Table-topping Albion boss Tony Mowbray remains braced for a critical backlash if he misses promotion.
The Baggies are the talk of football’s second tier - and top of it for the first time since February - after a live TV screening captured another richly-entertaining and high quality performance in the 4-2 defeat of Charlton.
Watford’s surprise 0-1 home defeat by Plymouth ensured Albion remained top after serving up Saturday’s lunchtime treat.
And it is the style of Albion’s march towards the Premiership which is wowing the game and will be in focus yet again on Saturday when Mowbray’s free-flowing team face a culture-clash collision at Stoke.
Tony Pulis’s side remain one the division’s most successful Route One exponents and will once more provide a fierce examination of Albion’s ability to withstand the physical challenge of Championship football.
Mowbray is more committed than ever to delivering successful football with style while acknowledging that he will be in the firing line of the Baggies miss promotion for a second year running.
“The time to judge is at the end of the season when we see how many points we’ve got and, if we miss out again, I’ll be there to take criticism,” says the Albion boss whose team are averaging more than two goals a game.
Meanwhile, Mowbray today distanced himself from weekend media speculation linking Albion with Villa striker Luke Moore and Hibernian defender David Murphy.
Both players are reportedly unsettled at their current clubs but Mowbray said: “I have never had a conversation with Martin O’Neill about any of his players.
“And I have never had conversations with either John Collins or Gordon Petrie at Hibs either.”
39 Comments
What about having a conversation about Thomas Sorenson ?
Quite right that TM is taking nothing for granted - leave it to the fans to dream of promotion whilst the team focus on winning games.
I don’t think TM will need to be worried come May - if we keep up this style and form we will be fine.
Stoke will be a hard game - nothing to do with a clash of style or us not being able to compete… Stoke are a good side and winning plenty of games. A point will be fine - just no more injuries please.
Tbf if you lot don’t get promoted, I’ll laugh in your faces, your team seems to have clicked, hopefully for us, Wolves will get its act together. Mick’s still the better manager though.
And Luke Moore? Dream on…
3 - I am laughing in your face right now… all that in mick we trust nonsense has soon gone aint it.
Why bother coming on here and posting rubbish about TM when you are on the wolves pages shouting for Mad mick to get the sack - you are a complete moron.
As for Luke moore - you said exactly the same thing when were linked with Chris brunt… he played well for us sat i thought.
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
TM is a general in terms of sexy football i heard on the grape vine that wenger played the mach to his team before the chelsea game and i quote ” thats how i wanna see us playing “
loyal wolf you can only dream of playing the football we do even mcarthy said so on sky
Im lost here, is this a headling from last year LOL….We will win as champs this season….Boing boing
WOLVES ONLY DREAM OF WHAT WE DO, WE LOST BIG PLAYERS AND THE DINGLES WERE LOVING IT EVEN THOU I SAID WE WOULD REPLACE THEM WITH BETTER..
AND GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT.
SUPER TONY MOWBRAY
Dear Santa,
I don’t ask for much at Christmas, but could you ask that nice Mr Mowbray if he could pop down to Molyneux & give Mr McCarthy some lessons…& bring Veno with him?
Dear Kent wolf,
Unfortunately you wolves fans have all bee very naughty all year booing your team and so you will be getting nothing from me this year (a bit like what you are getting off Mick McCarthy).
I was going to give you a tangerine but then noticed you already have freddy.
Happy Santa
sounds like chickens being counted before they are hatched
Happy
I would laugh in LCW`s face myself,
but where do you begin ?
The Freddy`s gonna get ya face
The in Merlin we trust face
The mad Mick must go face
The list is endless
Maybe the Wolves will get it`s act together face,
no…..i think i`ll go for the
Mick still the better manager though..face.
That comment has come from a
comic genius or an oaf
Everyone thought we’d struggle losing Kamara, Koumas & Davies, but we haven’t, thanks to TM’s astute eye in spotting the talent to replace them, and gelling the team to play total football, saturday’s game was a joy to watch, long may it continue, and dingles, you are only jealous, you can only dream of what we have.
