[Tony]

A table showing the all-time points for the top division of English football has been put together and has us in 11th position. As a younger fan I'm quite surprised (and proud) to see us as high as 11th place. I guess the history and reputation of our great club can often be forgotten as we're told we're a "mid-table Championship club" that doesn't get much notice from the football world, but this reminds me of where we should be aiming for.

[gazberg]

Yep despite spending roughly 20 of the last 30 years in the pooh we are still historically a top flight club and comfortably so. The negative and small time mentality from consecutive owners and boards is boggling.

[Atomic]

Yep despite spending roughly 20 of the last 30 years in the rubbish we are still historically a top flight club and comfortably so. The negative and small time mentality from consecutive owners and boards is boggling.

Not to mention excruciatingly bloody annoying.

[darbolina]

Interesting isn't it. As a club we've generally punched above our weight throughout history. It's more difficult to do these days with the money situation but there's no reason why we can't get back to the mid-table of the premier league again soon-ish with better management from the top. Also, I'd argue with more strategic vision and energy applied in knowledge that we are worthy of being there (we're not a mid table championship club historically or recently - yet)!

Still, Wolves only have to get another 600 points or so to overtake us too so there's a bit of consolation ........he he.

[ex coseley kid]

Thanks for this table, it's cheered me up.

I've heard stats like this before but it's always god to be reminded that, historically, we are up there.

Just need a suits team to get us back where we belong.

[stuvetti]

We do have a proud history, but we have to deal with reality. As Jeremy Peace once said we are a mid table Championship side in terms of resources. It's like saying the UK is still a super power because it was 100 years ago.

We are barely in the top 10 for crowds in this year's Championship and from a relatively poor regional population, which means fan revenue is low too (season ticket prices, commercial etc).

The fact is we over achieved during the Peace years and any talk of "lacking ambition", "open the purse strings", or "speculate to accumulate" is people wanting other people to risk their money. And we can see what happens with living above your means (Bolton/Portsmouth etc).

Personally I think we should take pride from being run properly on a commercial basis and Jenkins should be supported on getting us back on a even keel. The previous Directors were only in charge for 18 months and it's clear how quickly they c##ked it up. Spent a load of money and still got relegated. Jenkins has to bear in mind that if we do not get promoted this year or next year, there will be a huge hole in our income and any sensible management has to plan for that now.

[Atomic]

We do have a proud history, but we have to deal with reality. As Jeremy Peace once said we are a mid table Championship side in terms of resources. It's like saying the UK is still a super power because it was 100 years ago.

We are barely in the top 10 for crowds in this year's Championship and from a relatively poor regional population, which means fan revenue is low too (season ticket prices, commercial etc).

The fact is we over achieved during the Peace years and any talk of "lacking ambition", "open the purse strings", or "speculate to accumulate" is people wanting other people to risk their money. And we can see what happens with living above your means (Bolton/Portsmouth etc).

Personally I think we should take pride from being run properly on a commercial basis and Jenkins should be supported on getting us back on a even keel. The previous Directors were only in charge for 18 months and it's clear how quickly they c##ked it up. Spent a load of money and still got relegated. Jenkins has to bear in mind that if we do not get promoted this year or next year, there will be a huge hole in our income and any sensible management has to plan for that now.

This type of post from our own fans is just as annoying as people like Jeremy Peace. I can't even be bothered to argue with it because I'll just end up getting wound up.

Just one thing I will say is our fan base is low BECAUSE of the lack of ambition. If someone took over the club with real ambition and created a real feel good where fans really believed (like Wolves fans now) the gates would soon shoot up.

That's me done!

[BoingFlyer]

I don't think anyone disputes our proud and successful history. One mans negative owner is another one's pragmatic owner who has not bankrupted the club.

We would all love to see a sugar daddy come in and see us as a vanity project and buy our way up the league. Until then I'm content watching local lads come though the academy chasing a dream while not bankrupting us.

[Wigmore]

This type of post from our own fans is just as annoying as people like Jeremy Peace. I can't even be bothered to argue with it because I'll just end up getting wound up.

Just one thing I will say is our fan base is low BECAUSE of the lack of ambition. If someone took over the club with real ambition and created a real feel good where fans really believed (like Wolves fans now) the gates would soon shoot up.

That's me done!

You may get wound up, because stuvetti's post is realistic, and your view is not.
Traditionally we have never matched other teams in terms of attendance.
Feel good factor? Surely that applied at the start of the 68/69 season as we were proud FA Cup holders.
First game of the season - WBAFC v Sheffield Wednesday.  Gate....25,031

[darbolina]

We do have a proud history, but we have to deal with reality. As Jeremy Peace once said we are a mid table Championship side in terms of resources. It's like saying the UK is still a super power because it was 100 years ago.

We are barely in the top 10 for crowds in this year's Championship and from a relatively poor regional population, which means fan revenue is low too (season ticket prices, commercial etc).

The fact is we over achieved during the Peace years and any talk of "lacking ambition", "open the purse strings", or "speculate to accumulate" is people wanting other people to risk their money. And we can see what happens with living above your means (Bolton/Portsmouth etc).

Personally I think we should take pride from being run properly on a commercial basis and Jenkins should be supported on getting us back on a even keel. The previous Directors were only in charge for 18 months and it's clear how quickly they c##ked it up. Spent a load of money and still got relegated. Jenkins has to bear in mind that if we do not get promoted this year or next year, there will be a huge hole in our income and any sensible management has to plan for that now.

Until 15 years ago, revenue/ fanbase didn't matter as much on the pitch (although the top six clubs on that list have historically had the biggest fanbases and probably drew the biggest crowds.  However clubs with much bigger fanbases than us are still lower down that list meaning somehow we drew good players and achieved without massive resources or the big crowd draws.

