1

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Darnell Furlong

« on: March 09, 2025, 10:30:25 AM »

I’ve not seen any decent highlights of it, but Furlong always plays on the edge and I’m surprised he’s not been sent off more often. He is a massive s***house but somehow has avoided getting a rep for it.

He leads with his arms a lot and while not stupid enough to go with the traditional elbow movement, he’ll get his elbow pointed.

Mowbrays said the lads tried to duck under his shoulder, but that can only happen if furlong has put his arm. How aggressively he’s done it seems inconclusive at the moment

2

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Tony Mowbray

« on: March 08, 2025, 05:48:52 PM »

I thought we were poor today first half. Need must second and it’s great we saw it out but I’m not convinced

3

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Isaac Price

« on: March 08, 2025, 05:45:20 PM »

He’s been good recently, but I’m still not entirely sure what type of midfielder he is yet personally. Be interesting to see what other people think. He’s not a goal scorer (yet). A bit of a metronome that just keeps the side ticking is where I’m at right now but I’m not sure if he settles more defensively, attacking or box to box

4

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: WBA season ticket prices announced for 2025/26 season

« on: March 08, 2025, 09:23:06 AM »

I think our prices are good value, and l although I’m not certain, suspect they’ve gone against inflation for 20 years. When I was 12/13 (25 years ago) my season ticket was £72 (kids for a quid needed an adult) and I’m sure the adult season ticket was around £400 then too. I think it was then similar when I had to get my first adult

Given minimum wage is £10/£11, you’ll not get many forms of leisure or entertainment outside the home that cost less than that per hour, since inevitably there is usually at least someone that needs paying. Of course there is an additional cost that comes with the ticket, some are choices (10 pints) other less so (travel)

People should rightly ask themselves what they do want to do with their disposable income / time and that might not always be attending football.

No chance I would  get to 18 Malaga games a season for less mind (value being relative / subjective).  When you see these stories online it’s usually train cost vs cheap flight that makes the biggest difference.  I’d be £30 on airport parking and £30 in the airport that would bridge that straight away! 

5

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: March 07, 2025, 09:56:46 AM »

Tomorrow is must win for me, I don’t think there will be many teams with trickier looking fixtures until the end of the season with us playing Burnley,  Sunderland, Watford, Norwich, Coventry and Bristol City in the next 8. 

Hopefully we can also see some more positives from Mowbrays input folllowing Leeds, I think that’s now three full training weeks he’s had without any midweek fixtures.   

6 home games left and we need to be getting 13 points minimum IMO from those. 
 

6

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: March 01, 2025, 04:13:58 PM »

Very good performance against a strong team who have been on fire recently.

Still don’t understand why Fellows is so highly rated, if he is to perform in the premier league he needs to improve physically.

I agree on fellows, I think his assist stats are clearly great this season but for me they belie the ability I see. I hope I am wrong and It won’t be a popular opinion because he’s one of our own but I don’t see a player who willl have any sort of impact in the prem over his career (or much by way of appearances).  On that basis if we can get £10m, £15m or better still have to help us financially and with FFP next year, I take it

7

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: February 15, 2025, 10:21:35 PM »

Awful first half, marginally better at the start of the second half but completely under the cosh for the final 15 minutes. Overall that’s really poor against a bang average Millwall side.

We are going to miss the play offs by 10 points

8

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: February 15, 2025, 03:37:31 PM »

This is really poor. Someone said Wednesday was as bad as it was with Bruce and I thought that was a little harsh, but so far this has been

9

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Tony Mowbray appointed as Head Coach

« on: February 13, 2025, 04:56:48 PM »

I don’t think you can fully judge untill he’s had a summer after clearing out the deadwood and signing few of his own players

He’s probably never going to get all his own players. Price and Bany pretty much prove that.

I had concerns about Mowbray, and I’m very underwhelmed so far. Hes also saying some things I find quite odd at times. Amongst other things, post match last night he made some comment about giving up the ball and letting teams come on to us more. Surely if we are controlling games too much you want to move the ball quicker, change tempo,   not just concede control and invite attacks to create space. Especially not with our poor defence 

10

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: February 12, 2025, 03:58:52 PM »

Expect Blackburn to try and keep it solid in the way Eustace would set them up, but also wouldn’t be surprised to see them not quite as disciplined. Losing the manager can still have some impact even if the assistant tries to keep everything the same.

