Manager Tony Mowbray wants Albion to play like Arsenal – but first they have to play them in an opening day Premier League cracker for the Baggies.
A trip to one of the top flight’s grandest venues to take on Arsene Wenger’s Champions League regulars is just about as difficult a welcome to the Premiership as Mowbray and the Baggies could have imagined.
It is the first of a sequence of opening games which will give Albion a flavour of the top flight’s different shades.
The uncompromising but ever-improving Everton will be the first Hawthorns visitors followed by a reunion with former boss Gary Megson at Bolton, with back-to-back home games against West Ham and Villa.
Many Baggies fans still regard the Villa derby bigger than the Black Country version.
They will have the return fixture on January 10 circled in ink.
The “big ones” see Manchester United at The Hawthorns in January, with Chelsea checking in during November’s run.
Villa’s Boxing Day “treat” is a visit from Wenger’s Gunners.
Manager Martin O’Neill will hope to have a cluster of new signings – or at least the supporters will – by the time his team welcome Mark Hughes to Villa Park for the first time as Manchester City manager on the opening day.
For Wolves and Blues, their schedules provide a reminder of the less prestigious demands of the Championship.
For the second time in three seasons Wolves start at Plymouth – where boss Mick McCarthy launched his reign in 2006 – before Sheffield Wednesday visit Molineux a week later.
At least Wolves are at home on Boxing Day, Sheffield United the visitors.
The Blues derbies are set for the end of November at Molineux and April at St Andrew’s, with Alex McLeish’s side starting with a home game against Sheffield United.
Walsall hit the road straight away, with a first day visit to Yeovil, before Scunthorpe open League One football for another season on April 16.
Their Christmas programme sees them at home to Stockport on Boxing Day, then a trip to Tranmere two days later.
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86 Comments
I had a feeling we would start with Arsenal - one of those weird preminitions you get….
Its a great start to the campaign and immediately gives us one of the sternest tests, but we gotta play them sometime…
It will also be a tie that any new owner will want to be part of so it may just help move things along. Any new owner will want to be sitting in the directors box at the Emirates with a big prawn sarnie….
Back with a bang the Mowbray way - OH YES !!!!!
welcome home happy,best time to play them i think,having looked at the fixtures i dont see to much to worry about,going to arsenal the MOWBURY WAY AYE BOING BOING OH YES
Arsenal away - It should be a good game, we both play similar football. I will take a point.
I enjoyed reading about the Albion’s fixtures there and even more so when I scrolled down and read the other local teams fixtures, it kind of dawns on us once again that WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE.
Well we have to play everybody at some point and normally you can catch the bigger fish off guard in the opening weeks of the season so lets hope.
Another milestone gone now with the fixtures being released, next being the pre season friendlies kicking into action.
Anyone rather be going to Plymouth on the opening day??…Haha thought not… It’s good to play the big temas early on when they aren’t settled in yet. I’m looking forward to it.
Anyone else read about Kim scoring a hat-trick for Korea! Lets hope he can do that at the Emirates!!
You know when there is one fixture you dont want to miss. Well thanks to little sister getting married, old baggie boy is on a plane to cyprus on the 16th at around 2.00pm so not only cant I go to the Emirates I cant even listen to it.
Oh well by the time I have landed we will undoubtedly be top of the league by then! LOL
ohhh yesss no better way to kick off the season than with a visit to the emirates going to be good to see how we do. any one fancy getting me a ticket haha =)
We always seem to go to Plymouth on the opening day. Oh well, its a steady start to a new campaign and one on paper we should get something from, fingers crossed. Hope we have added 3 more new players to the squad by then, 2 defenders and a midfielder.
Brilliant!!
Away season ticket purchase worth the money already, otherwise it would’ve been a nightmare getting a ticket for this one!
Looking forward to playing the vile and yes in my mind bigger than a Black Country derby!
1…you ought to call yourself mystic baggie,&
2…”you dont see much to worry about” you ought to look into Happy`s crystal ball to see how your gonna avoid relagation….yow dow arf mek me laf
So brazil v brazil!!!
Wish we’d have finished 7th on goal diff now!!! lol…
Boing boing bring it on….
Oh dear Baggie Boy !!! Be sure you get on the right aeroplane (no crystal balls) or you might end up flying in completely the wrong direction !!
