[darbolina]

Sounds like a takeover will happen this summer because of background noise and speculation. I would never trust the mirror though , no credibility for me, they, like many papers are click baiters earning money from chucking anything out there to entice people onto their sites.

Whoever takes us over will likely continue to operate as we have done albeit with one or two big signings initially to get fans onside in my view. I wouldn't expect it to greatly change our future in the next few years , especially with so many other club with rich backers. A good foreign owned model is Leicester of course, clear plan, football interest , haven't thrown stupid money at it and respect the integrity and history of the club - oh and successful too!

[baggie96]

Heard this is basically done and that the transfers are all going through them already. Sounds right as theirs no way JP would sanction £9mill on a left back

[baggiejohn]

There will never be a better time than now to sell. We are the only West Midland side in the prem, and are a club with no debt and massive potential.
People say we don't need a bigger ground, but i would argue if someone invested into a superb stadium and signed top players we would fill the place.
Just think of the ethnic support,mainly asian from West Brom, Smethwick, Handsworth etc we could tap into.
Most of the young of these support the likes of Man U, Chelsea atc, but not if they had a big rich club on their doorstep.
Now or never imo.

Can't see a lot of ethnic support from Chinese owners

[WBArgo]

Can't see a lot of ethnic support from Chinese owners

He means the local Indian lads from Handsworth etc who would be more attracted to us if we became successful. Case in point about 10 minutes from the ground against Liverpool I saw an Indian bloke and his two sons leave their house in Liverpool kits to go to the game, it was a bit sad really.
However, if we improved you could see people like this swaying to us more - and that is a good thing.

[Zebidee]

Heard this is basically done and that the transfers are all going through them already. Sounds right as theirs no way JP would sanction £9mill on a left back

This is what I was thinking.
Also read that you are reliable, so fingers crossed

[Dan]

Heard this is basically done and that the transfers are all going through them already. Sounds right as theirs no way JP would sanction £9mill on a left back

We spent 8m on Chester last season who the plan was to play out of position at right back, 9m with the new TV deal is nothing unusual.

Besides which it would be madness to have a prospective owners sanctioning deals before they take over, there's tonnes that can go wrong, things not even in their control. I tend to think if a takeover were close there'd be a lot more sources saying it rather than just the Mirror who have been repeating a similar story for the last 12 months. You won't go short of precious article hits linking clubs to a billionaire takeover.

[BaggieVN]

Was going to say the same about the 8million we spent on Chester last year.

As for the takeover, it's no different from signing a new player. Sometimes the player is a success, sometimes they aren't.

[botters]

As above if a super rich owner came in, invested and bought big name players we'd grow in support at an unbelieveable rate and would need a new stand.

I think that we would probably need a new stadium! 60000 seater with designated standing areas for home supporters. That would be great. 😊

[Chipperfan]

I think that we would probably need a new stadium! 60000 seater with designated standing areas for home supporters. That would be great. 😊

Really? You really think our support base, built up over 130 years, would grow from 25,000 to 60,000 overnight? I wish I could be so optimistic.

I'd love it to be so, but I honestly doubt it.

[baggiejohn]

He means the local Indian lads from Handsworth etc who would be more attracted to us if we became successful. Case in point about 10 minutes from the ground against Liverpool I saw an Indian bloke and his two sons leave their house in Liverpool kits to go to the game, it was a bit sad really.
However, if we improved you could see people like this swaying to us more - and that is a good thing.

I know what he means, but I just can't see what would motivate anybody to spend shed loads of money on WBA. If it's as a publicity vehicle for their products, they'd spend just as much as they need to maintain an EPL presence, no more than what we're spending now. Additionally, it would have a life cycle so they'd be here for say 5 years & then we'd be up for sale again.
The Wolves & Villa sales make sense, they're buying a run-down club on the cheap, doing it up, & then selling it at a profit, Albion's not the same.

[Sted1990]

Really? You really think our support base, built up over 130 years, would grow from 25,000 to 60,000 overnight? I wish I could be so optimistic.

I'd love it to be so, but I honestly doubt it.

I think he was being sarcastic 

[Chipperfan]

I think he was being sarcastic 

Oh right. Sorry. Being thick.

[divinewind]

Our support has fallen to 25,000 over the years due to several things. Making the ground smaller for one, something we continue to do. I was on the ground last time we had 40,000 in 1976. Soon after we made it 36,000 and it has fallen even more  since.
In the 60's we had almost 40.000 on the ground for a Wednesday cup replay against Colchester United.
In the 50's we passed the 60,000 mark on at least two occassions, something Wolves never managed.
A fall to the third tier, the rebuilding of a smaller all seater ground, no pay at the gate and above all lack of ambition have all contributed.
So too has admission prices. But with a larger revamped ground and a bit of ambition i reckon we would command gates of 30,000.
West Ham who never enjoyed gates our size have sold 50,000 ST's due to their move to the Olympic stadium.
It's all about marketing the club to it's fans and sadly Albion have never been good at that.

