Defender Carl Hoefkens has urged Albion to forget about the Premier League’s glamour matches and target wins against the top flight’s lesser lights.
The Belgian, who is preparing for his first taste of Premier League football, believes the Baggies must look beyond the ‘big four’ and focus on collecting wins from their other matches.
Tony Mowbray’s side will kick off their season with a high-profile trip to Arsenal.
Hoefkens is more interested in the early meetings with potential strugglers Bolton and West Ham.
He said: “When I saw the fixtures for the first time it’s not the big teams I looked for so much.
“It is more the teams we have a very good chance of taking three points against.
“These games are more important than playing Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea away, which are the games where we are not expected to get many points.
“Playing at the Emirates Stadium should be great and what makes it even more exciting is that it is the first game.
“We have got nothing to lose and we can just play our game because no-one thinks we’re going to win - it’s the perfect way to start really.
“It’s up to us to measure up against these big teams - that is what it’s all about in the Premier League.”
Hoefkens is already looking ahead to his first taste of Albion-Villa derbies in the top flight, as well as his reunion with his former club Stoke.
Albion face Villa at The Hawthorns in late September and are due to visit Stoke on November 22.
He said: “I know how fierce the rivalry is between Villa and Albion.“
“It is a massive game. They are growing as a club and it’s up to us to try and catch them.”
27 Comments
“I know how fierce the rivalry is between Villa and Albion.“
Spot on Carl !!!!! Bye bye dingles !!!!!!
Hoef is another player probably more suited to the prem than the CCC.
I think his style will suit the pace and type of football we will be facing, and he’s dead right about targeting the lower teams for points…. Arsenal, man utd ect are glamour ties but we need to take points of those teams around us.
In other words its more important to beat fulham and Wigan and take points away from them than the big four…Which is probably just as well…..
Hoffkins is right.Your best chance is to play a weaker team (if you have a weaker team) against the big teams and play your ‘best’ against the ones that are likely to be just above you.Is’nt that what Bryan Robson did?
I have a 2p prize for the first person to mention the words “heofkens” and “sandwell slum” in the same post….. surely no one will do it though.
mmm glad to see how optimistic people are,is it me or are there 2 leagues in one?? let celtic and rangers join a mini league and then the tv money will be less and english players may feature again.Does any body beleive english football is better for sky money??
hoefkens is hosting a sandwell slum…ber party. All the first team squad are invited and they’ll all be dressed in their PJ’s.
Happy, have you ever thought of getting a life. Oh no that’s right, you live in through the E&S message boards.
‘potential strugglers Bolton and West Ham.’
Maybe Bolton but surely he cannot think West Ham will be struggling next season. Last season we finished tenth, and throughout the season we did not manage once to put out our full strength side. We are only going to progress with what we have and this season it is highly unkikely we will face the injury crisis we did last season, we will get rid of some of the crap we dont want in our team and add to it with better quality players. We will only become better as a club, so the answer is, we will be the ones taking the three points. Enough said!
Optimistic Wolf
A least we can field a weakened team - apparently your manager couldn’t tell the difference between your first team and your reserves!
I suppose that’s no surprise though - he can’t tell his ar5e from his elbow either!
generous prize but no point competing - you’ve already won it yourself lol
Slow news week or what??
I would be surprised if Mowbray has the same view, you haver to enter every game looking to get something from it, belief is the biggest thing many of our players will need and simply turning up at the big games and rolling over will simply not be acceptible. I seem to remember Robson having a similar philosphy and the fans soon became disillusioned with it.
Anybody have any idea what the allocation is likely to be for the Emirates??
they gotta worry bout us, not us them, just like the dingles used to before we won the league aye boing boing
The premier league is basically three leagues in one. We have to survive in the lower third of the league until we can attract the players and the sponsership that will allow us to progress to a higher position, the middle third. We all expect to lose against the clubs that frequent the top third, but that doesn’t stop hopeing for, and going out for, a win. I think the main difference between this and our other attempts at premier league survival is we now have a team that plays as a team. One that plays to it’s strengths and covers the weaknesses. I don’t care if we finish fourth from bottom as long as we finish outside of the relegation zone. Remember, it’s all about building a team for the future and that is going to take money and lots of it. We have a great team, maybe the best team we’ve had for a long time. I remember our first ever game in the premiership, where we surprised Man Utd and everyone started to take note that we weren’t going to be the pushovers everyone thought. I know we didn’t do very well, but people stopped talking about us as if we were a bunch of amateurs. At least everyone but Rodney Marsh.
Bomber - I think it will be about 6000 tickets forthe away fans. It holds about 60,000 and i think they still work on the 10% rule don’t they?
Fair point but…Over last few yrs in prem.. W.B.A 2-1 ARSENAL MAN.UTD 1-1 W.B.A…. as we all know!
Happy_baggie thanks for telling us what Carl Hoefkens did.
Well done
is that right the dingles have been turned down by somebody from derby and burnley
and scraped there reserve team glad we havnt got a multi millionair running our club
14…i think the rule is 10% or 3000,whichever is the lesser.(Man Utd only give just over 3000 i believe).I think its down to how many we ask for.Knowing our club they’ll only ask for 3000.
LET’S HEAR THE ALBION FAVOURITY SAYING ALL TOGETHER NOW !!!.
“”BORING,BORING TESCO BAG’S”"
we will get enough points on the board no probs,,remember we got supa mow in charge now not robson,,,the baggies are here to stay,next stop europe…IN THE PREM PLAYING PURE SILKY FOOTBALL THE MOWBRAY WAY,,IN STYLE OF COURSE,,OOOOOOOOOOOH YES.
18 Paul.
Ever thought of joining MENSA?
Looking forward in seeing Luke Moore knocking a few in the Villa net. Boing Boing !!
Hoefkens is absolutely right….
You must target the ‘lesser lights’ in the league - even though there are not too many who are ‘lesser’ than you lot.
Consequently it might be a good idea to play your reserves against anyone in the top ten to give your first teamers a rest. This might damage your goal difference but will probably earn you extra points.
I went to the Emirates stadium Yesterday and they are excited at the prospect of playing WBA because they want to be top after day one and with you lot they feel they will be. prove um wrong for the sake of midlands football - and only lose by four or five…
Dingles are just jealous.
Keep the faith(Boing Boing)
Super TM
Nothing to lose? Only 3 points.
Not the best attitude saying your only going to turn up against premiership dross and go along to decent teams for a bit of a party and to make up the numbers.
There’s realism and then there is a distinct lack of ambition and I know which camp this guy is sitting in.
23 E11.
Sarcasm is always better from a position of strength. Perhaps the news has yet to reach the big city but your lot finished in the lower reaches of the Championship IE with the also rans, not as champions as you predicted, don’t worry though, apparently your going to be champions this year again. I do however see your point about only losing by four or five for the sake of the Midlands. Isn’t that what your lot managed, against the mighty Blacburn Rovers.
PS Good to see that you visited the Emirates, who knows when you’ll see a Premiership stadium again? But feel free to visit ours when you’re in the area.
26 The Real Bully ??? (Who’s the false one?)
Good point, well accepted. however coming seventh by virtue of not scoring two extra goals is not the ‘lower reaches’ of the Championship.
I have a sneaking feeling that we will be seeing premiership grounds in the very near future.
We did lose badly in the opening match - and deserved to. We never recovered from that so in all seriousness I hope you get a point cos Wenger is damaging the british game with his contempt for British players.