Dean Kiely today cranked up the build-up to Albion’s FA Cup semi-final by telling Premier League opponents Portsmouth: “We’re as big a club as you”.
Ex-Pompey goalkeeper Kiely drew the battle lines for Saturday’s last-four clash at Wembley by reminding his former side that the Baggies are as big as any club left in the Cup.
And the 37-year-old insisted Tony Mowbray’s men will not consider themselves underdogs when they go in search of their first Cup final in 40 years.
“It will be a great day out for the fans and for our families but from our point of view we’re not ‘little old minnows’ who find ourselves amazingly in the semi-finals,” said Kiely.
“We’re playing one level below the Premier League and we all feel that we are in the semi-finals on merit.
“We deserve to be where we are. We have done it by playing away from home in every round and from that point of view we feel it’s only right and proper that we are in the semis.
“We are a big club in our own right and if we have our way we will be playing at the same level as Portsmouth this time next year.
“This is a semi-final between two big teams and we are not going there thinking we are the minnows.”
Despite playing his first senior game for the Baggies just 14 months ago, Kiely became steeped in Baggies heritage during a spell as a trainee at The Hawthorns.
And his sights are now fixed on the prospect of joining the ranks of great Albion sides.
“When I was here as a lad I had the great fortune to work alongside legends like Tony Brown and Nobby Stiles – greats of the game,” he said.
“It left me in no doubt when I came back that I was playing for a big side.
“As current players we are all very respectful of the fact that we are playing for a big club with all those traditions to live up to.
“But we are equally aware that have the opportunity here to make a bit of history for ourselves and there is a real sense of expectation around the game.”
47 Comments
I totally agree with you Dean.Portsmouth are such a huge club LOL.
Kiely you seriously are disillusioned. Albion have been a yo-yo team for years and the fan base that you have has dwindled even when you are still in with a shout of Automatic promotion and the cup. What was it 20,000 fans turned up against Colchester then left before the final whistle. We never leave a game early even if we are on the end of a hiding. See you at Wembley playing against the team that you obviously have sour grapes due to them quite rightly showing you the door. How old are you again? This could be the last big game for some of your ahemm…Stars?…. Their nearly as OLD as you but of course because your such a big club you will replace them with the likes of Defoe and Muntari? haha in your dreams! You couldn’t attract Nugent let alone Defoe…Losers!
We are as big as pompey the only thing is is that there in the premier. I like pompey remember when they were at the albion on the last game of the season and they were all boing boinging? So if we lose to pompey i will be hopeing that they will go on and win the cup.
But lets all hope that we will be bringing the cup home
Boing Boing
2. Losers??? We’ll let the football do the talking for us on Saturday you Pratt
2- Pompey Stompey
Pompey are a decent club with passionate fans, but if you’re going to come on here, get wound up and take a swipe at us, then I think you’re foolish to start talking about attendances/club size etc.
Better history
Bigger attendances
More trophies
You might be having a good time of it at the moment, but eventually every club ends up roughly in the position they belong, give it 10 years and you’ll be back where you belong, which isn’t 6th in the Premiership.
COME ON YOU BAGGIES!!!!!!!!!
i do wish our camp would keep quiet before the game, win it & then we can start the comments!
No 2 Stumpy Pumpy (or something like that)
Keily is 37, as is David James I believe? Apart from Keily our oldest player is Super Kev at 34 then we have no-one elsi in the first team squad over the age of 30!! How old (and slow and cumbersome) is Sol again!! Big Ish will turn him inside out and leave him trailing in his wake!! Yes Keily was replaced but the manner in which he was dropped did your club no credit. I for one feel Deano will have (and will probably NEED to have) a blinder on Saturday, as he did against Charlton in Round 3 and apart from set pieces I don’t see you offering the goal threat without Defoe!!
Brunty crosses, Roman scores, Greening passes, Super Kev scores, Morrison passes, Big Ish scores!!
3-1 to the Albion, BOING BOING!!
(What’s your average attendance this year lol!!)
2. You complete muppet, your average attendance is consistently as big as ours, yet we’re “minnows” in the Championship and you’re supposed to be a massive club trying to finish 5th in the Prem? Get a grip mate.
I think someone has a short memory.. remember New Years Day 2002? Yes, when we destroyed you 5-0 at The Hawthorns. Then Mr Moneybags comes in and suddenly you’re a big club.. in your dreams mate, you’re as big as bloody Wigan.
Come on you Baggies lets stuff these skate idiots.
