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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: January 29, 2024, 11:16:12 AM »

Not going to comment about the pathetic carry on after their second goal as it's been done to death.

As for the game, pretty much as expected. £100m worth of players in front of goal made all the difference. You know what you'll get from us, work hard, be well organised and if their extra quality pays on the day the fair play. That Neto and Cunha are proper players, an actual number 9 in their side and you'd have to say they've got a realistic chance of sneaking into the Euro spots or at least having a good crack at a cup run now.

For us, I'll never complain at a defeat if I think the players have left it all out there. We knew where our deficiencies were, nothing changes after yesterday. Onto the Blues game now.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: January 25, 2024, 01:19:29 PM »

That doesn't stop them though Dave, does it?

It doesn't, but it says more about them than you pal. Relax, take it easy, we've had a lot of fun the last couple of decades at their expense and we did it all without the need for dirty money.

In the years since we've been in the PL they've been to the latter stages of a major European competition and had 3/4 of a billion pounds pumped into their team, we shouldn't even be on their radar. It's a bit like bragging you've won a 100m race with a 60m head start - each to their own if that's what makes you happy.

The only circumstances that will lead me to being really inebriated off about a poor result on Sunday is if we capitulate in the same manner Sunderland did against Newcastle.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: January 25, 2024, 12:55:14 PM »

Maybe that is because you are not surrounded by those who will rub it in on the hour, every hour for as long as they possibly can.

What are they rubbing it in for?

"Ooooooh our really expensively assembled team of internationals beat your team of freebies and kids, you're so pooh"

And?

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: January 17, 2024, 09:37:02 AM »

Agreed, but in their eyes they’ll take anything as they’ve not had a sniff in nearly 30 years. They hurt, a lot. They will take a 1-0 over a financially challenged championship Albion and they will harp on about it for years to come.

That's fine by me. They've been in European QFs almost as recently as we've been in the PL. You'd have thought that they'd have got over us by now. They need to stop taking life so seriously and lighten up. A quick glance on the Mix and it's like the scene from Any Given Sunday, ffs.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: FA Cup Round 4 - Brentford / Wolves (H)

« on: January 10, 2024, 02:54:58 PM »

A BCD does mean something, just because wolves are in better position than us at this time makes no difference. It was the one fixture I made sure I went to home and away , growing up. Rivalry makes the sport and the manufactured rivalry of teams like Brighton’s and Palace show how envious some clubs are of a derby tradition.

Of course it means something, it's a big local game. I don't want to lose, any defeat against them is painful but for them to paint a heavily one-sided (in terms of resources and playing staff) cup tie in the same light as some of the victories we've secured over them in the previous two and a bit decades is laughable. Let's face it, their highlight reel from our place the last 20 years consists of two blokes rolling around in each others urine and a goal scored in a game they didn't win by a player universally hated by Wolves fans. They'd have to win the next 10 BCDs in a row to begin righting the balance of power in this fixture.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: FA Cup Round 4 - Brentford / Wolves (H)

« on: January 10, 2024, 11:24:55 AM »

Relatively calm about this one. The BCD as is we know it is dead anyway, Wolves are just another bankrolled PL team with players on their bench that are currently worth more than our club.

Losing to their team of experienced PL players and internationals brought together by one of the shadiest figures in the modern game won't detract from thirty years of taking the urine; 11 point choke, double relegation, South Bank 'pie and pint', the 5-1, Hayward's millions, three wins in twenty years. Their current team comfortably rolling us over in a competition we're never going to win pales into insignificance compared to what we've had over them.

There is nothing to fear in defeat and everything to gain in victory - providing they get past Brentford.

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General Football & Sports / Re: The Cricket Thread

« on: March 08, 2022, 02:27:52 PM »

A very on brand start in the cricket.

Four overs gone, 17-2 - both openers out.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: March 01, 2022, 12:34:17 PM »

Okay which Championship Head Coach or Manager would you not swap right now for Steve Bruce?  I went and looked and well there are a couple.