A tough start for your campaign and your first home game against Everton won’t be a walk in the park either
12 - yeah - the whole ground will be singing “it’s just like watching brazil…”
….but we will know they mean us !!!
I see that Albion are gloating again. Well we have a great weekend to look forward to in Plymouth - a night on Union St and all that. The Albion, a defeat on the first day, with many to follow after!
13 Yes my mystic powers let me down perhaps thats why I seem to pick the wrong 6 numbers every Saturday LOL
Looking enviously at the Baggies fixtures….Fingers crossed we can do it this year (I’ve heard myself saying that soooo many times
It will be tough for the them lot. I like 3’s comment that he’d take a point from Arsenal!! Wouldn’t we all!!!!
13 - Let’s face up to facts, (footballing cliche on it’s way) there’s no easy games in the Premier League are there?!
It’s going to be a tough long season, but I’m really looking forward to it!!
COME ON YOU BAGGIES!!!
What a game - the two best footballing sides in the country. Unfortunately Arsenal will have played a champions league qualifier so may not be as rusty as we hope. However, jaded from the Euros perhaps? We live in hope!!!
10) We have lost our big derby - Stoke - and you have gained your Birmingham derby - Villa.
12) Poor Steptoes. Brazil v Brazil…. Brazil v Brazil volleyball team!
O deary me, i think a reality check is on the cards, Moore, Miller and Bednar will really scare all those premiership defences NOT lol. Enjoy the last slot on match of the day Poor little dingles, it won’t last.
Nice to be back in the Prem but looking at the fixtures you do realise how tough it is going to be. I am confident we will stay up but never has the phrase “no easy games” been more appropriate.
Looking forward to the opener.
Good luck west brom, great game to start with, hope you give those french cockneys a battering, ill be wishing you well even if a few of my fellow dingles wont be! Plymouyh, again! mind you i could think of worse places to go on a hot summers saturday!!!!! watford,sheffield,etc!!!
HaHa little boys, you’re certainly having a laugh - you playing like us is something of a joke comment - lets see when our total footballers are running rings round one of this seasons relegation favourites. I just hope you win the toss & get kick off so that at least you’ll get to see the ball early, mind you kicking off will be something you’ll be doing at regular intervals
Hee Hee…. what fun to see the same old names coming on here and making out that playing Plymouth is better than playing Arsenal…. all the same people who tell you they are a big club and we are poor little sandwell are now telling us that their fixture list is better than ours…
well guys, you had pretty much the same fixtures last year and you didn’t do too well then did you ? Do you think Lafferty will make all the difference ?
So yes, we will have a hard time next season - but so will you.
Only you will be doing it at Doncaster !!
18. Nedball…. my friend I wasn’t trying to say there are any easy games but don’t tell me that you wouldn’t have preferred your first games against maybe Hull, Stoke, Fulham so that you can hit the ground running when you do play the ‘big boys’ ?
Personally I hope you do beat the Arsenal cos I can’t stand them.
remember Greening crossing for Earnshaw at Highbury Goonerlad?! and then there was Carter’s screamer…….
enjoy your exciting battle with Liverpool for 3rd place
24,gooner,remind me what did you win last season, aye boing boing
20.. At last you talk sense admitting that you are from Staffordshire and Stoke are you local rivals we have been trying to tell you this for years well done!!
21.. al little bit of the grren eyed monster coming out me thinks!. Yes its nice to be on the famous “match of the day” even if it is last you stick to your 10.30 on a sunday on the chumpionship round up, you never know you may have the honour of match of the day if you draw a “big”team in the FA cup
24 - you are either too thick to see that we have only complimented the arsenal here, or you are just another dingle using a made up name to have a pop cos they can’t do it with their own club.
I think we know that we can’t compete with Arsenal for league position, but we DO have managers with similar thoughts on the game, and with a TM team being commited to scoring goals we will ALWAYS have a chance of winning a game.
That said, i guess i would probably take that point if it was offered.
Dont you just hate Arsenal supporters. they think they are the best in the world yet they aint even the best in London in fact both Chelsea and Spurs will finish above them this year
10. B.Birder…i can understand your point of view local Birmingham Derby bound to be big, there’s is only one team in the black country, and we’re surrounded by Brummies…including stripey ones. lol
Enjoy your one season you deserved it without a doubt.
Filtonwolf - No, I think playing Arsenal would be better than playing 1 of the relegation candidates 1st off.
