West Bromwich Albion journalist Joseph Masi has given his views on a potential appeal that the club could make surrounding Jake Livermore.
The Steve Bruce era didn’t exactly get off to the best of starts for the Baggies last night, as they were on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline that saw them drop down to 9th in the Championship table.
The game against Sheffield United took a turn for the worse for West Brom when Livermore was sent off in the closing stages of the first half for a challenge on Conor Hourihane. Ill discipline is certainly something that has plagued Livermore throughout his Albion career, as he has picked up 35 yellow cards and five reds since joining the club (as per Transfermarkt).
Masi discussed the incident on the Express and Star YouTube channel after the game, and when asked by host Jonny Drury whether or not they would appeal the decision, he hinted that the club haven’t made it clear yet what they are going to do, whilst also bearing in mind the risk that is associated with doing so if it backfires.
He said: “Bruce said they’ll look at it again and they’ll make a decision based on multiple replays. I can’t see them getting it overturned. It might be at the stage where if they did appeal, it could be a frivolous appeal and Livermore could get an extra ban.”
TIF Thoughts on Joseph Masi’s comments about Jake Livermore at West Brom…
Do you think Jake Livermore should be dropped from the team?
Yes
No
Looking at the footage, it doesn’t look great on Livermore’s part and you can understand why the club might be hesitant to look into it, especially if there is the chance that the ban could be extended on the grounds of a frivolous appeal that Masi talks about.
And when you also factor in his previous history, it’s not as if his reputation is going to do him any favours in the eyes of the authorities who are going to be looking at the footage. It might be best for West Brom to let this one go, take the suspension and just let him come back when it’s over.
Plus, when you consider that he is currently ranked second in the team for fouls per game, joint-12th in blocks per game, and completing under 70% of his passes (via WhoScored), it’s not as if he’s been pulling his weight so far this season, so a spell out of the team might just do them some good.
In other news: Promotion hopes boosted, Bruce finds Molumby upgrade: West Brom rumour emerges – opinion