Tony Mowbray today broke his silence on the Albion civic reception row and insisted the Baggies did not mean to disrespect fans.
The Albion manager claimed he was keen to avoid a drawn-out week of celebrations that could ‘dilute’ his plans for the return to the Premier League.
But he assured fans the club did not mean to snub them by rejecting the offer of an open top bus tour to celebrate their first title in 88 years.
“It is very important that the supporters know there was not a lack of respect for them,” said Mowbray.
“The team is what is important and we must be ready for next season. That started for me the minute the whistle blew at QPR.
“We had the achievement, but then you stick it in the record books, enjoy your champagne, enjoy your celebration, but the next day it’s gone.
“In my mind we have to get ready now and that’s why I worked until 8pm on Tuesday. I’m trying to be professional and give ourselves the best chance to stay in the Premier League and push on.”Mowbray insisted he did not take the decision alone to reject Sandwell Council’s offer of a civic reception, but he is backing the club’s stance.
“There are a few different reasons we didn’t do it,” he said. “Last Monday night the supporters had a great night and enjoyed promotion and the ones who travelled on Sunday will have enjoyed that too.
“Any Albion fans not at the game but watching the result coming in would have shared the warm sense of satisfaction of being champions.
“A lot of the players will have already done an open top bus and been around the town and waved to fans and then 10 months later found themselves relegated.
“We haven’t achieved what I want to achieve yet. We’ve got to keep striving, pushing and going and too much celebration and euphoria can dilute what makes you successful.”
Loading ...
87 Comments
AARRGGHH NEVER MIND..you can have a relegation party and parade next season.
DISRESPECT. Of course it was,Not only DISRESPECTFUL but downright DISGRACEFUL. A great club like WBA should value their fans, and share their achievments with them. I feel for the fans, who have been s–t on by the collar & tie brigade and then left it to the manager, who has bought success to the club to ‘SOFT SOAP’ the real fans. GOOD LUCK IN THE PREM ALBION FANS.
G-U-T-T-E-D
tony you are a star, we’re not worried about the open top bus parade. i can understand fans want to show their gratitude to the team but your spot on, lets get ready for something really special next season. best of luck. boing boing.
Quite right too. An open top bus parade would have been nice but completely OTT. We have only won the old Div 2. The real work starts now! Save the jollies for the day we win something truly worthy.
Fair play Tony -
It seems the wolves are more upset than we are - maybe they just want to see what a trophy looks like - or they wanted a day out.
Wolves had their big day out when they got a nil-nil against the champions - enjoy what you got guys and leave the big stuff to us.
Having read all the “disgusted” posts from people who never go to games I’m starting the think an open top bus is a bit like stone cladding… some people think its good - others think its a bit chav.
I think a “parade” is a nice thing for all those people who didn’t bother to watch the football - I’m more interested in what the club are doing to prepare us for next season.
jeez…im a wolves fan but even i find this hard to understand.
Why not enjoy the moment for now?
YOU WON THE LEAGUE FOR GODS SAKE!..
Did Mowbray not celebrate at the birth of his kids becuase he was thinking “no time to celebrate now i must plan ahead for their education/future”
The club have crapped on the fans with regards to shifting them out the seats and now this is the icing on the crappy cake…straigh out the Moxey school of charm,,,,perhaps youll get a pie & a pint first match of next season.
Right on lets start the work right now. Thats a profesional outlook if ever i heard one. No look at what i /we have done but look to what we can do
I did enough celebrating at the Moulinex Custard Bowl and at the Hawthorns after the Southampton game to last me a season. The only thing to celebrate if we get relegated is we’ll have more Black country derbies to look forward to.
1. Maybe they’ll start doing a “top ten” parade!!!
1 word my jealous friend.. CHAMPIONS…
Sorry, it is hard to dress this up as anything other than a PR disaster. I can accept the need to move onwards and upwards, but the club should and could have handled this a lot lot better. I fully accept Mowbrays explanation and if this club statement had have been the original one there would have been few complaints, rather than the one the PR department chucked out of ” letting the players have their holidays early”.
As i said yesterday, we have a fantastic team, manager, chairman, and we have now acheived our first aim, but please oh please sort out our clubs PR.
Who’s bothered about a bus tour?
Lets the players have a rest and a well deserved holiday.
They have certainly earned it!!!!
Lets be happy we won the league but thats its now.
As Mc Carthy said to Freddy Eastwood ” Its time to move on”
Michael Grey lives near me and he has about 8 cars!!!