Hopefully Hull / Stoke / Fulham have the stuffing knocked out of them by the time we play them and they’ll just give up….that’s the plan anyway! lol!
33. Nedball…. I like your optimism my friend !! Good luck to you !!
Happy_baggie your playing in the prem now, it’ll not be that easy to score.
Remember your FA cup game against Pompey, you never troubled James once (well i cant remember him making one)
So free scoring Albion?? My a@se
Gutted. Arsenal [who?] away!!! I wanted a big glamour tie - had my heart set on Accrington at home
35,yes we are,but yow aint,aye aye boing boing
You guys are gonna burn early on but hopefully you’ll hang in there and survive. I’m a bit bemused by Mowbray not going for really experienced premiership players and someone in defence who is so tough he eats concrete (including the strenghening metal rods)
You ain’t gonna survive by playing football guys. You’ll have to be a Bolton or a Blackburn.
Good luck anyway. I really hope you survive.
30 - your ever so touchy these days happy whats up with you. As for your inability to express any other emotion other than smugness I think I’ve covered that already so I’ll move on (something your clearly unable to do)
As a matter of fact, I would prefer to be going to Plymouth on a hot weekend, rather than drab London. I’ve just arranged to make a weekend of it. Enjoy your tattering at the emirates, a good thumping on the first game of the season can realy ruin it you know.
Start as you mean to go on - with an absolute spanking at the emirates.
That should take the edge off another season in the championship - roll on August
The Gooners are making me laugh. All I’m hearing is “easy 3 points”, “nice easy start”… this is exactly what Tony Mowbray recently talked about in the fans forum. We will be ready for these teams, whoever they are. And on those days when the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool etc turn up and say “its only West Brom”, we’ll be there to turn them over. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Bring on the Gooners, thats what I say! We have nothing to lose, they have EVERYTHING to lose…
Good luck to the Dingles by the way. I sincerely hope they come up and join us next season. I’d love to be able to go to Molinuex in eager anticipation of a Premiership Black Country derby. Come on you Wolves!
18;’let’s face up to facts, (football cliché on its way) there’s no easy games in the Premier League are there?!’
The other teams disagree, they put you lot down as a should win, home & away!
35. Pompey had the 6th best defence in the division (only the top 5 were better) so appreciate what you’re saying but should we play like we did against Pompey in the semi final for most games this season then we’ll score goals. You boys on the other hand…….
39 - Excellent!
‘As a matter of fact, I would prefer to be going to Plymouth on a hot weekend, rather than drab London’
That’s that then, we were wrong to get promoted and win the league!! We should’ve stayed down and gone to join the Navy with Newbridge Wolf!
‘Hello Sailor!’
Any bets on who is going down with the Baggies???
To ALL PREMIERSHIP clubs bring it on (to all you bitter dingles what league are you in again.)We have nothing fear except fear it self and like the saying goes been there done that..The club is in safe hands with MOGGA,YOUVE SEEN THE LIGHT NOW KEEP THE FAITH.
42. Like Plymouth, Doncaster, Forest, Swansea, Barnsley and Blackpool have with your lot.
Enjoy another season of no entertainment, no goals and more importantly no success.
39. You really are a silly little man - you wouldn’t rather be playing Plymouth away first game than Arsenal so don’t try and make a joke of it. Dingle Plank!!
Champions 2007-2008
What is it with us and Away games to start? In fact, we’re away for the first game, Boxing Day AND the last game. I notice the Vile are at home for all three of those!
42 - I hope they all turn up thinking they should beat us home and away. Then, as has been mentioned by other people with the ability to blink and breathe at the same time, unlike yourself, when they underestimate ‘poor little West Brom’ we’ll turn them over….Again that’s the plan any way!!
Best time to play one of the bigger clubs, as there are upsets to be had. First game back and if we are on the ball we can snatch one, or two goals easily from set pieces and then try to defend well.
You think we have it hard, Wolves have to overcome Stafford Rangers in a friendly first !!!
What a difference from last year !
IT’S BOSTIN BEING A BAGGIE !
Wednesbury Albion, i’ll think you’ll find it was a Wolves fan pretending to be a gooner! Cheers for the good luck message although looking at our fixtures, i think we are going to need it!
3. rowley albion.
you both play similar attacking football???
Im sorry am i missing something here?
Arsenal been challenging in the top 4 for some seasons now. Albion been yo-yoing out the top flight and second tier in recent times.
