Tony Mowbray will demand his players back their goalscoring power to claim their biggest victim yet in tomorrow’s FA Cup showdown.
Forty years after the most celebrated solitary strike in Albion’s history won the trophy for the club, the Baggies of 2008 return to Wembley searching for their 100th goal of this adventurous, roller-coaster campaign as they lock horns with Harry Redknapp’s Pompey.
But Mowbray acknowledges his free-scoring team must overcome the strongest opposition of the season in the shape of a Portsmouth side sixth in the Premiership and re-inforced with top-line international talent from at home and across the globe.
It is undoubtedly the biggest challenge so far presented to the team the manager overhauled and re-built nine months ago after the despair of Albion’s Championship play-off final defeat.
More than 32,000 Baggies fans are praying for a different experience this time and Mowbray’s blueprint for the game demands that his players do not allow doubts to undermine their attacking ambitions when they step on to the big stage.
“We’ve got to stay in the game, believe in the players, maybe take a bit of luck and fortune along the way, believe in our preparation, believe in the qualities we possess,” says Mowbray.
“This game is one where the motivation and the words won’t need to come from me.
“If anything, it will be a job of calming them down and making sure they play their football and impose our style on Portsmouth – which won’t be easy, of course. You see the quality players Portsmouth have got; they are physically a very powerful team, with a lot of pace and talent.
“They’ve got a good midfield and quality and experience and when you put all that together, and when I listen to myself talking about them, it shows you the size of our task.
“Portsmouth’s defenders will be better and their strikers will take up better starting positions and we must accept that challenge.
“But I’ve got confidence and belief in our players having a major effect on how this game goes.”
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46 Comments
Whatever happens I’m proud of you lads and we have had a rollercoaster ride this season. Things are never dull at the Hawthorns these days. We all have to have dreams and on our day we can beat most teams so go for it lads, no regrets!
Boing Boing
Gunh ho all out… not on your nelly, tm is sayin it so redknapp thinks it will be open!! We’ll win it with powerful counter-attacking football!!
Sooooooooooooooooo excited, and not a Crunchie Bar in sight.
It will be an early start and a long day, but what a day. Pressure off as we are underdogs, Pompey will hopefully be wondering what hit them come 2.30 pm tomorrow.
Train for Wembley anyone!!
Boing Boing!!
GO GET THEM LADS ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK.
No 3,
Im on the train from Snow Hill direct to Wembley at 6.12am
Cant wait!!!!
OH WHEN THE STRIPES GO MARCHING IN……
Mowbray’s right wev’e got more quality more strength,pace,experience,talent,enough said easy win then PLAY UP POMPEY
speaking as a villa fan all i can say is good luck to the baggies and i hope that in a few weeks you will be bringing the cup back to the midlands.
its coming home its coming home
Just watched the countdown clock tick to less than 1 day to go..
Ooooooohhhhhhhhh……….
Making excuses for your heavy loss even before the game and ‘oh what a great season we’ve had even if we don’t win we had a day out’.Pathetic.Is this success to you small minded neanderthals?…Wolverhampton will be flooded at 14.00 Sat with 40000 Wolves fans p…iing themselves.Enjoy your day ha ha.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
thats it shoot on sight lads kev n roman get ready to take the pickings off jameses clangers boing boing we going to wembley to score lots of goals
hi o pompey hi o pompey
10: Of course we will enjoy the day
We are not expected to win anymore than your
than your lot would be expected to win.
I would say reaching the semi’s in the FA Cup
could be construed as having an element of
success about it
Fortunately as can be seen from many of the posts from Wolves fans over the last few days you do not speak for 40,000 ??? Wolves fans They are not all as small minded and mean spirited as your goodself. Some have the decency and good grace to wish us well seeing a broader picture for Midlands football.
Found this on 606 - I take no credit.
Tony Mowbray’s - My Way
And now May is near,
and so we face our final matches,
to the fans i’ll say it clear,
i’ll name my team of which i’m certain,
we’ve played games that are full of goals,
we pass the ball on the ground but never the high way.
And Luke Moore, i expected much more from him,
we played the games my way.
Defenders, i’ve had a few,
but, then again too few good ones to mention,
i did what i had to do,
and as a result Greening passed the ball without exception,
i planned each attacking move,
each careful pass along the by-line,
And Luke Moore, i expected much more from him,
we played games my way.
Yes, there were times last season,
i said too much, especially after defeat to Sunderland,
but through it all when there was doubt,
i’d chew it up and spit out,
i faced the press,
and i stood tall and did it my way.
I’ve loved the goals, i’ve laughed and cried at Pele,
i’ve had my fill, my share of losing,
And now the play-off tears finally subside,
i find it all amusing,
to think i did all that,
and may i say not in a shy way,
oh no, defend not me,
we played games my way,
for what is a man, what has he got,
if not himself,
then he has got to play the way he truely feels,
and not the way of neil warnock and his speel,
the division shows,
i took the defeats,
and played it MY WAY!
Yes, we played my way!!!!!!!!!!!
optimistic wolf… So what if we lose we will get over it .
You will never get over being a pratt.
But thanks yes we will enjoy our day win or lose rain or shine traffic jam or nice free flowing roads
10
I wondered where you were, armed with your rapier
wit.