Anyway i am going to organise my own celebration lads, HB, Terry, wbaforever, tonywba, cantello,baggieboy,worcester,laura, and all the rest, (sorry got bored with naming everyone).
We wont have a trophy but loads of laughs and loads of beer, i might even throw in some nuts.
Up for it or what????????
Whats this Happyboggie actually reading the albion pages instead of constantly looking at the wolves pages, its a disgrace.
Dudley Wolf totally agree the suits have left it to the hero of the hour to deliver their bad news to the fans.
Suggestion therefore:-
An open day perhaps at the hawthorns in pre-season could be a good time to parade the trophy ahead of a pre-season friendly. Fans could meet and greet the players in the Accadamey and for the youngsters the,re could be some photo ops with the players and the trophy. This could be open to all those buying a ticket to the friendly (sensible price) and we could have it as a regular pre-season fans day regardless of the silverware. Yes WBA need to be a professional club, but they need to recognise the need to manage strategic relationships and that starts with the fans !!
After giving myself a couple of days to think about this my mind has changed slightly. At first I thought it would be great to have the open-top bus, for the fans and the team, but now im with TM in the thought that the premiership starts now for us.
It would have been nice to see the support down at the Hawthorns cheering on the team this season, from start to finish, not just around the time we were confirmed promotion. Lets hope that we have sell out crowds all of next season, and really get behind TM and the team…I honestly believe we have nothing to fear as far as staying there is concerned!!!
BOING BOING
Bottom line is, someone made a gaff…. possibly quite a big gaff - but thats all it is.
Why let something so petty get in the way of what we have achieved - who would say “Yes we’re champions, but not having a bus tour has really spoilt it” ?? I’m suprised some people didn’t want a bus tour after the great escape too…
I couldn’t care less now - yes I would have gone for a look, but there is too much to be happy about to worry about this.
I’m sure someone in PR is getting the preverbial kicking - so lets move on.
I won’t be worrying about this when the fixtures are released or we start to bring new players in….
LOVIN IT !!!
Happie, agree totally with you,for those of us that go down /up week in week out we see the football on show, for me thats enough. Now lets get on with the business in hand and cement our place in the Prem. Boing Boing
14,you lot haven’t got one set of nuts between ya
I’m a football fan, not a bus spotter.
Keep up the good work TM, I appreciate it.
cant even take a couple of hours to thank your fans.
what a pathetic excuse for a football club, without the fans you are nothing.
Can’t say I am bothered about a parade.
Here is a radical idea if you really want to see the team how about going to a game !
You can even sit down
Bomber - yes I’m up for it…. no suprise there i guess. Our other get together was great so lets hope for a big turn out.
22 - what did your team do for you this season ? Your gaffer wouldn’t even jog round the pitch to the fans at the last game - now THATS shocking !!
gold n black wolf..lmao even with fans their nothing.
22.. How can you say what a pathetic excuse for a football club because they could not give the fans 2 hours.
Your team did not bother turning up for a whole season so what does that make your club.
We will still be fans whether they have a parade or not as we seem not to be so fickle as people like yourself!!
1.SBA .. perhaps we can share the party next yaer our relagation and your annual you have let us down party.
20. Thats a bit rich coming from Britain’s No.1 nut!!
Why are so many Wolves fans on here making comments.WBA are a football club getting geared up already for next season the same as Sunderland did last year not a fancy dress parade outfit.I got no problem with having not open top bus.The dingles will have one if they ever get to beat us again.
22. Thats not very nice.
What about Wolves?
What a pathetic excuse for a football club,
with the fans you are nothing.
Go and eat a lemon to be less bitter.
Wolves are going to lose all there decent players this summer ( all of about 3 ) and you will spend nothing and have another season in the chumpionship.
Staying down the Mc Carthy Wa!! With no style
OH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Poor ToMo having to justify what is not his decision no doubt.
I think the club have shot themselves in the foot here and although I understand their reasons I think they have wasted and opportunity and offended many of the fans who were at Wembley dissapointed and not a the Hawthorns or the QPR game to see the trophy.
Also given the lack of media coverage and winning the trophy away I think it is ridiculous to claim that fans have had their champagne etc… If it is now in the record books and then gone then why did Mowbray also say that he imagines these set of players will remain lifelong friends or reunite 20 years later. Surely the fans should have a part in that as well.
Oh and the rubbish about the journey we are on. We could spend 10 years in the prem and never win anything and then get relegated. Will we have a parade then to celebrate 10 years of no silverware. IT’S STUPID!
Without the fans (among over 10,000 who have already renewed their season tickets at 300 quid giving us a cashflow of 3 million for the transfer window) this club would be where Walsall is.