A stagnation in football standards and signings drive away fans like myself. I don't earn a lot and i will be buggered if i give it towards a rich mans retirement scheme, and see no improvement on the field.
I don't support Albion to see how much profit we have made while a club like Leicester win the league.

[botters]

Really? You really think our support base, built up over 130 years, would grow from 25,000 to 60,000 overnight? I wish I could be so optimistic.

I'd love it to be so, but I honestly doubt it.

I really think that if the midlands had a big club they could easily get 40000 plus, the vile were getting these sort of attendances a few years ago. We are the only team in the West Midlands in the premier league so there is a large potential fan base out there if we syphon some vile fans and other big clubs fans in the area, by being a rich and successful club and team we could easily attract around 40000. Ok 60000 may be pushing it but with a similar population to the North West then why couldn't we get similar him attendances to say Manchester City.

[Atomic]

Our support has fallen to 25,000 over the years due to several things. Making the ground smaller for one, something we continue to do. I was on the ground last time we had 40,000 in 1976. Soon after we made it 36,000 and it has fallen even more  since.
In the 60's we had almost 40.000 on the ground for a Wednesday cup replay against Colchester United.
In the 50's we passed the 60,000 mark on at least two occassions, something Wolves never managed.
A fall to the third tier, the rebuilding of a smaller all seater ground, no pay at the gate and above all lack of ambition have all contributed.
So too has admission prices. But with a larger revamped ground and a bit of ambition i reckon we would command gates of 30,000.
West Ham who never enjoyed gates our size have sold 50,000 ST's due to their move to the Olympic stadium.
It's all about marketing the club to it's fans and sadly Albion have never been good at that.

A stagnation in football standards and signings drive away fans like myself. I don't earn a lot and i will be buggered if i give it towards a rich mans retirement scheme, and see no improvement on the field.
I don't support Albion to see how much profit we have made while a club like Leicester win the league.

Bang on right. Even our own fans don't realise the potential of this club. It's enough to make you cry. In 1979 we were one of BRITAIN'S PREMIER CLUBS now look at us. Everything about us is suppressed and small time and our "fans" really don't help they just harm the club but they just cannot see it.

[botters]

Bang on right. Even our own fans don't realise the potential of this club. It's enough to make you cry. In 1979 we were one of BRITAIN'S PREMIER CLUBS now look at us. Everything about us is suppressed and small time and our "fans" really don't help they just harm the club but they just cannot see it.

Absolutely spot on, we have to have the ambition that we can again become one of the top six teams and clubs in this country.

[divinewind]

I have found that strange Botters,fanns who think of us as a smalltime club, maybe they were born in the 80's and 90's, and yet think Peace is a giant.
West Bromwich Albion didn't come into existance in 2003.

[baggiejohn]

Our support has fallen to 25,000 over the years due to several things. Making the ground smaller for one, something we continue to do. I was on the ground last time we had 40,000 in 1976. Soon after we made it 36,000 and it has fallen even more  since.
In the 60's we had almost 40.000 on the ground for a Wednesday cup replay against Colchester United.
In the 50's we passed the 60,000 mark on at least two occassions, something Wolves never managed.
A fall to the third tier, the rebuilding of a smaller all seater ground, no pay at the gate and above all lack of ambition have all contributed.
So too has admission prices. But with a larger revamped ground and a bit of ambition i reckon we would command gates of 30,000.
West Ham who never enjoyed gates our size have sold 50,000 ST's due to their move to the Olympic stadium.
It's all about marketing the club to it's fans and sadly Albion have never been good at that.

A stagnation in football standards and signings drive away fans like myself. I don't earn a lot and i will be buggered if i give it towards a rich mans retirement scheme, and see no improvement on the field.
I don't support Albion to see how much profit we have made while a club like Leicester win the league.

I think it's a lot more complex than that.
First of all, there's a lot more to do at weekends now than just football. I would say shopping is the number 1 consumer pastime. Modern families tend to go out together now, they hardly ever did when I was younger, Dad & the lads went to footy, Mum & the girls did shopping. Then there's participative sport, Golf, for example has got much less expensive to play, & so more people do.
All seater stadiums are designed to attract families, it's somewhere safe to take the family, as soon as it's not safe any more, families won't come.
We've moved on since the 70's, & funnily enough it's a recurring theme throughout this forum.