We are the Arsenal of the championship and that is why everyone is talking about us and why we are constantly linked with decent players, we are on the up, yes, “WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE”, read it and weep.
We know it is only half done but we know we can claw back a hefty points lead at any time, cast your minds back a few years!!!
Boing boing, here comes the Premiership, TM keep up the good work.
Lets try and be nice to the Dingles. Even the most rosey eyed optimists/deluded morons among them are now acknowledging the quality of football we’re playing. They’d sell their Garnnies for a midfield like we’ve got - or eeven a loan of Super Kev, so let’s give ‘em a brek this Christmas and remember our less fortunate neighbours.
lol. happy .. ive said it b4 and ill say it again .. you’re sooooo
funny mate !!
as for this story, i doubt TM will get the sack as i could put all my £££ on WBA gettin promoted.
congratulations to tony for his tactics etc. the reason he’s better than MM is because he bought quality etc and went abroad for players like that teixera or whatever hes called.
as for us “young and hungry” and all that ireland b******s has got us nowhere. so the moral of the story is .. happy-baggie is a great guy and TM is a good manager. p.s dont ask if im a secret wba fan. i simply look beyond our rivalry ;]
Only table that matters is the one at the end of the season.
Imagine if were 12 points clear and then bottled it. Wonder if that has happened before??
Dingles have blew up big time. 22 games and 22 goals. Instead of “the custard bowl” should be called the “sleepy bowl”!!
BORING, BORING DINGLES!!!
YOU’VE LET US DOWN AGAIN?
Ring any bells ???
Mowbray will leave you when a better offer comes in for him
9 cant have T.M and VENO is one of our own now SORRY! BOING BOING
Definately agree with HB as regards the Stoke game, would settle for a point all day long - even if it means allowing Watford to regain (temporarily)top spot!
The leadership will change hands (at least)a couple more times yet over the course of the season, as long as we’re in the top 2 come last game in May that’ll do me!
4 points from next 2 tough games (Stoke & Bristol C)would be a great achievement.
You have,nt gone up yet,we might pip you at the post like you did to us.
Well said Cantello. Let’s be nice to those Dingles over Christmas. It must be hard seeing what’s going on at the Albion.
TM is trying to keep the players feet on the ground. Always a toughie at Stoke,. We say every year that it has to change but…………it never does!!!
pip
chickens and hatched look at the football we play then lets look at your team we got more goals than points where you have more points than goals but only just wake up smell the coffee and admire the better half of the black country looking down upon thee
merry christmas
There will still be the occasional hiccup gentlemen. That game on Saturday would have been lost last year. We outplayed Charlton comprehensively yet they were still in it up to the 80th minute. What price the Delilah Boys this weekend? I’m trying to remember when I saw us win up there. I do remember a draw back in 1967 when Graham Williams had a penalty saved in the last few minutes by Gordon Banks, (actually he dived the wrong way and it hit his boot), but that’s US against Stoke! If they can’t stop Brunt and Gera we could do it this time.
tony theres no need to be thinking about not going up , i think i speak for a lot of albion fans when i say its brilliant watching the boys again , weve always had a reputation for playing attacking football not like our neighbors, blues have always been kick anything that moves type of team and the dingles have always been long ball merchants, so we are proud that everyone is talking about our style of football again
i think some tesco fans are getting too much into the christmas spirit the season doesn’t end at christmas
so calm down you are only a few of points clear of about half the division and cant stop leaking goals.
heard we may be after a Chec keeper, voted No 1 in chec league klast season, was apparently at the hawthorns on saturday ?????