The board seem to have decided that we only matter when they can take our money. It’s disgraceful. Even given this surely the arguement about glory hunters and hangers on being attracted back for a parade would bring the club GOOD Business can be made from them and new fans kept for generations to come. I’d love it if my team that I have supported for 30 years suddenly became fashionable because we were successful. Why should that not be a further cause for celebration to see more West Brom tops at Merry hill than Man Ure Shirts.
With Stunts like this one though the club should look at reducing the capacity rather than increasing it.
A cheap gesture that costs next to nothing that the players enjoy that generates good PR for club and area.
What a wasted opportunity.
After a season where so much has gone so well this has got to rank as one of the most rediculous decisions of the year.
Seems Christmas has come early and Mr Scrooge has been the first to surface. It’s not too late to organise something different as a Peace offering to the fans - maybe in Pre-season
But we are Albion till we die and as Happy says by the time the fixture list comes out we will all be right behind them.
Yep, a bus would have been great BUT Mowbray’s got the right idea in focusing on next season and please don’t get turning on him now! So while I’d have obviously gone to show my support it’s not the end of the world, let’s focus on next season and making WBA an established Premiership team. I have EVERY faith in Mowbray so let’s all get behind him now instead of moaning about a frickin bus!!
I think its a good move from the club to be honest. Not only are these open top bus parades always dissapointing, but hes put the club first by spending the time we could have been celebrating by working hard for next season.
Everyone who wasnt at QPR had there celebrating at home to Southampton.
TM WANTED BUS TO START FROM THE CUSTARD BOWL
BUT GOT TURNED DOWN
SHAME REALLY WOLVES FANS COULD OF SEEN A TROPHY
TO REMIND THEM WHAT ONE LOOKS LIKE
BOING BOING TO THE PREM
I see the suns brought them out today Happy mate!!
Michael, nice to hear from you again, we havent heard anything from you for a while.
It is fantastic to have your insightful, intellectual wisdom rain down on us from above, bit like when we visit the Molineux, oh no thats something else that rains down on us!!!
Ok i might stretch to a bit of quiche and some chippolatas!!!
Now whose coming??????
Would a few hours out of the players summer really be to much to thank the fans. I cant see an open top bus being the difference between satying up and goin down. If it was an all day session the day before the season starts of cousre its a NO but surely 3 months is enough to get over a bus trip.
I think its disgusting. A title onlys comes around every 90 years for you guys. You’ll all be dead the next time. Your management has no consideration for your fans.
Bomber
I`m up for a get together mate, already posted
to that effect, along with other points,
didn`t get past the moderator, cant understand why.
Even Moxey wouldnt (and didnt in 03) put the brakes an open top bus parade.
Sounds like it was all Tony Nobody’s idea.
perhaps theyll do a relegation parade for you guys next season.
Total contempt towards the whole community not just the fans. Money from the media now so stuff you lot. You got this very, very wrong Tony. You may not realise it but there were just about 8,000 of us not that long ago when our money was relied upon as the media did not want to know us. This would have been a great family afair, young children hooked on being a Baggie. Now they will become ‘Glory Hunters.’
You are a seer..
I agree with Bomber that the PR handling of it hasn’t been great but I’m not bothered at all. I wouldn’t have gone anyway. I did my celebrating at the Hawthorns on the Monday night and Loftus Road on the Sunday……
anyway Wolves missing out on the playoffs by 1 goal is a better than any bus tour!
Champions 2007/2008
wbabomber I’m there!
I would be upset if wolves didn’t have one if we won something, the one we had for promotion was a real good night (mind you the way its going I’d be to old to care) Whats the point of achieving if you don’t stop to appreciate it
Laura Baggie
Was it the chippolatas or the quiche that swung it for you??
Only asking because i have just checked my bank account and after Southampton and QPR celebrations ive only got enough money for one or the other!!
I totally agree with Albion and Tony Mowbray on the bus parade. Its been done too often in the past, the loyal fans have been there all season and celebrated at the Hawthorns or QPR. In fact we’ve celebrated promotion twice already why do we have to do it again with the council? And also who picks up the bill for this? Too much is made of minor achievements these days. Its definitely over the top for regaining a place in the top flight and winning a league we were expected to win, anything else was failure. Its brilliant to hear Tony is preparing for next season now, its crucial to move quickly, Megson and Robson both failed in this regard. Wolves fans saying its a disgrace, its got nothing whatsoever to do with you.
If you had won the FA cup which eats into more of the playes summer time. would you still not of had a parade. going by the reasons why you havnt had one then an FA cup bus would also be a no.