I thought it would be impossible to have more desire than I already had to win on Saturday - that was until Pompey stompey showed up. What mis-placed arrogance.
I bet Pompey wish they could fit 20,000 into their hovel of a ground
Old stars?? Unlike your young guns!!!
James 38
Primus 34
Lauren 31
Hreidarsson 33
Diop 30
Distin 30
Should be called pensioners not portsmouth
Having said all that I hope it’s a great game of football
Come on you Baggies
Campbell 33
Kanu 32
totally agree number 2
You just need an albion fan to ring a bell all game and annoy the hell out of you and then you’ll be as big as the Pompey. However I do agree with one comment of No.2 and that is attracting quality players will be a struggle for Albion where as Pompey don’t seem to have that issue!
i think somebody needs to remind kiely, portsmouth are in the top 6 of the PREMIER LEAGUE.
not TRYING TO hang on to a top 6 place in the CHAMPIONSHIP.
once again the baggies have all gone mental because they’ve got to wembley. and like before a serious dose of reality on saturday, will bring you all down to earth with a bump. you really do make yourselves look very stupid with these childish rantings,
No.5 Warren
10 Years? Great thanks i’ll take 10 years of this as it’s a lot better than the Championship. As for the arrogance from the rest of the Baggies fans lets see who feels a big team after Saturday. Please don’t cry again like last time you went to Wembley…It’s only a game. Regarding players….. Could you honestly see Defoe going to the Albion? No thought not! We’ll out sing you any day as we have something called passion.
12/13/14 I think you’ll find this is a debate about the FA Cup semi final, something W*lves will never participate in again in your sad and pathetic future.
Now kindly do one.
Oh by the way Southbank barmy Army, YOU SOLD YOUR SEAT FOR A PIE AND A PINT!
he needs to get over the fact that he wasnt good enough for Pompey is he trying to motivate the Pompey players and fans all by himself.
Pompey stompey, I used to respect Pompey after we relegated Southampton, but now I’m seeing that your lot are as arrogant as the scummers themselves! I sincerely hope we give your pensioners a good thrashing on Saturday.
Can’t wait to see Ish running rings around Campbell lol, oh and Clem will have Canoe in his back pocket all game!
Pompey Stompey Remind me what your attendance was against Wigan on Saturday 18,000?
Yes, WBA are as big a club as Portsmouth. Except they’re in the top 6 of the Premier League and WBA are struggling to get out of the 1st Division. Dean - stop making such stupid, glib statements and concentrate on the task in hand (and concentration hasn’t been your strong point of late, has it?).
Anyone thought pompey stompey might be a wolves fan?
Southbank!
Condemmed & Empty if I remember it..bit like your head!
No 5
“Better history
Bigger attendances
More trophies”
yep thats Wolves
Sorry Number 2 But our players have a lot more pace than yours and ok you have got our Neil Clement in Sully Ali Muntari and Ish/Bednar will be on Campbell’s back all afternoon. Hey if we do get thru to the final any1 up of going to Scandinavia? (UEFA Cup)Super Kev 2 score? Brunty with his Magical Left Foot! and Zolly with his skill Robbo with his Vinny Jones Tackles! AND MOWBRAY PLZ PRACTICE DEFENDING AND SET-PIECES!
COME ON YOU BAGGIES
we aint as big as pompey we are bigger much bigger
boing boing baggie baggie
This may shock you but I agree with DK.
To me, a club size is based on its fan base/history etc not the current team on the pitch. Otherwise Wigan would be bigger than Wolves.
I think Albion and Pompey have similar history and fan base so fair play.
On paper Manchester United should be playing in this game - but they are not. On paper Portsmouth should beat WBA and as a Pompey fan I hope they do. Portsmouth are full of International players and are a very good side. WBA have some excellent players and on their day could beat Pompey. Why people come on here to slag off the opposition I just don’t understand. I hope it is an excellent game and does Wembeley credit.And as a football fan I will be supporting Pompey not slagging off the oppostion.
27) much kudos well said
15. The only reason Defoe is at Portsmouth is because of money.
The only reason you are where you are in the Premiership is because of money. You are the poor man’s Chelsea.
Take the foreign investment out of your club and you will be back in The Championship in no time.
have you noticed how neil clement is mr superstar again all of a sudden (not) you lot make me laugh , pompey 3 nil and easy
Albion ARE bigger than Portsmouth, and that’s coming from a Wolves fan (They’re not as big as Wolves though ;0)).