>>so calm down you are only a few of points clear of about half the division and cant stop leaking goals.
maybe, but we can’t stop scoring goals either….if you hadn’t noticed +21?
hoppy-boggie and all his comrades make me sick, come on here giving it the bigun, if they haven,t heard booing down the piggies then they must be deaf or not there. Albion are the best team in the divison easy, yet they are still struggling to get more than 20k, i would have thought with all the goals and the sexy football the place would be packed to the rafters, strange that, they are the most arrogant supporters in the country, even if they lost 10nil they would suggest they were the better team. Hoppy-boggie , is not a true football fan , he’s one of this west birmingham albion radio WM listners who have such a sad life they have to come on boards like this to make a life for themselves, hoppy-boggie if i was use iwould get another hobby and forget about Wolves it’s making you look silly
This site is for the Albion faithful to have healthy discussions about THERE team/club so what on earth has it got to do with slug brained dingles.
Go back to your own board and continue with the get MM out campaign.
OH and Happy Baggie is a true supporter not a Wolves glory hunter (NOT)
Tipton wolves - if i was “use” i would get either a dictionary, a spell checker - or better still… an education.
Not sure how wolves are making me look silly - I don’t pay to watch that rubbish.
thanks for finally admitting we are the best team in the division - but the jealousy is affecting your brain - go have a lie down.
TM is merely covering his back,there are no guarentees in sport.Albion should have gone up last year,they were,on their day,far and away the best team,the trouble was their ‘days’ got fewer and fewer as the season progressed,the players eyed big bonuses in the offing around April and rallied to their own cause not the clubs but at Wembley half of them knew they were on their way win,lose or draw and they didn’t show up.This time,with no known off field distractions there should be no problems but Gera and Phillips need to be offered contracts NOW and sold if they won’t sign them.
Amongst Tipton Wolves rant he does make one good point regarding the Albion faithful, or lack of. Surly if albion are playing good football (which they seem to be at the moment), why are the fans staying away?
On another note about the fans, the ones that turned up for the derby the other week were out sung all the way through by the wolves faithful, but that’s by the by…..
I for one was a wolves fan who thought albion would buckle after losing there “better” players but fair play to TM for buying quality players (i had certainly never heard of most of the newbies until they came to albion), that Tex bloke is pretty good.
I still think this league is wide open and anyone is capable of beating anyone. I mean just look at wolves having those old men in defence who have turned into the meanest defence in the championship at the moment.
I think a team from the black country and a team from birmingham will get promoted this year. Wolves and Albion, so chin up!!!!
Nathan 32 - nice try… your post is wrapped up in compliments and good nature but is just full of digs about attendances (again - YAWN) and cracks at the albion
so you think tex is “quite good” - well thats big of ya. He is probably the most skillful midfielder in the league - he is scoring regularly and he is a great “team” player - the sort of player you would give your right arm for.
Yes the league is open - but we are the form team - the best attacking team - the highest scorers - the team MOST likely to go up. It’s open - but lets be honest… even you lot think we will win it.
p.s - who is the team from the black country you mention ? You lot are south staffs.
to all the dingles posting with regards our gates I recon at the end of the season our average will come out on top.the goals scored total will be at least 50 more than the wolves which will bring promotion.going up in style.
One this is agreed - TM’s stint as Albion manager will be talked about for decades to come. Probably more so if we implode.
To have watched the first 22 games this season and seen the team deliver a +21 goal difference has been a joy I didn’t think possible at a football ground. Wasn’t so long ago I was happy if we’d scored 21 goals in 22 games!
Don’t worry, when they lose again like against Cov, they will all be moaning again like at poor Deano.
Boooooooooooooooooooo
Good Lord anybody would have thought the season is over. There’s a long, long way to go yet.
Was it mighty Albion who played us off the pitch recently? No!
Was it the mighty Albion fans who outsung us recently? No! (Did they sing at all?)
Could the mighty Albion sell all their tickets for the Black Country Derby? No!
I would wait until the end of the season before shouting your mouths off!
I’D RATHER BE A DINGLE THAN A ****!
It just ain’t going to happen.. not get promo that is… we score 2 a game average and play the best football by a mile!!! End of… Next year will be the best albion side i’ve watched since 79′!!
TM for President.
No idea why any wolves fans are on here gobbing off, we’re a right laughing stock at the minute, we need 4 or 5 new faces in January… oh wait i forgot, breen is on his way back, we’re all saved…
you’re surely having a laugh