[alex1]

I don't know why but for some reason I had you down as being quite young until I read this post 

Ah..Must be all the political stuff, but you know what they say, with age comes wisdom 

Actually, I can barely remember the Hope, Astle, Brown team from the 1960's, when I was more a fan of my local club Wycombe Wanderers, but their football did leave a lasting impression. The first Albion team I watched regular was much later around the time of Talbot, Goodman and McNally. I think I kidded myself that Bernard McNally was the next Bobby Hope. But I've always looked out for that type of player.

I thought the low point was watching Bobby Gould football and then Pulis came along and hit a new and probably all time low. I will always be in denial that they represent the Albion way.   

[SmethDan]

.....you know what they say.......

Big feet means big socks.

[Atomic]

I think the "West Brom way," is a myth.

Unless you mean building up everyone's hopes then crushing them to smithereens when it really matters.

That really is the West Brom way.

Semper te fallant.

[miggybaggy]

I think it all depends on your age. I feel fortunate to have spent my years between aged 10 & 20 watching a combination of the great albion sides under Giles & Atkinson, along with the unbelievable skills of Brazil, Holland, and individual genius's including George Best, Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles....right up to the likes of Glen Hoddle and Mat Le-tissier. For me, football is as much to do with speed and movement off the ball, and having the quality of midfielders who can read a game and find runners with pace and accuracy (such as Giles and Robson picking out Willie Johnston on the move with sublime perfection).

It seems to me we never thread balls through to fast moving forwards any more (hoofing it doesn't count), and we hardly ever see wide men taking the ball round the back of defenders on to the bye line....defenders hate that because they're facing the wrong way. Most of our players these days receive the ball standing still and they end up playing it sideways or backwards! Anyway, rant over...for me the best way is speed of movement off the ball combined with speed of thought on the ball. COYB!

[Oldbury24]

Any fan like myself who started watching mid to late eighties Albion would struggle to understand the idea of "The West Brom way" unless it just meant being a bit ****   However, i had a few older baggies in the family and loved to read the History books.  Seemed to me that we were a team with a good pedigree, who had had won the big trophies back in the past, but were still respected by football fans across the country for playing attacking football and having a couple of really special players adored by each generation.

I have personally always been happier, and carried a sense of pride, when regardless of ability or division we have had managers committed to playing attacking football as it seemed to be the right way to play.  SGM did things a little differently for his promotion winning teams, they still attacked but once we scored we could game manage 1-0's with our eyes closed and i also took great delight in that.   

For me the Albion way is now more about knowing who we are and how the club should be run, rather than the style of football we play.  We can't compete financially for the best players (and JP may have been right after all) but have been competitive a PL level by a finding a mixture of players with something to prove who need a chance and those with potential not yet spotted, who see coming to the Albion as a step up and who seem to wear the shirt with pride. 

The players i'm thinking of that embody those values weren't necessarily the best footballers but were part of teams that we could be proud of despite results. In a team that may not be the most technically talented you need battlers and leaders across the pitch and players from across the intervening years like  Mcinnes, Gilchrist, Butler, Clem, Moore, Taylor, AJ, Thomas, Greening, PO, Sharner, Jonas, Mulumbu, Jacob, Gmac, Reid, Campbell, Brunt, Mozza are names that spring straight to mind. 

So i guess for me the Albion way is having a team you can feel proud of and players you can connect with regardless of the way they play.  Although if the team play in an attacking way, and have a sprinkling of skillful players, then all the better.

[skyclad99]

I think it all depends on your age. I feel fortunate to have spent my years between aged 10 & 20 watching a combination of the great albion sides under Giles & Atkinson, along with the unbelievable skills of Brazil, Holland, and individual genius's including George Best, Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles....right up to the likes of Glen Hoddle and Mat Le-tissier. For me, football is as much to do with speed and movement off the ball, and having the quality of midfielders who can read a game and find runners with pace and accuracy (such as Giles and Robson picking out Willie Johnston on the move with sublime perfection).

It seems to me we never thread balls through to fast moving forwards any more (hoofing it doesn't count), and we hardly ever see wide men taking the ball round the back of defenders on to the bye line....defenders hate that because they're facing the wrong way. Most of our players these days receive the ball standing still and they end up playing it sideways or backwards! Anyway, rant over...for me the best way is speed of movement off the ball combined with speed of thought on the ball. COYB!

Last time I saw that was with Mr Sneekes, never been off my seat so much since.

https://youtu.be/QZtIxOGFrrs

I could watch him all day, the way it should be done.

I fully agree with your second paragraph. 

[WorcsWBA]

Last time I saw that was with Mr Sneekes, never been off my seat so much since.

https://youtu.be/QZtIxOGFrrs

I could watch him all day, the way it should be done.

Thank you for posting that link - a central midfielder who made runs like a striker and had one of the best long-range shots in the game. A genius and an Albion legend.

Currently assistant manager at Redditch Utd of course - just a tad less celubrious!

[NJS]

Like Standaman and others, I don't believe clubs have permanent styles or Ways of behaviour.  For example, it was always said that West Ham developed their own players who went on to play for England but, Rice apart,  that's scarcely the case now.

 It's nice to win but, like WorcsWBA,but I also care a lot about the way we win.  For example, I would n't go home exhilarated if we had won by a goal punched into the net or if we had played dirty and caused two of the opposition's best players to be stretchered off.  To tell the truth I wouldn't be filled with pride if we were suddenly acquired by a multi-millionaire who purchased our way into the top division.   

Method football the Pulis way gets results for a season or two but it's easily sussed and countered because it's soooh predictable. 

I would rather we played attractive, progressive and adaptable football and, better still, if three or four of our team had been home-grown - even if this means spending some seasons in football's second tier. 

[costa blanca baggie]

Like Standaman and others, I don't believe clubs have permanent styles or Ways of behaviour.  For example, it was always said that West Ham developed their own players who went on to play for England but, Rice apart,  that's scarcely the case now.

 It's nice to win but, like WorcsWBA,but I also care a lot about the way we win.  For example, I would n't go home exhilarated if we had won by a goal punched into the net or if we had played dirty and caused two of the opposition's best players to be stretchered off.  To tell the truth I wouldn't be filled with pride if we were suddenly acquired by a multi-millionaire who purchased our way into the top division.   

Method football the Pulis way gets results for a season or two but it's easily sussed and countered because it's soooh predictable. 

I would rather we played attractive, progressive and adaptable football and, better still, if three or four of our team had been home-grown - even if this means spending some seasons in football's second tier.

I was over the moon when one of our players punched the ball into the net not so long ago. 😁