Russell Martin came with a very modest Swansea squad not in great form but there was organisation a clear pattern of play, he is in his 2nd management gig. He never played at a high level never played for Alex Ferguson which is just as well because all of those that did have been pretty much useless as managers (Bruce is the best of them)

I haven't given much thought to League 1 yet but I'd guess I'd take half of those in a straight swap. 

He cannot be given the rebuild.

We had a manager undertaking a rebuild, we didn't like him. I'd forget any thoughts of another rebuild. All we've done is shot ourselves in the foot before Ismael had chance to rebuild and now we're on a path of rampant short-termism once again.

Russell Martin had been getting hammered by Swansea fans in recent weeks. Will the appointment prove a good one? Who knows but at least they're willing to wait and see.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Rest of the season - points to make the Play-Offs

« on: March 01, 2022, 09:34:19 AM »

Mods - you can probably bin this thread.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: March 01, 2022, 06:58:11 AM »

To think we sacked a bloke who managed to get some results out of this side for a total joke. Just go Steve, you might still make the cricket.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: February 23, 2022, 11:24:52 AM »

I'll be quite honest, I hope we keep on losing. I want Bruce out. He's utterly inept and clueless.

I agree that not all of this is his fault but he's a pooh manager and always has been. We cannot move forward with him and a Board of useless mongrels who haven't a clue how to run a football club.

Villa or Wolves? 

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: February 23, 2022, 10:38:55 AM »

They're almost as bad as we are. We can't lose forever. That's all I've got.

Probably lose, might draw, who cares?

0-0

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General Football & Sports / Re: Dara O'Shea

« on: February 23, 2022, 10:08:41 AM »

When we're sat watching Semi Ajayi at centre half there is no reason Dara O'Shea should be on the pitch at full back.

I would go back to a back three of O'Shea, Bartley and Clarke - our best period of the season came with this line up and is our most balanced defensive line.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: February 23, 2022, 10:02:03 AM »

Bruce has been an utter disaster. Easy to say in hindsight, but a lot of what has happened is pretty predictable.

First of all, taking a team/fanbase that is largely fed up with the negative style of football and has a fairly toxic atmosphere around the club, and then putting in a manager who was just sacked/forced out at his previous club for playing an awful style of football in an extremely toxic atmosphere was always an 'interesting' choice. Add in that Bruce himself was so scarred by his time at Newcastle that he was considering retirement just a couple of months ago, and it's not too surprising to see us start as we have under him.

Ismael had a number of faults, and whilst I wasn't as adamant as other that he had to go, I'm also not overly disappointed he did. However, whatever your thoughts on Ismael, it's pretty hard to argue that Bruce hasn't come in and managed to make us even worse than we were even at our lowest under Ismael. Ultimately Bruce took over a team that were 5th in the league and hadn't spent a day outside the top 6 all season, and within a few weeks has taken us to mid table and all but out of the running for a play off spot.

Just to be clear, this is not all Bruces fault. The players, the board and Ismael (and arguably the fans) all deserve criticism for where we are now. However, Bruce was bought in as a short term fix with just one objective which was to make the top 6. To not only (probably) fail at that, but to fail within the first few weeks is a huge underperformance.

Some can say it's harsh to judge Bruce at just 4 games and to an extent I agree. To expect someone to take a team that is badly sliding and turn them around straight away is tough. If we bought in a younger or longer term appointment, then I'd almost be willing to write off the next few months, allow the new guy the shape his squad and begin to implement his style, whilst viewing which players are and aren't up to his standards. The issue is (and this is similar to the Allardyce appointment) Bruce was bought in specifically for one short term aim, and nothing else. There is absolutely no reason or plan to have Bruce in charge past the end of this season and his one job was to make the top 6. If he's failing/failed at that then its hard to view it as anything as an utter disaster.

Great post.

Your last paragraph nails it. We had a young manager trying to shape a squad in his style and he was hounded out after six months. You say people would be more willing to accept and write off the season but October 21 to January 22 proves they aren't.