That said how can you say you play similar football???? have you been challenging the top 4 in the best league in the world??? erm no you have not. Arsenal are miles apart from you guys and you know it. Enjoy your season of beating derby’s record of the lowest scoring team in the premiership. Love a bitter dingle
It’s Gunner be a hell of a day!.
the baggies have got a solid start tbh, it will be depend on who Arsenal will sign so you could get somethin from that game, a point at most. I really think you need a player who will get you 15-20 goals in the prem, cant see phillips reaching that but miller could if he steps up to it.
Stoke have got problems tbh they will need quite a bit of luck and so will Hull lol.
Looking at our fixtures we should have a decent enough start, as long as we get in some defenders. Lets just hope we dont have a slump in form after 5 games like past seasons.
Looks like it will be an interesting season with all the changes in the prem and championship. Lets hope we get promoted and the baggies stay up then we got our-self a derby-day battle in the prem 09-10!!!!
You were hoping for a home game to start the season,we were hoping to get you so we can rest our international superstars after they’re Euro exploits.
prediction time. Albion to beat the arse 6-0 on opening day. I´ll bet anyone 100 euros. Any takers?
51. No worries mate. I think with a few good signings in the right positions (that would be defence and midfield, Mr McCarthy!) you wil challenge this season. Maybe not top two but playoffs are certainly within your reach.
I know that muppet wasnt a Gooner on here, my comment was more of a generalisation. I’ve seen a lot of big headed Gooners on the 606 pages bleating about 3 points etc etc, so it’d be great to go there and prove them wrong with at least a draw.
As much as some Wolves fans would like to argue, us Baggies arent stupid. We know Arsenal will probably turn us over, as they do most weeks. Its the games against your Boltons, Wigans, Middlesbroughs that you need to take points from. However that doesnt mean that its impossible to get a result against a big four side, its unlikely but not impossible. I seem to recall a certain Mr Miller scoring at Molineux in a 1-0 over little Manchester United a few years back!
We’ll keep our feet on the ground, but we’ll be quietly optimistic, waiting to pounce on anyone that dares to underestimate us.
Not enviuos of the Baggies at all. Reading their fixture list brought home the memories of a disastrous opening to our Premiership life. I fear ( fear being totally the wrong word of course) that they will have exactly the same sort of start. Thrashed at Arsenal and then things will go downhill from there on in !! Happy days !!
5 I’d honestly prefer to be going to Plymouth. A good opening day fixture for the Baggies. Best time to play them as the players will be really up for it. Good luck.
2. Terry can’t you spell ‘Mowbray’ you muppet?
p.s losing to Arsenal 6-0 the ‘Mowbray’ way!!
Yea, Plymouth my shortest trip of the year!
Just hope that Halmosi is not playing if he carries his form through from the end of last season and we have not signed some better defensive players we could end up with a bloody nose.
Bet SEB is looking forward to his return (not).
Plymouth fans are not known to be very forgiving to players who return with other teams.
Hey, to get promoted we need to win about 6 more games than last season. Not too much to ask I dont think!
Up The Wolves
Terry, get the pan out. Dan SL3, hook, line and sinka. Bit like the wolves really.
Terry.
Post 60, another one, your gunner have to
get a bigger net!
BOING BOING.
57.. 100% agree when you look at the fixtures we have to target the winnable games any points gained from the big boys is a complete bonus
Baggie Boy said: Jun 16th, 2008 at 3:50 pm 57.. “any points gained from the big boys is a complete bonus”
So that’s none then
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
(Going) “Down Down”, in style, the Mowbray way, oh yes…
64 - I agree to an extent - but I think ToMo is looking for some bonus’s next season.
I get the feeling he really believes we can get points off plenty of teams - maybe not the top 4/5 but those below (Pompy, Man City, Blackburn etc) and not just the 6/7 clubs at the bottom.
One thing for sure - we won’t be playing our reserves against Chelsea again !!
Happier_Baggie said: Jun 16th, 2008 at 3:27 pm Terry, get the pan out. Dan SL3, hook, line and sinka. Bit like the wolves really.
Are you trying to cover up the fact that your mate can’t spell HB? Mmmm, I guess so … you failed bud (and so will your team).
To all you Albion fans on here. I know it is early but for Wolves, Villa, Albion and Blues, it must be worrying with the lack of transfer activity.
