1

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: January 28, 2024, 05:34:22 PM »

Just a few comments on our performance which I thought was as good as it was ever going to be.  Not a single player could be criticised as far as I'm concerned. We had 2 good early chances which a top striker would have buried. We created more than they did and Swift and BTA had chances in the second half which they could have done better with but they are not PL quality so they didn't. Wolves created hardly anything from open play and our defence coped well with a good PL in form team. What really disappointed me was the way we played into their hands by playing such a high defensive line. The way they scored their goals was entirely foreseeable, even predictable. Every football fan and his dog know Wolves are quick to break and have players with the quality and speed to punish teams who give them the chance to shine and that's what we did. Disappointed in CC for that, more so than the players.

AS for the crowd trouble, we'll get hammered but everything else that needs to be said on the subject has been said. Boozed up dregs of society.

2

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: From bottom to promotion

« on: March 07, 2023, 09:28:53 AM »

The number of players some people want to get rid of, we'll end up playing in a 5-a-side league!

3

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Your first ever Albion game

« on: February 10, 2023, 11:20:59 AM »

Boxing day 1967. Albion beat Man City 3 - 2 in the old first division. Dad took me into Woodman Corner. Just looked....there were 45000 there! All I remember is Dad going ape whenever we scored, and how green the grass was. And how far they could kick the ball!

Me and my Dad tried to get to that game but couldn't get anywhere near the ground because of the traffic. My first game was with my Dad in 1961 or 1962. I think it was a 4th round cup match against Tottenham which we lost 4-2. I remember Derek Kevan bundling their goalie (Brown?) over the line to make it, or so the crowd thought,4-3 but it was disallowed. I think the attendance was about 55,000

4

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: January 07, 2023, 04:04:40 PM »

Button is awful. Saves nothing.

No goalkeeper would look good behind our defence today. Button has been the least of our problems.

5

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: West Brom seek loan from MSD Holdings

« on: December 23, 2022, 10:07:43 AM »

Removing the Board would be disastrous for all concerned. Would such an indemnity be legal? I know at least one area where a similar indemnity would be deemed invalid and of no effect.

6

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: West Brom seek loan from MSD Holdings

« on: December 23, 2022, 09:59:44 AM »

One other point that occurs to me is that companies are run by their directors who have a duty to act in the company's best interests and those of the shareholders. I know there is 1 dominant shareholder but nonetheless if this loan isn't in the best interests of the company then the directors shouldn't do it. If that means they are all removed from office by the owner then so be it. Would he really do that?

7

General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: October 10, 2022, 09:25:16 AM »

It's difficult to come to any other conclusion than we can't afford to pay the compensation.

8

General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: September 22, 2022, 05:06:50 PM »

I see nothing in your post that says anything other than 'we should stick with Bruce out of blind faith' which links onto my earlier post where I just cannot see any logical reason for retaining him. It will be done with a hope, not expectation, that we will somehow come up with promotion form that has not been shown during his tenure to date

The problem is that your last sentence applies equally with regard to the Boards ability to appoint a manager/coach who is any more likely  than Bruce to stop the rot. 

9

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: August 08, 2022, 09:11:09 PM »

Hard to see Dike's injury as a blessing. From what little evidence we've seen he could be big threat at this level but it takes a hell'uv a shot to score from the treatment table

10

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: August 08, 2022, 09:04:29 PM »

Qverall an excellent half. Not going to blame  Button-I bet at least half the goalies playing professional football have been caught out with 1 of those and as has aleady been said, he' s probanly been told to push up behind the defence. Lots of positives to be happy with without dwelling on a supposed error by Button. Grady showing some signs of getting back to form, Wallace an excellent signing and a very well crafted and executed goal. Let's hope we can keep it up.

11

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Reminiscing - when was your favourite era?

« on: April 25, 2022, 09:31:50 AM »

In another 60 years will anybody be saying "the Bruce era, what a turn around after a poor start"?

12

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Reminiscing - when was your favourite era?

« on: April 24, 2022, 10:43:48 PM »

It is always the 60's for me.

Same here DB. My first game was the cup match against Tottenham which we lost 4-2 I think in 1961. I went to Wembley when we lost to QPR and was at the Hawthorns when we beat West Ham in the 2nd leg of the League cup. We had top class players right through the team from goalkeeper-Osborne-to centre forward-Astle. A great captain at left back-Williams-and my favourite player at No10-Hope.