Come June we'll be looking for a new manager, with less money and one year closer to the end of the parachute safety net. What great planning and execution by a thoroughly dysfunctional football club.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: This “rebuild”

« on: February 23, 2022, 08:35:57 AM »

The most frustrating thing about any potential rebuild is that it won't happen under the current manager. As a short-term appointment it's already proven a failure as there has been no improvement, from a manager renowned for starting well in jobs.

Ismael was finished, but honestly, as is always the case with the Albion I'd sooner have kept him than gone back to the past the sell by date manager we've now got. He wont be here past the end of the season. If we carry on as we are I'd be surprised if he's here until the end of the season. If we're now acknowledging this season is a write off four games in, we might as well have stuck with Val and let him tear this team to pieces in the summer.

Now we're back to square one having paid off Ismael's contract, his compensation to Barnsley and another year closer to the end of parachute money. Brilliant.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: February 23, 2022, 08:15:16 AM »

Again, still don’t see your point? He played 4 at the back against Blackburn and we looked defensively sound against one of the best strikers in the league so he switched to 5 at the back against Luton instead of realising that the defence he’d picked was sound and looking at the other end of the pitch and the dismal Grant and Reach playing in a role that he clearly cannot play.

The manager isn’t at fault for how poor we are but he has yet to do anything to help

We're worse at defending and even worse at creating chances since he took the job. Wasn't expecting miracles, but I didn't think he would rip up the one aspect of our team that did function.

I like Bruce, seems like a good bloke but he should be in Barbados waiting for the cricket to start. He doesn't need this. He won't be here past the end of the season and the mythical rebuild starts again in the summer.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: February 23, 2022, 08:06:41 AM »

Got rid of the dismal four at the back and played an extra midfielder. Those are pretty big changes.

As for playing players out of position, last night was hilarious. I think he picked it out of a hat.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: February 23, 2022, 07:51:54 AM »

Pretty undeniable that Bruce, by largely making the changes the fans wanted to see has made us worse by every measure. Shows how much the fans know.

I feel for the bloke, I genuinely don't think he understood the scale of the challenge with this squad.

We've gone from a side that struggled to score to a side that still can't score and now can't defend either. It's a dangerous mix.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: February 19, 2022, 04:46:00 PM »

He's made us worse.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: February 19, 2022, 04:30:46 PM »

Easy to blame Val for this, but other than the last five games he didn't serve up anything this bad and we did occasionally score and win.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: February 09, 2022, 08:58:59 PM »

Seems a lot of people 'happy' to be proven right that it's the players despite that they've only watched 45 mins under Bruce.  Literally the phrase "they couldn't wait" applies.

There was enough in that first half for me to think we should get behind the players and the manager rather than write them all off yet again.

I am happy. t's always fulfilling although I thought I'd be used to it by now.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: February 09, 2022, 08:44:35 PM »

There is no hypocrisy - Bruce has had 45 mins, Val had 29 games.

We looked miles better than previous games - anyone could see that.

Miles better = create a good chance and miss it, pass it around in front of their defence and forget how to defend.

Ok mate.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: February 09, 2022, 08:40:46 PM »

Let’s give Bruce a bit longer than 45 minutes, eh?

I've nothing against Bruce. Just highlighting everyone's hypocrisy.

That's a carbon copy of most games we've played this season. We've not played well, we're absolutely toothless and it looks as though we've forgotten how to defend in the last week as well.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: February 09, 2022, 08:36:44 PM »

Val was hammered for a lack of discipline and players missing sitters. I hope everyone on here who got what they wanted is consistent in their criticism. Having watched that 45 mins, you seriously have to question what on earth the point of changing manager was.

At least we're playing four at the back, we look brilliant in that regard.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: February 09, 2022, 08:25:27 PM »

Fair play Steve Bruce for taking the only thing this team was any good at and breaking it. What are we doing at the back?!