51

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: FA Cup 2023/24

« on: December 02, 2023, 09:52:50 PM »

Does it matter? We won't take it seriously anyway.

For the youngsters on here, when I was young the FA Cup 3rd round draw was massive as was the competition. The FA Cup was every bit as big as winning the league. You'd get your biggest attendances for FA Cup ties. Everyone with hope of winning it.

The competition has been well and truly destroyed.

Clubs dont take it seriously anymore and fans have followed suit.

52

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: December 02, 2023, 08:08:14 PM »

How if a defender is no where near this rule is flawed end of

It doesn't matter about a defender or the goalkeeper as long as the player is behind the ball when it's played.

53

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: December 02, 2023, 07:57:11 PM »

Explain to me then, by this logic a team could do that all the time against say Man City and win 3-0 when do we start questioning what is happening you can't have Offside one way but not another, no one has told me why it isn't offside who is playing him on because Palmer isn't considered the last man. So why is it not offside since on one can explain it to me I'll continue to bang about it. Offside Is offside end of I've accepted the rule but am disagreeing that it is allowed you shouldn't be allowed to pass back to get around Offside in cases like this because as I said someone could just knock it in from the Byline and score from the Penalty Spot and would that be rubbish defending to me now why because how can the defender do anything If he isn't there. So if Winks was stood level with Palmer and Dewsbury Hall passed it forward would it still count as Onside or Offside because if that is then Offside why isn't a back pass that is my point I have asked for someone to explain it no one has. Therefore I will argue that it is.

Mate, let it go. If you come from behind the ball you are onside, it's that simple.

54

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: December 02, 2023, 04:58:26 PM »

Don't think we deserved to lose but suicidal defending at end cost us.


CC didn't make the changes until it was too late. The game we chased the ball the most and needed subs at 60 mins like he does virtually every other game he doesn't bother.

Swift was garbage. Less said the better.

Furlong and Townsend did well overall which was nice to see.

Injury list growth and Okay suspension leaves us short for Sunderland

You know I'm a fan of Townsend's Gaz but I thought he was garbage today.

It's funny how people see things. I've seem a number of people praising our performance. I don't get it myself, thought we had a day to forget largely. Leicester weren't anything special either.

Ah well, it's all about opinions.

55

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: December 02, 2023, 04:49:25 PM »

I thought Leicester caught us on a good day (for them), thought we had a collective off day. We were organised enough but on the ball we were terrible, our passing was off all game.

Leicester were a bit sharper, won just about every loose ball.

A point would've been an excellent result given the way the game was. To lose the game in the way we did was criminal. I haven't seen a replay of the winning goal so I won't comment too much on it but there's no way we should be conceding a goal like that.

Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and go again!

56

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Tom Fellows

« on: November 29, 2023, 01:51:17 PM »

Thought he was magnificent last night. A throwback winger who does what it says on the tin.

Their left back just couldn't get anywhere near him, far too intelligent, far too quick.

How he does if he starts games, who knows, but off the bench late on he's a real threat, though the goals and assists don't show it yet.

57

General Football & Sports / Re: OFFICIAL PREMIER LEAGUE THREAD

« on: November 29, 2023, 01:37:51 PM »

Fulham v Wolves. 3 penalties. Not one of them a penalty for me unless the challenge is on a 5 year old.

It's long past the point of stupid now. There are people employed to create this nonsense. Keeping people in jobs is not an excuse.

It's got to the point where there needs to be a concerted campaign to get rid of VAR and those hangers on talking absolute rubbish and gaining a wage from its existence.

58

General Football & Sports / Re: OFFICIAL PREMIER LEAGUE THREAD

« on: November 28, 2023, 09:19:01 AM »

Wolves absolutely robbed last night by VAR. How on earth was it given as a penalty? If we do go up then I'm not looking forward to VAR, it's awful.

Wolves get robbed every other week. Great ay it? 

You're right though, we'd be getting stitched up as well. VAR is the worst thing brought into any sport, let alone football. It wants binning completely, once and for all. It won't be though.

59

Announcements, Feedback & Questions / Re: Site playing up

« on: November 27, 2023, 10:08:56 PM »

Seems OK now. I posted a couple of sizeable posts today and no problems so maybe it was one of them things.

60

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Action For Albion/ Potential Takeover

« on: November 27, 2023, 01:40:06 PM »

If a takeover was coming soon this extra sizeable loan wouldnt be required unfortunately. MSD dont give out "small" loans, I expect this to be a minimum of £15m at the very least. Worrying times ahead as this confirms that no pre Jan sale will happen, not that it was going to anyway.

This is not strictly true. Takeovers aren't easy or quick. It's a bit like buying a mortgage, solicitors take their time and red tape takes seemingly forever.

If they have any sense (debatable I know) Albion would be planning ahead in the worst case scenario and covering bases in case the takeover doesn't happen or is delayed.

