last five games, the Baggies have won two, lost two and drawn once. They have been unbeaten at The Hawthorns in their last five home games, scoring 14 goals and conceding six. Their last game at home was a victory for West Brom with a 3-2 Good Friday success over Hull City. A brace from Dwight Gayle and a further strike from Kieran Gibbs sealed all three points for the Baggies, despite two goals from Hull’s Todd Kane.
Previous Meetings
This is only the 13th meeting between these sides, since the first meeting in January 1954. Rotherham have won two of these fixtures while West Brom have won seven, with three draws. Rotherham haven’t tasted success since February 2004, a 1-0 away victory courtesy of a goal from Chris Sedgwick.
The last time the two sides met was in December 2018 where West Brom secured a 4-0 victory at the ASSEAL New York Stadium. A hat-trick from Dwight Gayle and a strike from Harvey Barnes sealed all three points for the Baggies in South Yorkshire.
Ones to Watch
Our Ones to Watch start with Sam Johnstone. The 26-year old started at Manchester United and had valuable loan spells at Oldham Athletic, Scunthorpe United, Walsall, Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers, Preston and most recently Aston Villa. He helped Preston to promotion to the Championship via the Play-Offs in 2015 and also won the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in 2010 with England. He has also represented England at U18, U19 and U20 level. He joined West Brom in July 2018, signing a four-year deal.
In defence, Kieran Gibbs could be recalled back into the starting XI after being rested against Reading. The full-back scored on his last start, in their 3-2 victory over Hull on Good Friday. The 29-year old started in the Wimbledon and Arsenal youth systems before making his senior debut in October 2007 for the Gunners. Since that start, Gibbs represented Arsenal 230 times, winning five major honours; two FA Cups, two Community Shields and one League Cup. Gibbs also has 10 senior England caps to his name and joined West Brom in August 2017.
In midfield, Rekeem Harper is one youngster to watch out for. The 19-year old has represented England at under-17 and under-19 levels and spent a loan period at Blackburn Rovers. Harper came through the Baggies’ youth system and made his professional debut in August 2017 for West Brom.
Up front, Dwight Gayle is a prolific scorer at this level. The striker is currently on loan from Newcastle United and has risen through the division after being released by Arsenal as a youngster. This season, Gayle has scored 23 goals, including a hat-trick last time these teams faced off back in December 2018.