Thursday 31st December: Albion agree loan deal for Tamas
Wednesday 30th December: "illness" doubts for Huddersfield in t'cup
Wednesday 30th December: Wood signs new contract
Monday 28th December: Scunthorpe 1 Albion 3
Saturday 26th December: Albion 2 Peterborough 0
Wednesday 23rd December: RDM confirms Tamas as a possible target
Saturday 19th December: Blackpool game called off
Monday 14th December: Albion 2 QPR 2
Tuesday 8th December: Albion 0 Cardiff 2
Monday 7th December: Thomas and Moore out for Cardiff
Saturday 5th December: Derby 2 Albion 2
Wednesday 2nd December: Robert Koren has had a hernia operation
Tuesday 1st December: Youth team beat Swansea in the FA Youth Cup
Thursday 31st DecemberAlbion have agreed a deal with French top-flight club Auxerre to take central defender Gabriel Tamas on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent move. The deal will depend on international clearance and a work permit, and he won't be available for the FA Cup game at Huddersfield; but it should be done and dusted in time for him to play against Forest on Friday week.
RDM has also confirmed that he's interested in Crystal Palace winger Victor Moses. With reported interest also from several Premiership clubs, including Tottenham, it looks like a long shot. On the face of it, one thing in our favour may be that he's more likely to get first team football with us. Moses can play in various positions, but for Palace he mostly plays on the left wing - so he's going to be in competition with Jerome Thomas and/or Chris Brunt. So how much first team football is he actually going to get ... if he does come to us?
Wednesday 30th DecemberAlbion's squad has been struck by illness in the build-up to Saturday's Cup game at Huddersfield. Jonas Olsson, Marek Cech and Graham Dorrans are all said to be doubtful.
On the other hand, Scott Carson and Joe Mattock are both available after serving their respective suspensions, and Robert Koren may be available after recovering from his hernia operation. So it looks like Mattock back instead of Cech, Martis in for Olsson, and Koren or Mulumbu for Dorrans. That's unless Robby decides to rest anyone else. And until the team is announced, only Robby will know if Deano will keep his place.
Given the vagueness of the announcement, a cynic might wonder whether the named trio are actually ill, or if this is just a smokescreen for squad rotation. Although if anyone looked like he needed a rest at the moment, I'd say it was Gonzo Jara.
Wednesday 30th December18-year-old Kiwi striker Chris Wood has been awarded a new three-and-a-half-year deal with Albion, in recognition of the progress that he's made since signing his first professional deal in May this year. It ties him to us for an extra two years, or three if you include the additional year in the club's favour (the deal he signed in May was for only two years) - and no doubt there's a pay rise in it for him as well.
Monday 28th DecemberBefore a disgruntled home crowd at Glanford Park, Albion come away with a comfortable if eventful victory over struggling Scunthorpe United who ended up with nine men. Graham Dorrans opens the scoring for Albion in the first half; Scunthorpe equalise 45 minutes after the break; Dorrans scores one penalty and has another saved by former Albion keeper Joe Murphy; Gianni Zuiverloon wraps it up four minutes from time; Scunthorpe have two men sent off in the second half (one for a second bookable offence - a trip on Jerome Thomas - and one for swearing at the ref for awarding the second penalty); and Luke Moore has two goals disallowed.
Newcastle drew again, but Forest won - so we're now only six points behind the former but still two points ahead of the latter, with a game in hand on both. And with these two providing the opposition in our next two League games, we have interesting times ahead.
Click here for our match report.
Saturday 26th DecemberTwo goals in the middle of the second half - one from Luke Moore and an own goal from Peterborough defender Ryan Bennett - give Albion the points against struggling Peterborough United. In a disappointing first half, Albion fail to break down stubborn Peterborough resistance; but raise their game following a stern half-time talk from RDM and end up with a fairly comfortable win.
Newcastle and Forest both drew - so Albion are now eight points behind the former and two ahead of the latter, with a game in hand on both following the postponement of our game against Blackpool last week.
Click here for our match report.
Wednesday 23rd DecemberRoberto Di Matteo has confirmed that he is "looking at" Romanian central defender Gabriel Tamas.
Albion have only five recognised central defenders in the squad, of whom Neil Clement is out with a long-term injury, Gonzalo Jara is playing in midfield and Abdoulaye Meite is off to the African Nations' Cup in January; this will leave only Jonas Olsson and Shelton Martis available.
Tamas has spent the last two years on loan at Dinamo Bucharest, on loan from the French top-flight club Auxerre. He has won 44 caps for Romania, scoring three goals.
Saturday 19th DecemberAlbion's game at Blackpool has been postponed due to a frozen pitch. There was an inspection at 10:00, and the announcement was made at approximately 10:25 - just in time for the Manchester Baggies who would have been leaving home at around this time.
Other results don't exactly go our way, with Cardiff, Nottm Forest and Newcastle (on Sunday) all winning.
In another disappointing home game, a very late equaliser from Simon Cox rescues a point as Albion come from two goals behind against Queens Park Rangers.
Jerome Thomas, Luke Moore and Joe Mattock return from injury; and Dean Kiely makes his first League appearance of the season as Scott Carson starts a three-match ban.
Albion had a one-off shirt sponsor - BlueSq.com - for this match, which was televised live on Sky Sports.
Click here for our match report.
Tuesday 8th DecemberAlbion lose at home for the third time this season, to a very impressive Cardiff City side. To make matters worse, Scott Carson is sent off for a violent reaction to provocation from Michael Chopra.
Match report to follow ...
Monday
7th DecemberJerome Thomas and Luke Moore will both miss the Cardiff game through injury, and both may also miss the QPR game four days later.
Thomas missed the Derby game after straining a hamstring during training on Friday, and Moore was substituted midway through the second half at Pride Park after picking up a thigh injury.
Meanwhile, Jay Bothroyd is suspended for Cardiff, having picked up his fifth booking of the season against Preston on Saturday - and both Joe Ledley and Michael Chopra are said to be doubtful. But players have of course been known to make miraculous recoveries on the day of a match.
Saturday
5th DecemberIn a bad-tempered game at Derby, Albion come from behind to take the lead in the second minute of injury time, only for Derby to equalise virtually from the kick-off.
Click here for our match report.
Wednesday
2nd DecemberRobert Koren has had a hernia operation and is expected to be out for three or four weeks - meaning he'll miss the Christmas programme
Tuesday
1st DecemberAlbion's Youth team beat Swansea City 3-0 in the third round of the FA Youth Cup. Kayelden Brown and Saido Berahino (2) got the goals.
Click here for the official report on the Albion website
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