If we can score early their game plan goes out the window too. Im going to be bold and predict we win tonight by at least 2 goals tonight but I fancy 3-0 or 4-1

11

Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: February 08, 2025, 08:48:09 PM »

Grady was ineffective.  He mostly came inside and got battered.  He didn't support Furlong against a very tricky winger.  Full backs are always going to come up against someone who's got their number, GD did not recognise this.

When Fellows came on he supported his full back and got in a couple of blocks.  He also played the assist in Armstrong's goal.

Grady had to do better with his chance too. You could see a mile off that the defender was going to throw himself to block it, so Grady has to either go the other side of the goal, or probably better yet  feint / take a touch, he had a lot of time and has to be scoring with that much time, fairly central 12 yards out

12

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Joe Wildsmith

« on: February 08, 2025, 08:37:25 PM »

Good save down low in the first half. Didn’t think the second half save was anything special originally but one of the angles I’ve seen since shows it was

Potentially could have done better for the goal. He could have let it run but I suppose he wasn’t to know that and I understand why he tried to stop it. Pushing it out to the middle of the box is asking for trouble though. Palmer got caught out doing similar a few times from memory.

Part of me thinks he started as a bit of a message to the entire squad, and that you can earn a chance  by working hard, being patient and waiting for the right opportunity, and managers do need to send those types of messages sometimes

I think the shirt is his for now,  If Griffiths is looking slightly better in training he will still have to wait until Wildsmith makes a genuine mistake, unless of course Griffiths looks levels above

13

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Have we got TOO MANY midfield and forward players?

« on: February 08, 2025, 08:19:25 PM »

Personally I think we are top heaven right now if everyone’s fit. Someone put a squad up.the other day and I think we were at 26, with only 6 actual defenders (and two senior keepers). 26 is too many as it is, but when it’s 18 midfielders / strikers that’s definitely weighted wrong. I think it should be 21/22 senor players with 2/3 of your best kids on the cusp personally .

Come summer there is another reset though. we lose diangana, swift, Armstrong, holgate, lankshear and ajayi. The only two I think theres any potential of seeing here again next season are ajayi and lankshear (i think there might be a chance with lankshear depending how the next 4 months go). 

Then you’ve got Cole and Frabotta who I think move on and  possibly Fellows, Wallace and Grant.

So yes I think we do have an imbalance right now, but fortunately I think it gets corrected this summer with players leaving and a focus on some defensive signings

14

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Adam Armstrong signs on loan

« on: February 08, 2025, 03:52:52 PM »

That finish from Armstrong was ridiculous. It doesn’t look glamorous but it’s a hell of a touch

15

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Adam Armstrong signs on loan

« on: February 07, 2025, 09:49:36 AM »

I read an interview with Mowbray where he said unless desperation, ie - nobody else available, he never starts a new signing right away.

So on that basis i think it will be Wallace starting with Lankshear and Armstrong to come on.

This is interesting, but I think Armstrong will start too. He’s not any old new signing, Mowbray knows him and probably more about what Mowbray wants than some of our own player. Add that to the lack of a viable striker and I think he goes straight in 


This loan could be great for fellows in the short term. Although I don’t know how much of a threat AA is in the air, he will surely thrive on the cut backs and flashes across goal

16

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: 2025 winter transfer window review

« on: February 06, 2025, 12:07:45 PM »

Did we? Really? According to whom exactly? You need to name whoever that was and point me in their general direction. Could do with a good laugh. Whoever posted that must be an absolute whopper and used to public ridicule so it shouldn't be too traumatic for them. Come on. Name and shame  .

It wasn’t specifically at ex Coseley kid, I don’t know what he said specifically

However look at this and the next couple of pages. There were some very high expectations and it may not have been a majority but it wasn’t a small minority
 
http://westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=28749.50

Just a few of the comments
Massive failure if we don’t make play offs
With the squad we have, has to be top 2
Automatics
I expect to finish top two with our squad
Went for top 2 at start of season, even more confident now


In other threads there was similar comments

17

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: 2025 winter transfer window review

« on: February 06, 2025, 09:31:27 AM »

Not much there for me to dislike, sorry Palmer has gone but it all makes sense on balance.

Here's my review: tell me when we last had a window this good?

I think you need to come back to this!

At the end of August we had the best squad in the league and were definitely making the play offs, but only if we didn’t finish top two.

Within 6 months Racic and Dobin have gone, Cole and Frabotta in the cold and there are only  two players of the players regularly getting minutes who’ve weren’t with us last season in some capacity.

18

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: 2025 winter transfer window review

« on: February 05, 2025, 01:43:37 PM »

I think it’s really hard to judge.