I don't see a negative here, I see common sense for once.

61

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Action For Albion/ Potential Takeover

« on: November 27, 2023, 01:25:12 PM »

We'll be sold on the cheap (relatively). Most probably the (potential) new owners will take on the loan debts so if we're sold for £30 mil (example figure) it'll actually be more like £60 mil to account for the debts.

Any potential new owners will be fully in the loop with this new loan and that's probably why the purchase price will be cheaper than we'd normally expect it to be.

62

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: A sold out Hawthorns.

« on: November 27, 2023, 01:12:29 PM »

There are more than 50,000 people on our database and 5 million people within an hour and a half or so of the Hawthorns. We have the fanbase and the catchment area (contrary to some opinions) but most of them don't attend games.

Our season ticket sales barely change season upon season, literally a difference of hundreds. This is our core support which is pretty good given forty plus years of pretty much no investment and no real ambition, all small time talk and no positive, vibrant vision of the future.

Even when we were in the PL we were talked down. Advertising works subconsciously, that's why businesses do it. No-one has advertised West Bromwich Albion in forty years.

We're perfectly capable of thirty thousand plus crowds, maybe even forty thousands but it's not going to happen with decades of "small time" seeping into people's subconscious.

We were in the PL and Jeremy Peace had the option of rebuilding the Halfords or refurbing it therefore reducing the capacity. He chose the second option. That just sums up the last forty years.

In the short term, if we continue as we are at the moment a thousand or so more will return and we'll be getting near to or sell outs as the season progresses.

63

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: A sold out Hawthorns.

« on: November 27, 2023, 08:30:18 AM »

Lack of ambition from the club. That's the reason. Argue all you want about the economy, kick off times, TV games, fans moving away etc. but that's the same for every club in the country. As Balis mentioned above, we're the only club of our size or bigger who have never had owners with genuine ambition or even just someone willing to invest money into the club. That means there's no real hope of things getting better than they currently are, and the one thing that keeps football fans coming back is hope.

It goes in cycles. Clubs grow attendances when they show ambition to get better, if they do well then they sustain them for a period until they plateau and drop off when they go through a bad period.

Wrexham were averaging 3-5k for a decade. In the seasons since their takeover they've averaged 8k, 9k and 10k. Wolves before Fosun were hovering around 20-22k, now they average 31k. Leicester have almost identical figures to Wolves before and after their takeover. Brentford's and Brighton's attendances have almost quadrupled since 2010.

We've been stagnant because we have zero ambition to do anything more than plod along as we have been since Megson days. And both Peace and Lai have openly made this clear to the fans. So a couple of wins and some nice football under CC isn't going to make any noticeable difference, just like it didn't under Bilic. But I have no doubt that a year or two under ambitious new owners we'd start selling out and even start to make a case for expansion to 30k+, whether we ever get those owners is another thing.

Absolutely nailed it there mate. 100%.

Small issues like traffic, parking, times and such like will make a small difference to attendances but not significantly.

Your post is absolutely word perfect.

64

Announcements, Feedback & Questions / Re: Site playing up

« on: November 26, 2023, 08:55:47 PM »

Could you describe in more detail what happens? Does the site log you out? Does it return you to the home page?

It returns me to the home page. It seems OK for short posts but when I babble on its like it's had enough of me and cuts me off.

There are those that will be grateful for that no doubt. 

65

Announcements, Feedback & Questions / Site playing up

« on: November 26, 2023, 05:10:11 AM »

Twice I've written posts in the after match debate and twice the site has chucked me out before I could post them.

Sort it out Admin please.

66

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: November 26, 2023, 04:16:54 AM »

apart from the end where it says “realise it is irony”… funny that that went over YOUR head 

Ha ha. Yeah must've. Sure that line wasn't present at the time. 

67

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: November 26, 2023, 12:43:53 AM »

Are you aware of the mess we are in we are not languishing in the Play Offs we're in them. Are you one of the moaners on Instagram and YouTube demanding Carlos out.
Realise it is Irony

Oh dear! It's gone right over your head hasn't it? 

68

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: November 14, 2023, 10:07:51 AM »

Maybe, if he's that close he could have got back. Certainly if we were happy to shut up shop and just take the draw. Its more a general point I'm making, that if we are going for the win, the forwards can't be very effective if they drop too deep. I imagine Phillips hasn't got the energy to burn getting up and down the pitch every time (maybe a case for a substitution).

The goal isn't Phillip's fault. As someone said earlier he has to be an outball here.

Its mainly Kipre at fault and Furlong shouldve made a much better attempt at stopping the cross. He dangles a lazy leg. That's not good enough.

