Uwe Rosler answered his new boss Joe Royle's call to shoot Manchester City
out of the relegation zone.
The Blues manager is adamant his German striker is the answer to City's
threatened flirtation with Second Division football.
And Rosler's seventh goal of the season removed the Blues from their worst
ever position, the three points pushing the Maine Road outfit out of the bottom
three after Rosler's coolly taken 43rd minute winner settled the issue.
But just as important was the performance of on-loan forward Peter Beardsley.
This is the Blues' second game in a row without the talismanic Georgi
Kinkladze and Royle was getting another view how his side might fair without the
Georgian international's undoubted talents as the rumour mill links him with a
move to either Liverpool or Everton.
And on the evidence of Beardsley's polished performance, Royle could be
tempted to let Kinkladze leave to fund his City rebuilding operation.
In Royle's 11-day reign on the City rollercoaster he's already experienced the
infuriating highs and more predominantly lows of life at Maine Road but this was
another morale boosting victory coming on top of the win at Swindon which was
followed by a 3-0 thumping at Reading.
Bradbury, now fully recovered from his mid-season back complaint, proved his
agility seconds after the interval when he dived headlong in between two
defenders to reach a Briscoe cross.
But the £3.5million Blues record buy couldn't get enough power on his effort
and Miller was able to collect comfortably.
Albion were limited in attack and Peter Butler wasted a rare foray into the
Blues' half when he smashed wide after exchanging passes with Bob Taylor.
Caldicott bore down on goal after collecting Quinn's through ball but Wiekens
and Jeff Whitley raced back and shepherded him to safety before Whitley stole
the ball.
Brown's darting run handed Bradbury a half chance but he was well policed by
Matt Carbon who stuck out a long leg to deflect the shot wide.
City went in search of a second and looked to have got it when Rosler and
Beardsley combined but Carbon was on hand again to deny the veteran Beardsley on
the line.
Rosler had a chance to make the game safe when he raced half the length of the
field but as he shaped a shoot Carbon got back to spoil his effort which he
crashed over the bar.
And Rosler failed again eight minutes from time after the move of the match.
Brown's run fed Jeff Whitley who presented Rosler with a free eight-yard header
which he hit straight at Miller who saved with his legs.
Teams
Man City: Wright, Jeff Whitley, Briscoe, Wiekens, Symons,
Tskhadadze, Jim Whitley (Beesley 55), Brown, Bradbury, Beardsley,
Rosler.
Subs Not Used: Russell, Dickov.
Booked: Tskhadadze, Brown.
Goals: Rosler 43.
West Brom: Miller, Holmes, Potter, Quinn (Quailey 77), Burgess,
Carbon, Butler, Coldicott (Gilbert 86), Taylor,
Hamilton (Flynn 86), Kilbane.
Booked: Burgess, Butler.
Att: 28,460
Ref: A N Butler (Sutton-in-Ashfield).
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