Now i have the answer, 40,000 you must have been cloning another 20,000 small minded plebs in your own image.
enjoy your day and fair play for getting there.
You won’t win though, all it will show is the woeful void between the premiership and championship.
Phillips might bag a few against terrible defneces in the championship but up against the likes of Johnson, Campbell and Distin he won’t get a look in.
to happy my clocks stuck on 184 days! i dont think its ever gone down, and i get this wolves fan going boing boing baggies baggies! if you want something doing do it the mowbray way
10) you sad sad sad man , roll on the 15th then its your turn. Till then shut up and get a life
portsmouth even without defoe will stuff you
to all of sandwelltown what 10 is trying to say is wolverhampton is alot bigger town then west brom so they will be more people hoping you lose wolves till we die
wbaforever - never thought i’d see the day!!!
shall we draw you a map where the goals are
21… And whats your point they are the 6th best team in the country so the chances are they will but you never know.
Talking of maps if you ever need a map of the Wembley area let us know.
22 Wrong …What 10 is trying to say is he is green with envy and would love to be going to wembley with wolves but it aint happening
24. We could could ask Keogh, Ward, Eastwood & Kyle to draw the map. But they wouldn’t even be able to find the paper.
We dont need Defoe for this one your defence is useless even Kanu will bag a couple and your ex scummer wont get a chance against Distn,Campbell, PLAY UP POMPEY
Fair enough, it will be quite funny being a Wolves fan if Albion loose tomorrow, but I dont think they will, this Premiership is well overated and personally, rivalry apart, id sooner a Midlands club bring win the FA cup everytime.
Good luck tomorrow guys, dont think you’ll need it mind.
3-1 to WBA
28 your avin a laugh Premiership overated, baggies can only survive one season at a time and wolves can’t even get there. 3-1 do me a favour you lot must all walk about with your heads in the clouds face up to it we’re stronger allround and a Kanu hatrick and 2 from Baros should round it up nicely 5-0 PLAY UP POMPEY
In Ish ,Roman and Super Kev we trust!!
COME ON YOU BAGGIES!!!!
Lets hope D.J has a clanger or two like Wayne Hennessy! lol
gold&black said: Apr 4th, 2008 at 3:01 pm shall we draw you a map where the goals are.
Shall we draw you a map where wembley is.MUG.
28 Your avin a larf the Premiership overated it’s so overated that baggies can’t stay there wolves can’t get there 3-0 leave it out even Kanu can score against your leaky defence pompey 5-0 Kanu 3 Baros 2 EASY PLAY UP POMPEY
come stevebullisking, don’t you know your so called town is a city, come on get a brain cell in that canine head of yours !!
33 your right it is a city,and you are just a bus stop in smethick.p.s woles till we die
LADS LADS,take no notice of all these dinglets cos there ssoooooooooooooooooooooo JEALOUS,why we are in wembley enjoying our yearly wembley trip just think of them stuck in dingleville with there chins dragging the floor and remember we are playing at englands finest home where they never will,,,,DOING THE DOUBLE THE MOWBRAY WAY,,,,IN STYLE AT WEMBLEY OF COURSE,,,,OH YES.
fair play 32 id love to see harry win the cup hi o pompey
trinny and susanne are in the area they wouldnt even conceed 4 goals to leicester, boing boing going to win nothing, disapointed after wembley again boing boing, going to finish 7th boing boing
have a good time tomorrow terry up until kick off that is as portsmouth are going to completely dominate, im going to watch arsenal v liverpool instead, let us know what the pubs are like for when wolves are in the play off final thanks
35 worcesterbaggie your comments about wolverhampton are similar to what carl hoefkens said about the area and your club? i bet hes glad every time you play away!
fairplay 32 iwould like to see harry win the cup hi o pompey
CUMON YOU BAGGIES!
Second time at Wembley lets make sure we win this time.
Twice in the matter of less than a year, how many times have dingles been there?
10.”Wolverhampton will be flooded at 14.00 Sat with 40000 Wolves fans p…iing themselves.”
I’ve always wondered why the place smells like a blocked drain in an old people’s home. Make sure that you clean up the mess afterwards.
Well done Sandwell Massive for the sentiment expressed. As a Baggie I can say we don’t mind you having a laugh at us if we lose, it’s what it’s all about, I’m sure if the boot was on the other foot we’d do the same. But that’s what it’s all about, having a laugh not the nasty remarks you sometimes get on here.
Pompey fans on here, whether they’re real or assumed. If you beat us I’ll support you in the final. There’s always been a good rapport between fans of our clubs and I can’t help liking Harry.
One other thing while on the subject. Harry being interviewed today. West Brom far and away best club in the cahampionship. With their squad they would have survived in the prem this year. His words not mine.
Nice to hear the manager saying go for it, however that might work in our div but leaves you wide open at the back. All I can say is I hope the game is entertaining.
Up the Wolves
I think nil nil, and a replay and a last min winner for WBA, the london press wont like that (or the bbc) but go for it, the West Midlands needs to fight back, wipe the smug smile of rednapp and his smug son, go for it and play the great football you have played this season.
Nathan
Thought i would reply before i hit the road.
I suppose we all have our………………..
“i`ve had enough of this crap”……….
threshold,
and number 10 was mine.
Speak to you Monday mate, win or lose.