I pity the fool.
Quiche - chipolatas… are these our new South American signings ??
I await the arrival of Nachos and his mate Tortilla with interest…
Are we getting Gera’s mate Goulash too ?
Deary deary me, this decision has upset the Dogeahds hasn’t it?!
Well Done Tony and the lads - an open bus tour wouldn’t change anything, WE ARE STILL THE CHAMPIONS!!!
Keep up the good work and lets look forward to another successful season, and without having to visit the hovel that is the Molinspew!
i’v got 4 things to say to all jealous dingles!!
1) GERA GERA GERA!!!!(Dingles 0 Champions 1) hahaha
2) Championship champions 07/08!!!!!!!!
3) ALBION - PREMIERSHIP!!! DINGLES - CHAMPIONSHIP
4) ENJOY WATCHING US PLAYING THE BIG BOYS NXT SEASON!!
BOING BOING!!!!!LAUGH AT THE JEALOUS DINGLES!
39 - You want to hope you don’t get a relegation bus parade next season. Or, sorry, are you going to storm the league AGAIN!
COME ON YOU BAGGIE BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wbabomber - was the chipolatas!!
There used to be a phrase, “He kicked him in the Goulash” did there not? Steptoe and Son? I’ve read all the above comments, agreed with all of them and disagreed with all of them, so I’m a definite ‘maybe’. Laura’s got it right. We would have all gone if there had been one, there ain’t, so forget it. If the Messiah says miracles are suspended for close season then so be it. Anyway, they’ll show us the pot first home match to wind us up. Tarra a bit, an’ thank yer fer ‘avin’ we.
What a shame. Although not an Albion fan this IS a snub to all Albion Supporters - particularly those unable to get to games and of ill health and unable to feel part of the celebrations.
Bad public relations Albion Board.
Laura Baggie, What have I told you !!! if I catch you messing with Bomber again you`ll be grounded.
Boing Boing.
The wolves fans may be just winding us up as usual but sadly in this case they are all too correct.
I’m a huge Mowbray fan but this just isn’t right.
And before you ask I’m a season ticket holder since I was a child, but like the vast majority no chance of getting to QPR.
It doesn’t matter how you dress this up it is disrespectful of the fans.
We actually had receptions for lesser achievements.
We did win something, we actually won the championship for the first time in 88 years!
Players and managers come and go, but the fans stay with the team, they deserve respect.
The trophy should have been displayed in an open top ad onto a civic reception, the team is part of the community.
MASSIVE OWN GOAL.
Sorry Cov Baggie - guess I’m still a little drunk from Sunday!
Tony - if someone is unable to get to games and is of ill health - how is standing in a big bus queue for hours gonna help them ??
I appreciate your honesty in admitting you aint a fan - so maybe you should find something else to moan about…??
Honestly - if you can’t think of anything sensible to say…..
Bomber, any Wolfies invited to your party?
yes it`s a shame there is on parade but why don`t the club put the trophy on display at the ground and even let the fans have some pictures taken with it,or maybe show it of too the fans who come to any pre season games at home.
Why does it seem that the Dingles are more concerned about us not having a Bus Parade than we are? o_0
Tbh i think you should be more concerned about which ex-sunderland rejects Mccarthy is going to buy!
‘Wolverhampton Sunderland Ireland Wanderers Fc’.
33. Custard Bowl ….We are a city not a small town in sandwell
The Football has entertained us this season, who needs a saft bus.
Hey Bomber, can I come? Not had much to celebrate this season.
I promise to stand quietly in the corner and try not to cry into my pink gin!
Kevs travel may give you discount on one of there bangers… But hurry youve only got till june!!!
eh bomber,count me and the mrs in,,i know terry well we sit by him in the brummie im sure tel would go to,,,,let us know where and when,,,nice one mate……HAVIN A PARTY THE MOWBRAY WAY ,,IN STYLE OF COURSE,,,OOOOOOOOOH YES
count me n nicole we,ll be there boing boing,hey WORCESTER your round pint a lager n a packet of crisp please
you cant rely on the buses these days anyway,boing boing the wheels on the bus go round n round
Big Ron would have dined out all summer on winning the championship but TONY MOYBRAY is working hard and we will do well next season ,so from a proffesional point of veiw he is right.Next season I can see us go one step further and win the cup then we will have a parade just like 68 when over 500,000 where there.PROUD TO BE AB AGGIE.
Look, it’s no good trying to dress it up.
If you went and asked all the baggie fans if they wanted to see the players on a tour of the town ie. open top bus. 99.9% would have said yes.