In total we’ve lost Dobbin, McNair, Palmer and Racic from December. Three of those had added very little, and didn’t seem like they would moving forwards, so we’ve shed some players who weren’t delivering, that’s great. Palmer was a good keeper at this level so that could be a net loss (pun intended) 

We’ve added one known quantity in Armstrong, who is much of a guarantee of a player as any player can really be at this level so that’s a net positive.  The other four (griffiths, Bany, lankshear, price)  are relatively unknown at this level and it’s a decent outlay on the two purchases. Bany in particular being a bit of a gamble for me

I like the intention, and particularly the potential of Griffiths and Price, but how much we have improved longer term I don’t know. With Armstrong the only clear improvement it might be an improvement in the short term good but not so in the long term.

If we were either to get promoted, or Bany, Price and Griffiths live up to the potential the club think they have it should be looked back on as an outstanding window. 

Mowbray has a tough job balancing the players. Grant, Dike and Wallace all contracted next year and seemingly unlikely to get many minutes. Cole and Frabotta are contracted too but I think they can be pretty much written off. The out of contract players like Diangana and Swift will get some time I think, particularly diangana, but it would be great if the signings meant we didn’t need them much.

19

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Adam Armstrong signs on loan

« on: February 04, 2025, 01:45:09 PM »

I see no better goalscorer in this division

I was just thinking the same and looked at the top scorers list. I don’t see anyone better, it’s pretty weak this year in terms of out and out goal scorers. Piroe and Maja are second with 12.

So I think we have basically got best goalscorer in the championship for 16 games, and potentially the play offs (providing he can stay fit).

Be interesting to see if we see Maja in the 10  when he’s fit.

20

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Adam Armstrong

« on: February 04, 2025, 01:29:07 PM »

I follow the club channel on whatsapp. There's just been an new message notification but cant see it yet (a few minute delay after the message notification seems the norm with it for some reason). I assume this will be the Armstrong official announcement.



... its the strong arm emoji and soon so as good as.

21

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Josh Griffiths

« on: February 04, 2025, 12:25:44 PM »

The Bristol Rovers fans loved him and thought he was excellent. He's had 3 seasons in League One now so hopefully he can make the step up.

The responses to Rover's official announcement were very encouraging. Almost universally their player of the season and one of the best loans, if not best they've had in years. Not a single bad word to say about him as far as I could tell.

22

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: February 04, 2025, 11:47:22 AM »

We now have a bloated squad

GK: Griffiths, Wildsmith

DL: Styles

DR: Furlong, Frambrotta

DC: Ajayi (injured), Bartley, Holgate, Heggem


Mid: Mowatt, Molumby, Diakite, Swift, Price, Bany, Whitwell,

Attack: Grant, Johnston, Diagana, Fellows, Wallace, Maja (Injured), Armstrong, Dike (injured), Cole, Lankshear

We shouldn’t complain about attacking options

Plenty of deadwood or never was in the squad

If somehow we go up, massive surgery needed in the squad.

26 players & lack of defensive options is mad.

Squad still needs some shuffling that is for sure but with Swift, Diangana, Holgate, Ajayi, Lankshear and Armstrong (if signed) only being contracted here for 5 month, plus Frabotta and Cole almost certainly moving on the reset still seems to be coming in the summer regardless.  Add in uncertainty around Wallace, Grant and Fellows and its another big summer. 

23

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Adam Armstrong

« on: February 04, 2025, 10:00:36 AM »

If you're leaving it until 10.55pm then don't be remotely surprised if any blame comes your way.

Depends surely. Did we leave it late, or did saints soften on their demands. In the past it seems we have been to blame but I genuinely  suspect the latter here.

Get the feeling on this one we told saints what we could do and they rejected / waited to see if we would blink or someone else would come in. When that didn’t happen this then only got traction late.

24

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Adam Armstrong

« on: February 04, 2025, 09:34:58 AM »

On the one hand it seems mad that the EFL staff aren’t around long after the conclusion of transfer window, but on the other I suppose it was 11pm and they do have homes to get to.

If we say we got it done in time then surely it’ll go through. The only other answer is we didn’t and then it’s rightly denied. Club doesn’t do itself any favours feeding reporters that they did if it transpires otherwise

25

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Tammer Bany Joins Albion

« on: February 03, 2025, 09:19:45 PM »

Palmer has officially signed for Ipswich, club has announced it, so I’d expect this to be next story up and quite soon. Get the bad news out the way then pump out a good news story (or two)