[timdon]

Bilić famous man management  key to a harmonious squad...

Pull the other one.

Cheap dig. Austin admitted that he hadn't been putting sufficient effort into training. Do you condone that? Bilic was quite right to sideline him with that attitude. He only started training properly when he thought he'd be leaving??? Disgraceful lack of professionalism.

[liverbaggie]

So he can be slack in training but still get paid the same?
How so?

[johnny Cash]

I dont see a lot wrong with what Austin has said. It's just the way football is sometimes. He doesn't seem to feel it was personal or hold any grudges.

The quote about not training doesn't read correctly, so I would question if it has been recorded correctly / hits the context it was said in. I think Austin is a savvy enough operator not to announce he downs tools.

However, If anyone thinks players train full throttle when they are are cast from the main group and don't see a way back in, I think they'll be disappointed with the reality. 

[gerry m]

I dont see a lot wrong with what Austin has said. It's just the way football is sometimes. He doesn't seem to feel it was personal or hold any grudges.

The quote about not training doesn't read correctly, so I would question if it has been record correctly. I think Austin is a savvy enough operator not to announce he downs tools.

However, If anyone thinks players train full throttle when they are are cast from the main group and don't see a way back in, I think they'll be disappointed with the reality.

'However, If anyone thinks players train full throttle when they are are cast from the main group and don't see a way back in, I think they'll be disappointed with the reality.'

But they are happy to pick up their full wages at the end of the month though.

[TheJacko2000]

I dont see a lot wrong with what Austin has said. It's just the way football is sometimes. He doesn't seem to feel it was personal or hold any grudges.

The quote about not training doesn't read correctly, so I would question if it has been recorded correctly / hits the context it was said in. I think Austin is a savvy enough operator not to announce he downs tools.

However, If anyone thinks players train full throttle when they are are cast from the main group and don't see a way back in, I think they'll be disappointed with the reality.

Come on mate you know the score, we can't let anything take the shine off Slaven's halo 😉

[timdon]

I dont see a lot wrong with what Austin has said. It's just the way football is sometimes. He doesn't seem to feel it was personal or hold any grudges.

The quote about not training doesn't read correctly, so I would question if it has been record correctly. I think Austin is a savvy enough operator not to announce he downs tools.

However, If anyone thinks players train full throttle when they are are cast from the main group and don't see a way back in, I think they'll be disappointed with the reality.

It was pretty obvious to those of us with our eyes open that he wasn't training properly.   At least a stone overweight and completely shattered within the hour.

[johnny Cash]

'However, If anyone thinks players train full throttle when they are are cast from the main group and don't see a way back in, I think they'll be disappointed with the reality.'

But they are happy to pick up their full wages at the end of the month though.

As is everyone of us, when we finish work a bit early, or arrive a bit late, or spend 10 minutes surfing a forum during office hours.

I'm not going to say its 'right' but as I've got older I've given up holding footballers to such high standards. Human nature is human nature.

[timdon]

As is everyone of us, when we finish work a bit early, or arrive a bit late, or spend 10 minutes surfing a forum during office hours.

I'm not going to say its 'right' but as I've got older I've given up holding footballers to such high standards. Human nature is human nature.

So if you were West Brom manager, and players were arriving late, leaving early and not putting much effort into training, you'd be fine with that because it's "human nature"? Doubt it very much.

[johnny Cash]

So if you were West Brom manager, and players were arriving late, leaving early and not putting much effort into training, you'd be fine with that because it's "human nature"? Doubt it very much.

Clearly i'm talking here as a fan and from my perspective. Not as in a fantasy land where I am manager. I agree with moving Austin on.

However I also know  clubs have 'bomb squads' and players on the periphery, you'll not get away from that. You'll rarely have all people on side, especially when results are poor. The managers job is to manage that, trying to shift them, gee them up, or stop it affecting the rest of the group.

I'm sure CA could have looked after himself better and I'd agree he did seem unfit, I dont think I've disagreed with that.

[paulosull]

Glad he's gone if that was his attitude

[NJS]

Austin has rejected us in a previous transfer window and earlier on in this.
He's getting desperate.  Is he  likely to come in get himself on the treatment table as much as possible and pick up his pay checks?

I've done what someone suggested above and gone back the the earlier posts.  It was a mistake to bring him in but typical of recruitment of this club in recent years.  Another Ivanovitch anyone?