Now we find the same fans saying “well it doesn’t really matter”. Yeh right!
Southbank you are a muppet, out of the team that finished top and the team that finished 7th (below WBA, Stoke, Hull, Bristol City, C palace and Watford.
81 points, over a hundred goals in all competitions, FA Cup Semi-final.
OR
70 points, out of FA Cup in quarter final to Cardiff, miss out on play offs.
Who’s the joke, mmmm let me think.
One word muppet, CHAMPIONS!!!
CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY THIS WAY >>>>>>>>>>>>
FROM WOLVERHAMPTON LOOK FOR SIGNS SAYING WEST BROMWICH AND KEEP GOING
THEN LOOK OUT FOR LARGE SHINY SILVER TROPHY
LETS ALL LAUGH AT THE JEALOUS BITTER SOUR DINGLES
BOING BOING TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE
I love Tony Mowbray, he is a true mate.
We can celebrate at the Hawthorns playing Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc.
Comments on Wolverhampton being a city is true, but why does Wolverhampton Council keep trying to grab the limelight ? Heart of the Black Country ? Heart of the Black Country is Tipton, Dudley not Wolverhampton. How come they are trying to pinch Halfpenny Green airport and make it Wolverhampton Airport? Why not make your own history instead of latching onto other peoples ? Why not get a football team to rave about as you don’t appear to have anything on that score to shout about at the moment, or in the near future.
Very disappointed there is no open top bus celebration after becoming CHAMPIONS for the first time for 88years.THE baggies can compensate by parading the cup round the pitch on the first home match of the new season
it would have been nice 2 have a parade around the town 2 show the fans the cup who was not luckly enough 2 get tickets 4 the QPR game, very dissappointed !!!
What a let down !!!
No Parade… Boooooooooooooooooo!!!
Its simple really it’s our first trophy in 40 years…Yes its only the champions of the 2nd Division but c’mon they could have done it and sent the boys of on holiday in style. There really is no excuse. They could have managed the logistics and got everything in place ready for a parade on bank holiday Monday pending our winning the championship. All this about the players booking holidays is rubbish as well as they would have needed to leave May free just in case we missed out on automatic and needed the play offs which was always in Mowbrays mind given his comments on a regular basis in the final month of the run in. Its been a massive season in every way and so it is just a massive own goal by the club. It means so much to have finally won something…When you win something you celebrate… but never mind the opportunity has gone now..still i cant belive the wolves are more upset than we are…Cmon you baggies!!!
Everyone is invited to my ALBION party!!
Malvern wolf you can definitely come, you are our favourite Wolves fan, just got to pick a venue and a date. Anybody else noticed there are more and more women on this site, they all seem well informed and sensible aswell, dont worry we will bring them down to our level soon boys.
If we get anymore Sheilas on here Happy Baggie will be able to stop using that dating site!!!
ANOTHER PARTY
IM STILL HUNGOVER FROM THE LAST ONE
BOING BOING
75,sheila, I LOVE YOU XXXXXXXX BOING BOING
Fair play to (2) nice one. (8) was quite funny as well. This is wrong & a let down. I dont see how it can be said no disrespect to the fans & then in the next sentance: the team is whats important! Not good. I can only hope something special is happening and this is only the beginning. One hell of a parade for when that happens though. please!
56.oh my god an honest Baggie you don’t usually see that on here.
well done for not being a bullshitter like the rest of them.
and yes its not jealousy or bitterness it is to wind up the idiots and they always fall for it.
and what is even funnier is that we actually let them know its a wind up and they still fall for it. not too bright some people.
ONE WORD YOU LOT WILL NOT FORGET (RELEGATION)
west brom : the “derby” of next season
You are Division Champions heading for the Prem. youve followed your team year in and year out. You deserve a parade with whistles and bells 88 years and YES it is disrespectful. One day for the fans that would have sold their grandmother for a ticket ,Thats all that needs to be said.
I’m afraid this says everything about mdern professional football. Prices keep going up, your patience and commitment is begged for when things are going badly, but as soon things are on the up they don’t care anything about the supporters. Question asked in the WBA boardroom, how much can we charge people to see the bus ride? Nothing! Forget it then.
at least we wont have to weld the top back on to our bus like the the Dingles will have to
Up the BAGGIES Well done and good luck for next season
Happy Baggie: “See what a trophy looks like”???? While you’re admiring your first title in 88 years think how much better it’d be if you’d won 6 championships, 3 FA Cups and 2 League Cups in that time.
2nd class team - always were, always will be.
One good thing though, at least you’ll be better than Derby. Probably