Ishmael Miller today hailed Tony Mowbray as the key to his decision to join Albion after he beat the deadline to make a £900,000 switch.
The permanent transfer of the on-loan striker was the biggest Hawthorns deal of a deadline day that also saw the Baggies clinch the signings of Michal Danek and Kim Do Heon.
And Albion also beat off 11th-hour interest from Celtic to clinch a £150,000 deal for Scottish winger Graeme Dorrans to join in the summer.
The Baggies have paid £900,000 up front for Miller and the eventual transfer fee could rise to £1.4m for a striker who has hit 10 goals this season despite injury problems.
“I’m really happy to sign here,” said the 20-year-old. “I settled in really well when I first came and the reason is because all the players get along.
“I’ll miss Manchester a lot because I lived there for 20 years of my life. But I’m happy and that’s the main thing.
“I’ve done quite well so far. Hopefully I can carry on and help us reach the Premier League.
“Just to be playing against the best teams is what this club deserves.
“Tony Mowbray is probably the main reason I signed.
“I like him as a person and hopefully he likes me. He’s brought the best out of me and credit to him.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for him and he can make me a better player. I know he’s going to take the club places.
“Hopefully, I can keep repaying him and we can go places together.”
Miller’s permanent capture was the first deal to be completed at The Hawthorns before a long night of phonecalls and faxes.
Czech keeper Danek was the next to sign, sealing an initial six-month loan from Viktoria Plzen.
And South Korean star Kim signed with around 15 minutes to spare before the midnight deadline.
Around an hour earlier Albion had put the finishing touches to a deal to sign Dorrans in July for a fee that could rise to £150,000.
He turned down a late approach from Celtic.
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19 Comments
Fantastic!!!!!! What a bargain at £900k. Still a bit raw and a lot to learn, but the potential is there for all to see!!
Be worth £9m in 2/3 years
Come on you baggies!
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It all looks goood on paper,now lets get it right on the pitch
I believe that each defender should go onto the pitch with a photo of the one he`s supposed to be marking,
so that when set pieces or corners happen they have a good idea of who to be next to.Joking aside this our downfall at present, we need to put our heads where it hurts for the cause if we are to go to the promised land automatically.
Saturday is the time to put it right ..we as fans will help as much as possible but i`m afraid the rest is up to you boys. Dont normally predict but WBA 3 Burnley 1. BOING BOING
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Their appears to be an awful lot of respect between TM and Ishmail, and I suspect that is the same throughout the whole team. TM is shrewd enough to make the loan system work well for us , and if a player does not subscribe to the team ethic i would guess his card is swiftly marked.
Done some great business despite an earlier comment that the January window was not of great interest to TM and Peace
Never play cards with these guy’s
Roll on to morrow and back to winning ways
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Nice we are considered a better place to be than Celtic. If we were playing in Scotland I am sure we would be in Europe. Lets hope with our current captures in the jan window, we can push on in both Cup and league, get promoted and then next term push on so that European football can be a reality in the next 5 years again at the Hawthorns. We’ve watied far to long for those glory days to return, and I my be getting carried away but tell me does any one else have the faith in this current set up to dream a little like I do sometimes ??
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great sighnings, buy why do we leave it till the last moment.nearly late for work this morning.
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Great business, well done to the Albion.
I thought I would come on here where I can’t get shot at by my own fans!
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AS usual shrewd business from Tony Mowbray. The very fact that all the players actually say they enjoy training (!) and the team spirit couldn’t be bettered, is proof that he commands tremendous repect.
THE main aim now is to ensure Promotion and this won’t be easy due to the Baggies attacking philosophy that leaves them vulnerable at the back.
But then a combination of Kevin Phillips,’Tiny’ Miller, Roman Bendar,Craig Beattie (and hopefully Sherjill Macdonald, will he ever score!?) should be capable of scoring enough goals to cancel out the weakness in defence.
Go for it Albion and let’s see a return to winning ways against Burnley on Saturday.
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6 - you were saying he was rubbish before… your trouble is you are too fickle.
(only joking - stay here where its all cuddly and nice).
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4, Im gonna keep that blog, cor stop laughin!!!
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Nathan your always welcome to come join the Mowbray revolution!!!!
Seriously though you get more backing from us Albion than your own.
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HB: your right about cuddly and nice on here but hope its a battle field at the Shrine tomorrow, OH could we do with a win after all thats gone on.
Nathan you seem like a nice guy…its not to late to change sides and come over to where its all happening. BOING BOING
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TJS’ - I’m sure TM and co have a long term plan and getting into the top 6 in the prem in the next 5 years sounds like the sort of thing he will be aiming at.
As someone who can remember the excitement of european football at the albion i would love to see those days back. Portsmouth are doing it, as have Bolton - no reason why we can’t get there too.
As for 9 - at least we have a long term plan - you guys are just running around like headless chickens - do you really think McCarthy and Moxey will ever turn you into a premier quality club ?
No, neither do we…
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Nathan: it’s time you listened to your heart and left the orange and black behind. We’ll even welcome “SandwellMassive” as long as he makes a long and painful apology for his crimes.
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Thought it was going to be a non event this t window, what a great bit of business.Ish thought would cost at least 3m and Danek described by pundits as one of the most promising young keepers in Europe!BOING BOING PS is TM obsessed with midfielders as MAD MICK is with strikers ?
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12, Now there are two of you at it! stop it! im going to wet myself! Hoo hoo!
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13 Paris.
Don’t you mean long and painful lobotomy.
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It’s been a hugely satisfying window with the players we have bought and it says a lot about the way the club is set up now. We have done better than watch videos or even games because all these players have been down to the Hawthorns for a trial or loan and so ToMo knows exactly what he is getting and that they will gell with the rest of the Squad. European football is something we should aspire to. If not why on earth should we bother entering into the Prem. 7 out of 20 teams in the prem reach Europe. 3 get relegated. When we go up we need to aim to be competing for the top 7 not just to avoid the bottom 3.
Some credit to the Chairman - his vision is becoming a reality and it will take time but we now have a great academy set up, an entertaining team, we are shrewd in the market and clear in his intent and he clearly has the interests of West Brom fans at the front of his mind.
Wolves may have the money but with Moxey the vision is always blurred and tainted.
Happy and TJS look out for Sandwell Massive at the Hawthorns…
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There seems to be plenty of fans disappointed by the fact that we have not signed any defenders in the
Jan window.
I maintain that we have very good,
even excellent defenders, that would shine in a more cautious team.
I personally think that our on-going
problem with set pieces is not necessarily down to individual players, more the system of defending set plays…….zonal,
i just don’t like it.
i would much prefer us to man to man mark at corners and free kicks.
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AMS: I will look out for sandwell massive in Brummie Road End. I will buy him a scalf after the game and at the end of the season buy him the season review DVD so he can aprreciate what he has been missing. Redemption is near!! Give me a cinic to connvert any day I love new converts wherever they come from !!
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