[costa blanca baggie]

It was untill he fecked off to united and took our best players.That was the start of our downfall.By the mid 80's we were stuffed!

Up till then, though, it was fun. I prefer to focus on those memories.

[AlbionFan]

It was untill he fecked off to united and took our best players.That was the start of our downfall.By the mid 80's we were stuffed!

Yes, with Big Ron as manager they were heady days for Albion fans, great free flowing, attacking football and always on the back pages, high profile days for the club. Many players were household names up and down the country. Its a shame that many under the age of 50 wouldn't have had the joy of watching that team.

[KN22]

Yes, with Big Ron as manager they were heady days for Albion fans, great free flowing, attacking football and always on the back pages, high profile days for the club. Many players were household names up and down the country. Its a shame that many under the age of 50 wouldn't have had the joy of watching that team.

The best team I have seen in my 50 plus years of regular watching, just superb attacking play, home and away. Laurie Cunningham.... what a player!!

[divinewind]

The only decent player Atkinson bought was Batson, he inherited a very very good side that Giles, Allen and to some extent Howe had built.
The other signings he made Deehan, Miils, (he broke the British transfer record for him) Barnes, and Owen weren't as good as the players he let go.
Under his watch we lost Cantello, Cunningham, and he took Robson and Moses to United with him and also wanted Regis and Statham.
The bloke was all himself like Peace was, i hate him with a passion.
Ronnie Allen should have been given a contract in his first term here, he could spot a player, and he wouldn't have left here except in a box.

[miggybaggy]

The only decent player Atkinson bought was Batson, he inherited a very very good side that Giles, Allen and to some extent Howe had built.
The other signings he made Deehan, Miils, (he broke the British transfer record for him) Barnes, and Owen weren't as good as the players he let go.
Under his watch we lost Cantello, Cunningham, and he took Robson and Moses to United with him and also wanted Regis and Statham.
The bloke was all himself like Peace was, i hate him with a passion.
Ronnie Allen should have been given a contract in his first term here, he could spot a player, and he wouldn't have left here except in a box.

Yes....Giles established a lot of that team, and let Robson off the leash at 17 (unlikely to happen nowadays). Fantastic days. Anyway...the green and yellow stripes are pretty much recognised as ours I'd have thought...but I think it should only be a 'change' kit in the event of a clash.

[divinewind]

Yes....Giles established a lot of that team, and let Robson off the leash at 17 (unlikely to happen nowadays). Fantastic days. Anyway...the green and yellow stripes are pretty much recognised as ours I'd have thought...but I think it should only be a 'change' kit in the event of a clash.

Yep, that's all i am saying, i have no problem with whatever our second strip is, but i would always hope to see us in our proper club strip unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

[AlbionFan]

The only decent player Atkinson bought was Batson, he inherited a very very good side that Giles, Allen and to some extent Howe had built.
The other signings he made Deehan, Miils, (he broke the British transfer record for him) Barnes, and Owen weren't as good as the players he let go.
Under his watch we lost Cantello, Cunningham, and he took Robson and Moses to United with him and also wanted Regis and Statham.
The bloke was all himself like Peace was, i hate him with a passion.
Ronnie Allen should have been given a contract in his first term here, he could spot a player, and he wouldn't have left here except in a box.

It wasn’t quite as black and white as you paint it.

Allen quit Albion, for more money, to Manage the Saudi Arabia national team. And he bought in players like Steve Mackenzie, Andy King, Romeo Zondervan who hardly covered themselves in glory during their time with the Albion.

Ron Atkinson got the best out of the players he inherited more so than the managers that bought them in.

[Do I not like Wolves]

The only decent player Atkinson bought was Batson, he inherited a very very good side that Giles, Allen and to some extent Howe had built.
The other signings he made Deehan, Miils, (he broke the British transfer record for him) Barnes, and Owen weren't as good as the players he let go.
Under his watch we lost Cantello, Cunningham, and he took Robson and Moses to United with him and also wanted Regis and Statham.
The bloke was all himself like Peace was, i hate him with a passion.
Ronnie Allen should have been given a contract in his first term here, he could spot a player, and he wouldn't have left here except in a box.