There are a few teams, who are in the prem solely because of their sugardaddy’s, and Portsmouth are one of them. I don’t dislike Pompey, but it’s a fact that over the years the Albion are bigger and as someone else has stated earlier in this thread that will be reflected sometime in the near future when Wolves and Albion are back in the top flight pushing for the top 6.
mm would we swap with portsmouth ..yes enough said!!! ( i would like to live near the sea!!)
Don’t really have any gripes about Portsmouth.
They are doing well these days and wish them well apart from Saturday.
Lets just do our talking on the pitch.
Lets just settle this:
WOLVES-F.A Cup winners-4 times, League Cup winners-2 times, old div 1 (now prem) winners-3 times
been in uefa cup and european cup (champions league)
POMPEY-F.A Cup winners-1 time, League Cup winners-0 times, old div 1 (now prem) winners-0 times
ALBION-F.A Cup winners-5 times, League cup winners-1 time, old div 1 (now prem) winners-1 time
FAN BASE SIZE-
1. Wolves
2. Albion
3. Pompey
there we go
Pompey Pompey, you only have one song!
Off the subject (slightly)….over the years Pompey have been a lucky club for the Baggies. 3 wins out of 4 in the FA cup, 2 of which resulted in Albion going on to win the cup in 68 and the famous promotion and cup double season in 31.
Then of course there was the great escape beating Pompey on the last day of the season and the sight of Pompey fans in Baggies shirts and boinging with us when we scored! I guess that won’t be the case on Saturday!
Also, 1994 escaping the drop from what is now the Championship on the last day winning at Pompey when our supporters clearly outnumbered the Pompey fans. Who could forget that day!
Bring it on!
34 we have aso been in uefa cup under atkinson and the old cup winners cup, saying that though, we were in the anglo italian cup too. boing boing
Portsmouth are nowhere near as ‘big’ a club as Wolves & Albion…they are more, well…’Coventry’ sized.
Simon
Yeah, course you are.
Portsmouth a big club? Don’t make me laugh, they are Southamptons poor relations, attract players? don’t make me giggle….They only sign old has beens who can’t play for the big four anymore..FACT! No fans, poor ground, NO HISTORY. I,m LMAO at Pompy, they will be relegated within the next three seasons, and Kanu was binned by us! He is 48!
The facts speak for themselves this season.
Portsmouth have won at Bolton, Reading, Villa, Birmingham, Newcastle, Wigan, Fulham and Blackburn in the Premiership. Oh and also at Old Trafford in the Cup.
Don’t think they will be overawed by facing The Baggies
Harry Redknapp will be anxious to play in Europe next season…..I can’t see them bottling it expecially when they have Barnsley or Cardiff to face in the Final !!
Bolton, Reading, Villa, Birmingham, Newcastle, Wigan, Fulham? LMAO, They are all rubbish! And that game against Man Utd was like the alimo! It should have been 9-1 to Man Utd. So dream on Wetone…oops Weston!
methinks pompey stompey is a wolves fan but darent admit it! They dont grt maany express and dingles on the south coast! plus the big club/small club thing is wolves mantra!
In Harry Redknapp Pompey have the best ENGLISH manager in the Prem and that,(plus sugar-daddy money) is why Defoe signed. The ground is still early 20th Century but that can change if Harry stays with them, but if England calls, he’ll be gone. Then they may struggle. It could be anything that happens on Saturday, our fast kids against their experienced old men. The extra space might decide it.
well I can’t stand Villa or their fans, Brum or Wolves are no better. So out of a bad lot I kind of like Albion, I was impressed by the Pompey fans supporting with West Brom when Saints went down. I think it will be a good game, but Keily’s comments will only raise the game for Pompey. Everyone talks about the players, but I think will be the master class of Redknapp to WBA. Pompey will be too much class, but to reach the semi’s is a great feat.
club might be as big but not the team,theyve got a shit ground but good support and a fantastic mid league team,think they’ll win cup.also think albion will have a nearly season and shed a few tears when wolves sneak into prem by way of playoffs beating them in final..booom booom..
The evidence does point to Pompey Stompey being a Wolves fan but even if he isn’t, does it matter. It means they have one idiot fan, they have thousands of decent, real fans. It’s like condemning Wolves over the morons that post their bile on here when I’m sure we’ve all got good mates who are Wolves fans, I know I have. Let’s just ignore the daft kids with their ‘my dad’s bigger than your’s’ jibes. Getting involved makes us as petty as them.
“my clubs bigger than your club, my clubs bigger than yours!” grow up Albion players/supporters, how is this arrogance warrented? You’re not top of the league & you aint beat a team in the Premier during your fluke cup run. You’re not that good.