Few things in relation to this
1) Completely fair points
2) Football is still played on the pitch and even with our current resources (fans/ money) we could easily be mid-table premier league - with or without money
3) The past 8 years before Pulis, we kept ahead of others without having money or massive attendences
4) as others have said, my opinion is we're currently missing people at the top with a clear plan, imagination and maybe even skills to get us back up to mid-table premier league - this is based on recent decisions of course.

It's far too easy to let the current board off the hook by saying we should accept mid table championship because we don't have money. They're paid to find solutions to put us ahead of other clubs.............

[stuvetti]

Until 15 years ago, revenue/ fanbase didn't matter as much on the pitch (although the top six clubs on that list have historically had the biggest fanbases and probably drew the biggest crowds.  However clubs with much bigger fanbases than us are still lower down that list meaning somehow we drew good players and achieved without massive resources or the big crowd draws.

Few things in relation to this
1) Completely fair points
2) Football is still played on the pitch and even with our current resources (fans/ money) we could easily be mid-table premier league - with or without money
3) The past 8 years before Pulis, we kept ahead of others without having money or massive attendences
4) as others have said, my opinion is we're currently missing people at the top with a clear plan, imagination and maybe even skills to get us back up to mid-table premier league - this is based on recent decisions of course.

It's far too easy to let the current board off the hook by saying we should accept mid table championship because we don't have money. They're paid to find solutions to put us ahead of other clubs.............

Just to clarify, I'm not saying we should accept mid-table Championship, but that this is the context on which we compete. Also it is sometimes hard for teams adjusting from the Prem..... Stoke/Swansea/Sunderland. And so 4th given our competitive position is none too shabby.

[baggiebof]

Unless we are getting significantly higher attendances and charging significantly more money, attendances do not make a big difference in terms of revenue. Unfortunately our resources do mean that we will find it hard to achieve the position that our history deserves unless we have a competitive edge. For us, we need to utilise the academy to either produce players for the first team which will save on transfer fees and the rest of it or to produce players to sell for a profit. We also need to accompany this with smart recruitment that means players bought in have an impact on the first team and also have sell on value for us to continue to reinvest.

[Black Country Pride]

You may get wound up, because stuvetti's post is realistic, and your view is not.
Traditionally we have never matched other teams in terms of attendance.
Feel good factor? Surely that applied at the start of the 68/69 season as we were proud FA Cup holders.
First game of the season - WBAFC v Sheffield Wednesday.  Gate....25,031

And our biggest crowd that season was 45,354 (would have been far more but for capacity) for a freezing midweek cup match against Arsenal. Always been a fickle bunch to be fair 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJlW62epb7c

'Once and future kings of the cup'. Oh dear...

[FallOutBoy]

We've always been a team that spends most of its time in the top flight, with spells in the second tier, but we always used to be a good cup team to alleviate the lean spells.

From the mid-'80's until the mid-'00's we had the leanest spell in our history, and it's left a lot of our fanbase with a skewed idea of where the club is and what it should be - little old Albion. Add to this the prolonged economic downturn in a formerly massive manufacturing region, and it's no surprise that we are where are.

We're bigger than the likes of Watford, Fulham, Bournemouth, Cardiff, etc., and we should be up in the Premier league, as well as teams like Leeds, Sheffield Weds, great names of English football. Of course now it would take good management, but the only reason we're not there now is because two idiots spent all of the money in the club in one go.

[Wigmore]

And our biggest crowd that season was 45,354 (would have been far more but for capacity) for a freezing midweek cup match against Arsenal. Always been a fickle bunch to be fair 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJlW62epb7c

'Once and future kings of the cup'. Oh dear...

As you point out, a FA cup game (when the cup was still held in high regard) could still draw in the crowds.
That season had an average home gate of 25,000, and a lowest gate of 16,483, and this was higher than most of the next 20 years.

For all of the fantastic history that the club has garnered, huge crowds are not part of the picture.
Sadly, Atomic's perception of our fan base is not born out by facts. I really wish it was true.

[Albionic]

As you point out, a FA cup game (when the cup was still held in high regard) could still draw in the crowds.
That season had an average home gate of 25,000, and a lowest gate of 16,483, and this was higher than most of the next 20 years.

For all of the fantastic history that the club has garnered, huge crowds are not part of the picture.
Sadly, Atomic's perception of our fan base is not born out by facts. I really wish it was true.

However, If you look at wet shams historical attendances, you could argue similarly that they would never get the crowds they do today.

[ex coseley kid]

We've always been a team that spends most of its time in the top flight, with spells in the second tier, but we always used to be a good cup team to alleviate the lean spells.

From the mid-'80's until the mid-'00's we had the leanest spell in our history, and it's left a lot of our fanbase with a skewed idea of where the club is and what it should be - little old Albion.

Bang on that.

[BalisPen]

If only Tom Silk hadn't passed away in a plane crash, who knows what we could have done and how many years we would have spent in the top division.

I am certain we would not have spent 16 years out of it, and still have the woefully inadequate Halford lane stand, as that guy loved us and he had blue and white blood running through his veins and more importantly he knew our great club's history and had the ambition to maintain it.

Just our luck that when Chelsea lost Mathew Harding in similar circumstances they ended up with abramovich, whereas we ended up with pot less men in charge like trev the shed and finally the bald born in West Bromwich life long WBA Fan who did what he did to his "beloved" club.

Thanks for removing the police box in the Smethwick end jezza.

Well worth the £200m you banked for a mid championship club.