ALEX Neil said West Bromwich Albion look like a “different beast” to the side Millwall comfortably beat 3-0 earlier in the season, and insisted the Lions will have to “produce a very strong performance” to get a result at the Hawthorns on Friday evening.
The Baggies have been revived under interim manager James Morrison, going unbeaten in their past six after sitting in the bottom three as recently as last month. It follows a very poor season that has seen Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay, who was winless in the nine games he oversaw, lose their jobs.
West Brom are now four points clear of the drop zone with five games left in the season, and are a very different prospect to the Mason-led team that were bowled over at The Den last October.
“They look like a different beast from the team I saw in the first half this season,” Neil told NewsAtDen. “They look as if they’ve got a bit of confidence about them. They’ve got a way of playing now, which the players look as if they’ve bought into.
“Certainly at home, the games that I’ve watched, I’ve seen them absolutely steamroll Hull 3-0. They’ve been very good. I’ve watched them against Southampton, 1-1, very little in the game. I watched them at Sheffield United, 1-1.
“I’ve seen quite a lot of their games and I’ve been impressed with what they’ve done. It’s going to be a real tough game, and we’re certainly going to have to produce a very strong performance to win the game.”
Neil also assessed the job Morrison has done.
“Yeah, good,” Neil said. “I don’t think it’s easy circumstances, it’s tough when you’re coming in.
“But what he does have, James, is a good understanding of what the club is, what the squad looks like. He’s been there for a number of years, so it allows him to hit the ground running.
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“Certainly at this stage of the season, when you take over that type of role, the players are aware of what’s at stake. You don’t need to remind them. You can see that the players have certainly found new levels in the last couple of months, in terms of producing results and being effective in games. So they’re in good form at the moment. They’re unbeaten in their last five, maybe even beyond that. We’re going to have to play well.”