Same with this change of ownership for the Albion, it might be as simple as exchanging one owner for another, but I've got a hunch it's a lot more complex than that.

[Tony Goddens Gloves]

We have had the longest spell of 20k+ average attendances over the last 15 years than at any time in our history   

[baggiejohn]

I have found that strange Botters,fanns who think of us as a smalltime club, maybe they were born in the 80's and 90's, and yet think Peace is a giant.
West Bromwich Albion didn't come into existance in 2003.

I was born in the 40's & I wouldn't necessarily say JP is a giant, but I do understand what he does & why he does it

[miggybaggy]

I certainly wont be going again just to get bored senseless, until whoever takes over changes the manager. Dunno about 60,000......more like back to 16,000 at this rate until we see a better style of football, and more tolerant stewarding!

[AlbionDaz]

JP arrived on the scene,just as we was turning the corner,as there was finally some money in the coffers,after previous good judgement in the transfer market,I think the previous Chairman a Mr Hale from Sheffield,who actually put his own money in the Club,I think deserves more credit than he actually got.
JP didn't even buy the Club with his own money,yet here he is about to benefit even more from the Albion.Makes me sick and have never liked him and can't understand why a lot of you defend him.He isn't even a fan of the Albion,he just a saw a way to further his standing and bank balance.

[WorcsWBA]

In 1979 we were one of BRITAIN'S PREMIER CLUBS now look at us. Everything about us is suppressed and small time and our "fans" really don't help they just harm the club but they just cannot see it.

In the 1978-79 season, when we finished 3rd in Div 1, our average attendance was 26,702, with a highest attendance of  35,166 (v Villa) and a lowest of 17,499 (in the penultimate home game against Southampton). There were 9 clubs with a better average attendance than us. In descending order they were:

Manchester United
Liverpool
Arsenal
Manchester City
Everton
Tottenham Hotspur
Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest
Leeds United

The following season we averaged 22,735, with a lowest of 11,735 v Bolton. That season, there were 16 clubs with better average attendances than us, 4 of whom were in Division 2!

Consequently, I'm really not sure what point you're trying to make about our support at that time? The 1978-79 season was an exception rather than the rule. The golden era for us attendance-wise was from 1947 until 1959, when there were only 3 seasons where we averaged less than 30,000. Even in the season where we had our best ever average of 38,819 (1949-50, when we had our highest ever league attendance of 60,945 v Wolves), there were 12 clubs with better average attendances.

We've currently justifiably acquired a reputation for playing the most dour and unadventurous football in the Premier League, yet people are expecting new fans to come flocking to watch us if the capacity was increased?

Sources: "Albion: A Complete Record 1879-1987" by Tony Matthews and european-football-statistics.co.uk

[Mo]

Bang on right. Even our own fans don't realise the potential of this club. It's enough to make you cry. In 1979 we were one of BRITAIN'S PREMIER CLUBS now look at us. Everything about us is suppressed and small time and our "fans" really don't help they just harm the club but they just cannot see it.

I like your use of the word suppressed as that is what it is particularly in the last 3 years. People blame Pulis for the football and rightly so but the truth of it is  yes Clarke did ok for a short time but we should really have pressed on after Hodgson and didn't hence why pulis was needed to fight the fires .

[AlbionDaz]

In the 1978-79 season, when we finished 3rd in Div 1, our average attendance was 26,702, with a highest attendance of  35,166 (v Villa) and a lowest of 17,499 (in the penultimate home game against Southampton). There were 9 clubs with a better average attendance than us. In descending order they were:

Manchester United
Liverpool
Arsenal
Manchester City
Everton
Tottenham Hotspur
Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest
Leeds United

The following season we averaged 22,735, with a lowest of 11,735 v Bolton. That season, there were 16 clubs with better average attendances than us, 4 of whom were in Division 2!

Consequently, I'm really not sure what point you're trying to make about our support at that time? The 1978-79 season was an exception rather than the rule. The golden era for us attendance-wise was from 1947 until 1959, when there were only 3 seasons where we averaged less than 30,000. Even in the season where we had our best ever average of 38,819 (1949-50, when we had our highest ever league attendance of 60,945 v Wolves), there were 12 clubs with better average attendances.

We've currently justifiably acquired a reputation for playing the most dour and unadventurous football in the Premier League, yet people are expecting new fans to come flocking to watch us if the capacity was increased?

Sources: "Albion: A Complete Record 1879-1987" by Tony Matthews and european-football-statistics.co.uk

If you was a supporter in that era,you would know that a lot of club's fiddled there attendances to avoid tax payments,there was also a fair bit of sneaking in,ie going in under your fathers legs,or just clamber over the fences which I did