The Mowbray era comes a close second because the football was so exciting, and there were good times under Giles, and Di Mateo, but the 60s were the best.

13

General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: April 03, 2022, 10:32:09 PM »

But he will still select from the same small group of mostly abject failures.

And just what group of players would you like him to select from-Liverpool's squad or Man City's. The team Bruce picked today was as good as he could pick from what he has available. Anychanges would have amounted to no more than "re-arranging the deck chairs" The SS West Bromwich Albion is going down with all hands!

14

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: February 28, 2022, 10:36:13 PM »

I don't believe any of them are happy going out in front of 000s of fans and getting booed off at half and full time. No footballer, either professional or playing for a pub team, would deliberately play as badly as we're doing at the moment just for payday.

15

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: February 28, 2022, 10:27:09 PM »

This is seriously depressing now for us fans. The players must feel 10 times worse and how they are performing must be down to that as much as any lack of ability or anything else. Opposition teams pick up on this and, as Swansea did tonight, feed off that lack of confidence and get better as the game goes on. The players' state of mind now needs more than a football coach to put them right.

16

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: February 28, 2022, 10:11:02 PM »

Get Kanu back, surely he would be better than that shower…

I hope you mean Robson-Kanu, the other one must be ancient by now, whatever his birth certificate says.

17

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: February 28, 2022, 10:06:11 PM »

and get someone younger in the hot seat.

Who on earth is going to come? The job is enormous. It requires input from every level in the club-owner, Board and players for any new coach to have the slightest chance of making a difference.

18

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Players or Manager?

« on: February 20, 2022, 01:34:29 PM »

All on the players for me.

Right, so the club having, through incompetence at management/board level, assembled a group of mediocre/past their best players, finds itself unable to compete at even the second tier of English football. The players do their best but it's just not good enough and what do they get-abuse from fans who think they are deliberately playing badly. No wonder their confidence is shot!

19

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Players or Manager?

« on: February 20, 2022, 10:03:27 AM »

The original question is too simplistic.  Is it the players' fault they're not good enough? Is it the manager's fault he can't turn them into promotion contenders overnight? Of course it's not. You can only blame the players or the manager(s) if they're not are giving their all and I don't believe that's the case. All Bruce can do is shuffle the pack of players he's got but unfortunately the pack he's got to play with has no aces,kings or queens in it, only 7s, 8s, and 9s. I can't say all the players are giving 110% but I don't see them deliberately shirking. They are very low on confidence, resulting in poor decision making and poor execution of what ought to be simple tasks. Just because they're paid shedloads of money doesn't mean they're immune to  the same mental problems we all face from time to time-unless you're very lucky.

The blame for where we are now lies with the owner and his representatives who run the club. Unless you expect the players and manager(s) to walk away from their jobs and their pay packets it's no good blaming them.

20

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: January 29, 2022, 05:00:36 PM »

The players aren't good enough.
The manager hasn't a clue what to do.
The board is incompetent at best.
The owner is only interested in quitting.

How does that lot get fixed?

21

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: If you were appointed head coach tomorrow what would you do?

« on: January 16, 2022, 10:01:44 AM »

I'd play people in the positions they're best in and not ask them to do what they clearly can't. That means ditching the dual roles many of the players have been given. The keeper's place is between the sticks not half way up the pitch in a race to the ball with the opposition cf. Centre halves' area of responsibility is the centre of the defence not patrolling the outskirts. That's the responsibilty of full-backs, not wing backs. We have 2 decent forwards now in Dike and Grant, so play them together  up front. That just leaves a 4 man midfield to select, to provide width and transition between defence and attack. Not that complicated is it?

22

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: January 15, 2022, 05:20:41 PM »

16th in the form table over the last 10 matches. VI has to try something different, assuming he knows something different, if our results are to improve.

23

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: January 15, 2022, 05:08:42 PM »

Morale must be getting to be a problem for the players now. They probably can't see where the goals are coming from and so are reliant on keeping a clean sheet to get anything out of a game. VI must surely see he has to try something different.

24

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: January 15, 2022, 04:56:50 PM »

perhaps neither the squad or the coach is good enough

25

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Not A Great Look

« on: January 10, 2022, 10:47:34 PM »

I'd be interested to know how many of the cards have come as a result of  action by a defender who's found himself the last man, exposed by the high line and in danger of being outpaced. It can only be a matter of time before the sweeper/keeper is sent off, having raced out to get to a ball into the acres behind our back 3, and committing a foul.