The money you have spent, is on players that were there last season and you have lost Gera. Unless another £9 - 12 million is spent, I think it is going to be a very long, hard season!
Yes we do play similar to Arsenal…an easy point in style with super Tony Mowbray!!!!
Well I hope you manage to stay up and hope we might be renewing our derby next year
bring it on big boys,,i think alot of teams will be surprised when they play the mowbray boys this year,,i predict one or two shocks so bring it on,,SHOCKING THE PREM THE MOWBRAY WAY,,WITH OUR LOVELY SILKY FOOTBALL,,,OOOOOOOOOOH YES.
55-you’re right about one thing-your players are ‘international’.It must be strange to be based in London and struggle to find one British player in the squad.By the way, is the groundsman French or Spanish?
its great to be back where we belong, dingles just get over the fact that yr not even in the same leauge as us, id rather be in a prem relagation dogfight than a cham one like yr gona be, even if we go down, look at the money we will have. its great 2 be a baggie
67.. Terry’s gonna catch ya keep nibbling ..Terry a little ground bait and he’s yours.
at least Albion have a chance of getting points wolves stand absolutley non of getting any against Premiership opposition and why was that oh yes they where the 7th besy team in what most wolves fans said was an absolute rubbish league and you only finished 7th in it.
Keep on chipping away old pal you are that green with envy you could be the star of the new hulk movie
Has anyone noticed how the last day fixtures have worked out Stoke away at Arsenal, Hull home to Man U. Baggies away to Blackburn. So provided we go into those games with a chance of surviving, we have every chance. That’s not to say Blackburn away will be easy but I’d prefer them to Man U away!!
However Wolves fan’s dress it up, they would give their right arm to be where we are, so regardless of whether we are favourites for the drop or not, we can’t wait.
No pressure on us to survive because everyone thinks we are doomed. Wolves on the other hand, under pressure to do well. But then again aren’t they always.
BOING BOING PREMIERSHIP HERE WE COME!!!!!!!
24 goonerlad you don’t know the rules of the game!! You said “I just hope you win the toss & get kick off so that at least you’ll get to see the ball early, mind you kicking off will be something you’ll be doing at regular intervals”
LAW 8
Start of Play
Preliminaries
The choice of ends is decided by the toss of a coin. The team winning the toss decides which goal it wishes to attack in the first half of the match.
The other team takes the kick-off to start the match.
i hope we dont play a weekend team in the fa cup cuz i want to go to wembely agen aye aye boing boing
just come back from spain from hols and it was so funny cos got in with some local footy fans and we talked about footy all night and nobody had heard of west bromwich they thought i was making it up really funny ha ha, and just for the records told em we were wolves and they new who we were, im not bitter never will be cos i know that we and always will be a far far bigger club than sandwell town ever be, the thing is the sandwell fans know this is true and it must really wind em up, they might have better players than us at the moment but tradition, fan base, stadium, history, etc etc we are in a league of our own, up the wolves and sandwell to be relegated by november ha ha love it!!
Its to be hopes they do play like Arsenal, cos if they play like West Bromwich Albion they’ll be back in the Championship next season.
Trebor doubt if you can even wind your watch up. Yes you are in a league of your own - the Championship. Forget the football and stay at home reading your history books.
haha wba could be down before the end of august !!!
hahahaha
erm tipton baggie got two tag watches dont need to wind them up he he! i bet you are one of these saddoes who where the cheap nasty £1.99 watches with west brom on it,cmon me babbies!!anyway i like to talk to intelligant supporters so have a nice life,cant believe we still got neil collins what a donkey
Dont expect the Gunners to hand you a point in your first game, expect nothing!
Good to see a couple of midlands teams promoted though whose fans will actually turn up to matches unlike Wigan and Boro
trebor , out of curiosity is it you and your dingle mates stealing all the manhole covers. Look just save up to buy your TAG wathces like the rest of us.
Enjoy the championship tatter
82 - 2 TAG watches eh ?? WOW…I bet you look great with those on and only £3.99 each from Bilston market. .
Sorry if I’m not “intelligant” enough for you - but then again, who would be ?
I like the way you put “come on me babbies” half way through an unrelated sentence - you are just another dingle tourettes sufferer.
p.s - when you were talking to those local Spanish lads about the mighty wolves (snigger), were you doing it in Spanish - and is your spanish any better than your english ?
ughh long way down plymouth on the openin day, oh well, ‘phil, get the car filled up!’