Yes but remember the money dried up to when the the Director that bank rolled us (Silk) was killed in that plane crash.

[divinewind]

It wasn’t quite as black and white as you paint it.

Allen quit Albion, for more money, to Manage the Saudi Arabia national team. And he bought in players like Steve Mackenzie, Andy King, Romeo Zondervan who hardly covered themselves in glory during their time with the Albion.

Ron Atkinson got the best out of the players he inherited more so than the managers that bought them in.

No, Allen was never given a contract the first time around. We played Forest off the park at the City ground and Clough said it was a disgrace that a manager of Allens pedigree was working without a contract. This was put in the media and it wasn't long before the Arabs came calling.
Allen said he would sooner stay but without a contract he had to let his head overule his heart.
Allen was outspoken, and many of our board disliked him, the same thing happened to Allen as it did with Giles, both wanted more say in how the club was run, and that will never happen here as Megson found out as well.
Allen had to argue with the board for £5,000 to buy Regis.

The Wolves team that Bill McGarry had success with in the early 70's was largely built by Allen, the same as the Albion one that Big Ron professed to have built.
Allen would have played just the same sort of attacking football, it was in his DNA, more so really as Atkinson was a Dingle.

[Droitwich Baggie]

It was Ronnie Allen who put his hand in his own pocket to buy Cyrille Regis. The board was tight and still didn't look to the future even then.

[ex coseley kid]

It was Ronnie Allen who put his hand in his own pocket to buy Cyrille Regis. The board was tight and still didn't look to the future even then.

Shameful, isn't it? Back in the 70s my grandad was moaning about our lack of spending and ambition. Nothing changes.

Anyway, quick, hide all this talk of the 70s before the mods tell us to crack on with the green and yellow debate...! 

[Albionic]

Ffs it’s yellow and green!!! Not green and yellow

[AlbionFan]

Without doubt, as a player, Ronnie Allan, a firm favourite of mine as I was growing up, although diminutive in stature by today’s standards, was a giant of a centre forward in his era for Albion.

However, during a managerial career that spanned 16 years, I think he was not the “guru” of football and players that you make him out to be. With only two exceptions, Ronnie never stayed longer at a club more than 2 years, the exceptions being Wolves and Athletic Bilbao, where he was sacked by both clubs. In his other seven management roles he occupied during his career, twice managing Albion, he never stayed longer than 12 months, indeed about 6 months was the norm for him,I believe.
 
With regard to him leaving the Albion because he didn’t have a contract, he left Walsall to join Albion under similar circumstances. At the time he left, us after just 6 months, from what I was hearing at the time, he was offered a contract, but his demands could not be matched by the club and were not realistic.

His record at the Albion over two spells is Played 57, Won 18, Draw 18, Lost 21, Win Rate 36.84%

Big Ron’s record over two spells is Played 212, Won 85, Draw 68, Lost 49, Win Rate 40.09%

In the modern era of football, success is measured in tangibles e.g. stats and Big Ron’s stats are without doubt superior to Ronnie’s as was the style of football imo.

I also recall in his book “The Tony Brown Story” Bomber was not best pleased with Ronnie’s attitude towards him in trying to sell him when he didn’t want to leave, and the reason, Allen didn’t want Bomber to break his all time goal scoring record for the Albion. Bomber resisted the pressure and fortunately went on to break Ronnie’s record.
 
I agree he had an eye for a player, he recruited the likes of Derek Dougan and Mike Bailey, legends at the Molineux, but like all managers he wasn’t infallible. With regard to Cyril, didn’t Ronnie say he would pay the £5,000 transfer fee from his own pocket if Cyril didn’t turn out to be successful?  Well, we all know how that turned out, an Albion legend, thank you Ronnie. I don’t think he made the most of the money we received from the sale of Robson and Moses to United, buying Martin Jol, who was probably the best buy, Zondervan, Mackenzie and King, not so. And don’t forget, he also inherited a decent side from John Giles.

At the end of the day, it's all about opinions, personal likes, dislikes and perceptions. For me, I much preferred Big Ron to Little Ron