Jonny Evans is revered by Sir Alex Ferguson, courted by Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger and is a top pro, so why did West Brom defender end up riding in that stolen taxi?
* West Brom's Jonny Evans was in a cohort of four who stole a taxi in Barcelona
* He, Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill, broke curfew on Thursday
* Alan Pardew's side took a training trip to Spain a few days before FA Cup match
* The Baggies were beaten 2-1 by Southampton at home on Saturday afternoon
* West Brom are at the bottom of the Premier League, seven points adrift of safety
Amid the fall-out from that night in Barcelona, perhaps the most intriguing questions centre on the involvement of Jonny Evans.
Here was the West Bromwich Albion captain in a cohort of four stealing a taxi in the city little over 48 hours before a match.
Schooled by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Evans has previously been known for his professionalism, but the mask slipped in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The incident came little more than two weeks after Evans failed to secure a move away from the Hawthorns, with the club seemingly sleep-walking into the Championship. He’s available for £3million should they end up relegated.
Manchester City were more serious in discussing a move for Evans than Arsenal, whose interest was fairly subdued as they acquired other targets. City ended up buying Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao, leaving Evans staring at a battle for survival as the promise of something altogether more satisfying never materialised.
Maybe one or more of those factors crept into his subconscious when, along with Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill, they chose to break manager Alan Pardew’s training trip curfew.
West Brom defender Jonny Evans was one of four who stole a taxi in Barcelona last week
Pardew decided to strip Evans of the captain’s armband for the visit of Southampton, and the manager will decide this week whether to make that permanent. Thankfully for Pardew, Evans was strong in this game, and his manager was happy with his contribution in unfamiliar surroundings at left back. One recovery challenge as the visitors broke at pace was exemplary and kept the deficit before half-time to one goal.
Questions still need answering following the escapades in Spain and Pardew’s job remains under severe threat after another defeat. The manager said he will be at the training ground ‘bright and early’ on Monday morning.
Albion’s performance after half-time was encouraging, with the crowd vociferous all afternoon. Yet the wisdom of taking the trip in the days before an FA Cup fifth-round tie will surely be swirling around Pardew’s head. He admitted to not knowing the players ‘socially’ and it backfired spectacularly.
That the jaunt, which sources say was largely relaxation, was planned before the Liverpool tie last month points to the mindset at West Brom right now. They didn’t go to Anfield expecting to win.
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