[Albionic]

I've done what someone suggested above and gone back the the earlier posts.  It was a mistake to bring him in but typical of recruitment of this club in recent years.  Another Ivanovitch anyone?

I think the consensus is Ivanovic is shot and he has an 18 month contract doesn't he?  Another example of signing has beens, being disastrous.

If a get a few days, I'll start compiling a list ! I personally can go back as far as Geoff Hurst, this club does not learn and the fans are so desperate that they often forget.

[timdon]

I think the consensus is Ivanovic is shot and he has an 18 month contract doesn't he?  Another example of signing has beens, being disastrous.

If a get a few days, I'll start compiling a list ! I personally can go back as far as Geoff Hurst, this club does not learn and the fans are so desperate that they often forget.

Think it was only a year thankfully.

[Albionic]

Think it was only a year thankfully.

Still unforgivable !  As an aside, How he managed to perform as he did on debut is still baffling to me !

[bangkokbaggie]

On a different note never liked his off-field character when being interviewed.

[AlbionFan]

Still unforgivable !  As an aside, How he managed to perform as he did on debut is still baffling to me !

Name the Albion player that scored a hat trick in a World Cup Final?

It was worth the money we paid for him just to be able to ask that quiz question 😂😂😂

[wbastrollers]

Name the Albion player that scored a hat trick in a World Cup Final?

It was worth the money we paid for him just to be able to ask that quiz question 😂😂😂

I believe Geof Hurst was the only player to score a hat trick in a World Cup Final!!

[Dexy]

This was the bit that stuck out for me

“I went to see Sam [Allardyce] on the Friday, and he just said ‘look, we’ve accepted an from QPR for you to go and speak to them,"


So SA didn't rate him either.

I think Austin's wages went up when we got promoted , quite an increase too from memory .
Think we have to be greatful it was his beloved QPR that came in , I was sure he'd just let that contract run out .

[gazberg]

Believe he went from 50k in the EFL to 70k in the PL. Jeez.

[paulosull]

Believe he went from 50k in the EFL to 70k in the PL. Jeez.

who the hell is sanctioning these deals? Gobsmacked when I read HRK was on 55k when he signed and still miffed that Evans had 3 million release clause when we got relagated.

[WBArgo]

The thing is with Austin though, we all knew he was a bit lazy and had an attitude from his time at Saints and even in his very early semi-pro career he didn't take football professionally.
We also paid over-the-odds for him...

BUT - he ultimately got us promoted and I think he was our top scorer last season. Remember, we didn't really have a goalscorer as a striker last year (HRK was the best one really which says a lot) so Austin scored some massive penalties and goals.

I think sometimes if you want promotion, you have to just sacrifice the long-term for the short-term with strikers. I know we could have possibly bought in a better striker but another way of looking at it is that you invest say £8 million in Austin to get promoted and access to £150 million or whatever it is...I don't think anyone on the board or as fans viewed him as a long-term striker in the Premier League and 2 years is probably the shortest deal he would accept.

[Standaman]

Another terrible signing. There is no way we paid him anything like £50k a week in the Championship had we not got promoted that wage alone would have been a calamity and a millstone around our necks this year and that was before Covid struck. Even at £25k a week you have to crush the Championship to justify it. Austin didn't and never looked like doing so. 

[beechyboy90]

He was probably on 30k a Week up to 60-70k on promotion.
He played his part got his vital goals and we have now probably managed to shift 20k a week off the books for 20-30 weeks so 400-600k saved for the club

[Albionic]

I do not accept the he got us promotion argument at all, he was joint 29th highest scorer in the championship. Yes joint 29th on a par with such luminaries as Tom Lawrence / Keiffer Moore & Jed Wallace, who??? I hear you say !!!,

Think about that in the context of our season and how many pens he scored. Simply A very, very average championship striker who we paid fortunes to, Bilic and Allardyce got it right, whoever signed him did not !

[darby009]

I do not accept the he got us promotion argument at all, he was joint 29th highest scorer in the championship. Yes joint 29th on a par with such luminaries as Tom Lawrence / Keiffer Moore & Jed Wallace, who??? I hear you say !!!,

Think about that in the context of our season and how many pens he scored. Simply A very, very average championship striker who we paid fortunes to, Bilic and Allardyce got it right, whoever signed him did not !

he was most definitely a Bilic signing, he eluded to this on the interview he did with Stan Collymore, Bilic personally called him to convince him to join