Now, once the cross comes in your defenders have to think quickly. Kipre, rather like a goalkeeper  coming to claim a corner, has to get it or he's wrong to make the choice to do so. It doesn't matter who you are, if a ball is too high for you you're not going to get it. Kipre makes the judgement call to go and head that ball. Instead he shouldve stood his ground and blocked the strikers run or made a back for him, in other words make life difficult for the striker.

Townsend does the right thing, contrary to popular opinion. He makes the judgement call that Kipre isn't going to reach the ball so he leaves Armstrong to clear it  which he would've done had Kipre not gone for the header. The only reason Townsend can be at fault is if he doesn't give Kipre a call. If he doesn't then he (Townsend) takes a share of the blame. If he calls and Kipre ignores him, Kipre is at fault. As a defender you.listen to the call. Good defences are formed on understanding and communication, you don't just mark man for man. If you try that at this level forwards movement will have defenders tripping over each other, that's why positioning is such a big thing in the game.

I know I've rambled on a bit here but poor Phillips can't get the blame for this goal. The one against Hull which was similar, yes, because he can't leave his defender with two men, but not this time, the blame lies elsewhere.

69

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Tom Fellows

« on: November 14, 2023, 02:38:31 AM »

It was Southampton and Leicester after him yesterday.

All this is likely to be agent led. It's most likely their way of giving Albion a nudge regarding his contract.

70

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: November 13, 2023, 09:50:14 AM »

Townsend's man all day every day. Phillips has to be available as an outlet in that situation unless it's backs to the wall Pulis ball. That said the ball really should have been blocked at source. Very poor goal to concede.

It's a poor header from Kipre as well. He gets his head to the ball but glances it straight to Armstrong. He needs to get a better head on it than that.

71

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: November 12, 2023, 10:18:37 AM »

What formation did we play guys?

442 with Wallace supporting BTA.

72

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: November 12, 2023, 05:57:02 AM »

I thought we were fortunate to get three points at Coventry. That was a game where we got the breaks, yesterday was the opposite, to the eye at least.

Saints started well but after about half an hour we started to control it and despite them looking dangerous on the break we probably had the better opportunities in the final third without really making the best of them. We started the second half well and once Mowatt came on we had Southampton all over the place they were slashing at clearances and rocking. We deserved the equaliser and their winner came completely against the run of play.

There are a number of errors for the goal. Furlong has to do better stopping the cross, Townsend gets sucked in and Kipre doesn't get enough on his header and puts it on a plate for Armstrong.

It was a cruel blow that we didn't deserve.

However, a couple of issues stand out to me. We are two games into a change to a back two central defenders and once again we are back to conceding two goals, having also conceded against Hull having previously looking solid in a back three. Is this a co-incidence? Whilst we looked good to the eye on the ball questions have to be asked. Even the first goal Southampton managed two free shots from the middle of the penalty area. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Carlos goes back to a three man central defence next game.

Carlos has to ask himself why he started with Chalobah.  I'm a bit concerned by his apparent rise up the pecking order. Molumby isn't getting used enough and leaving Mowatt out yesterday was extremely questionable.

Pipa has to be close to another start. Furlong was poor yesterday. He has no finesse at all, can't play any ball with delicacy, everything is overhit and 100mph.

Grady had another game of two halves. Better second but a liability first half. There can't be many players in the league that lose the ball as often as he does.

Southampton displayed that extra bit of quality at both ends yesterday. Adam Armstrong is prolific at this level and Harwood-Bellis at the back was outstanding. I'd make an argument for him being the best centre half in the Championship. His positioning, reading of the game and know how is fantastic for a 21 year old.

73

General Football & Sports / Re: Top 6 EFL squads 2023-24

« on: November 08, 2023, 10:44:44 AM »

Pieters is spent. His performance levels are way down on last season's. Not his fault. He's getting on. All part of getting older.

CC wasn't playing Bartley at the time. Can you remind me of the date I posted that comment roughly?

What's your top 6 and where you would place us outside of it?

Bit harsh on Pieters mate. Don't forget his wife is suffering from Cancer. None of us have any idea what affect that is having on him / his homelife etc.

As for this debate its all subjective, there are no right or wrong answers nor any real way of measuring squad strengths so I'm not really going to get involved in the discussion everyone will be pleased to know 

74

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Carlos Corberan

« on: November 06, 2023, 01:11:43 PM »

I am confident you are in a minority of one on this.

Couldn't care less about that mate. The majority gave Leicester no chance of winning the league a few years ago or Buster Douglas of beating Mike Tyson or Wimbledon beating Liverpool in the FA Cup final in the eighties.

75

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Carlos Corberan

« on: November 06, 2023, 01:02:50 PM »

Not sure why you have this ongoing downer on our manager

Well that's not true for a start. I just have a realistic way of looking at things and I don't get carried away like a lot of fans.

There are increasing rumours of an impending takeover. If these rumours are true I just hope the new owner(s) don't want their own man because I can only imagine the hysteria among our fanbase if they relieve Carlos of his duties.