West Brom’s £3m Cardiff City signing had big Hawthorns impact – Bryan Robson saga turned things sour in the end
While his time at The Hawthorns was short, West Brom certainly witnessed the quality Robert Earnshaw possessed when leading the line.
The Welshman moved to the Black Country in the summer of 2004 for a reported £3 million from Cardiff City, a club-record fee at the time.
The now-44-year-old would go on to play a significant role in one of West Brom’s greatest-ever achievements, and despite his spell at the Baggies ending on a sour note, he still managed to have a big impact and will always be remembered fondly by the Albion faithful.
Robert Earnshaw’s immediate impact at West Brom
Robert Earnshaw arrived at The Hawthorns off the back of multiple emphatic goalscoring seasons in South Wales, including a 31-goal campaign in the 2002/03 season, before netting 21 times in Division One of the Football League in 2003/04.
The frontman managed to transition his goalscoring regularity in the blue and white stripes when Bryan Robson replaced Gary Megson as manager, with Earnshaw notably netting five times in four league games against Southampton, Middlesbrough, Arsenal and Portsmouth.
Albion’s revival saw Earnshaw at the heart of it, and despite being rotated between the starting XI and appearances off the substitutes’ bench, the striker would continue to deliver.
Coming into the final few months of the season, the Baggies would stage a sensational 4-1 victory away at Charlton Athletic, and even though he received just 26 minutes off the bench, Earnshaw netted a hat-trick, becoming the first West Brom player to achieve that feat in the Premier League.
Earnshaw was clearly unhappy to being used off the bench, saying to Bryan Robson at the time: “Start with me, and I’ll give you the happy ending.”
Taking his tally into double figures for the campaign, Earnshaw would score once more to earn a point away at Manchester United, which proved to be crucial as Albion secured the ‘Great Escape’ the following week with a 2-0 triumph over Portsmouth.
Earnshaw’s goals were vitally important to the Baggies staging the unlikeliest of comebacks after being bottom of the league at Christmas, and the marksman was expected to be a leading presence in the Baggies frontline for years to come.
Robert Earnshaw, Bryan Robson relationship unravelled at West Brom
Despite the successes of Robert Earnshaw in a West Brom shirt, his strained relationship with Bryan Robson was ultimately the reason for such a short stay.
As per Sky Sports, Robson was critical of other aspects of Earnshaw’s game, saying: “Rob knows that when he gets his chance, he needs to be scoring goals for us.
“His ratio per game is very good, but in the Premiership, you have to have a bit more than that. Just scoring goals isn’t enough.
“You need a bit more in terms of work-rate”.
For the first half of the following term, Earnshaw would only earn four starts for the club and was consistently brought off the bench for brief cameos.
The Welshman was undoubtedly frustrated by such a lack of gametime, and with the goals drying up, Earnshaw submitted a transfer request, something Robson originally rejected.
But after standing by his decision to want to leave the club, the Baggies boss had no option but to give in, and Earnshaw completed a move to Norwich City for £3.5 million in the January window of 2006.
Reflecting on his time at Albion, Earnshaw hit back at Robson, saying: “Being treated the way I was at West Brom still baffles me.
“I know I have got a lot to offer the game and I thought that last season – my first in the Premiership – I did okay, but could have done better.
“It’s crazy that I wasn’t picked more often this season. What more could I do? But I’m not going to dwell on what became a nightmare for me, and it’s true the manager and I didn’t exactly see eye to eye.”
Robert Earnshaw could have been a West Brom hero without Bryan Robson
Despite not being the most physical presence, Robert Earnshaw was a sharp and explosive figure in the box, able to roll away from opposition defenders with ease and bury devastating finishes when presented with the opportunities.
Earnshaw has built his career on scoring goals so regularly, and it was no different with Albion in his opening season, an even bigger accomplishment considering he wasn’t favoured for a starting spot every week.
