Albion boss Tony Mowbray is hunting old heads to help his young guns with their transition to the Premier League.
Mowbray is targeting experienced signings to work with the likes of £3.2m signing Gianni Zuiverloon, as his continues building his squad for the return to the top-flight.
Zuiverloon, 21, became the Baggies’ first ‘new’ signing of the summer last week when he completed his switch from Heerenveen.
Graham Dorrans had made a pre-agreed move from Livingston, while Roman Bednar, Kim Do-Heon and Michal Danek have all agreed deals to stay after loans.
None of the signings boasts vast experience of the top-flight and Mowbray is conscious of the need for some calming figures.
He said: “I’m very conscious that I can’t bring three, four or five 20-year-olds in and expect them to make huge impacts in the Premier League.
“Somewhere along the line I would hope there would be a bit of experience coming in, whether that be international experience or Premier League experience.
“We have to be able to cope with those days when we have our backs against the wall, we need a calm head and people to make the right decisions on the ball.
“Sometimes youthful enthusiasm doesn’t always get you what you want.”
Mowbray admits recruiting players directly from Premier League clubs is proving difficult because of the wages gulf.
He said: ‘The gap is too big. You can’t satisfy them [the players]. So it’s difficult.
“It fits in all right with me, though, because, if I can, I want to bring good hungry players in who want to prove themselves in the Premier.”
33 Comments
If it’s experience your after, why the hell did u not fight harder for Phillips?
Dave, know the point youre making but TM I presume means an experienced player in defence/midfield who will play 90 mins and be a man mountain when its `like the alamo out there` and they`ll be plenty of games like that.
Good luck to Phillips but he`ll be more than adequatley replaced.
breen is available?! lost your 2 best players already oh dear! hull and stoke seem to be making a fight or signing players 20th place beckons!
We offered kev a two year deal after only offering an initial one year deal. He got wot he wanted and now he just wants money, we dont need kev in the top flight!!!!
We need experienced Squad player’s who have and know this Division well Defender, and/or a Defensive Midfield player who can put their foot on the Ball and calming it down at the back for the Albion when put under pressure.
Agree with Dave. It’s that hairy old wages gap thing again.It is always going to be an obstacle to future development Would you move to a new job for substantially lower wages? especially when your high earning ability is so very short lived
Kev is too old for the prem, besides we need experience in defence not at the other end
The three players we have lost have all had premier experience of varying degrees. I am 100% behind the management team in keeping the finances under control and we have obviously made good progress over recent years. Isn’t it ironic though, that we were one of the first teams to hold on to our stars when we were relegated from the prem and one of the first to have them cherry picked having won promotion! Anyone with the experience we are after wants more than we are prepared to pay. Just hope we get this one right.We need at least 3 more top class defenders or we may have a few problems.
Dave, he hasn’t gone yet. We should know today. I think the gaffer means defenders anyway. Footballers today, especially in the Prem., show no loyalty except to money. The greed is frightening. No one wants to see a return to the days of the 40s, 50s and 60s when players were treated like meat, bought and sold at the club’s whim and paid peanuts, but this is absolutely nonsense where players’ demands bankrupt clubs. Just think Leeds. We have a sound, viable club, that’s more important than the League we play in. I have followed Albion since 1944, in all Divisions, hardly ever missed a home match and will continue to do so. We haven’t got a sugar- daddy so JP and TM get my full support, regardless. Players are mercenaries, chevaliers d’industrie, fight for any army that pays them the most money. They come, they go. WE are Albion, the supporters!
You may laugh, but I think you need people like Michael Gray in your squad. He only played in about two thirds of our games last year, and in the ones he played, he stayed on for about an hour, but he was our player of the season in many peoples eyes.
Experience like he brings is invaluable. We seem to be intent on buying young and hungry players, but there are also old and hungry players out there too. Mickey Gray gives his all for us every game, and is a wonderful example. Phillips scored the goals for you which is all well and good, but he’s a terrible role model for the younger players. You were right to let him go…you just better hope you can replace him!
laughingwolf you need a sense of humour to support the wolves if you didnt laugh you would cry
Laughingwolf
Stoke actually haven’t signed anyone yet, and Hull have signed players fro free who will be on massive wages and look to be at the end of their careers.
Gera wasn’t even first choice until Teixeira was injured and we have Kim who will be just as good, and as for Phillips IMO he would have been to old for the premier league but it looks like he will be able to score a few more goals against you at the molinspew, he loves that.
Fair enough super kev helped us alot by getting us to the premier league. We could of done with his knowledge and expertise of football but if albion can’t keep him then thats that. We just need to find some class defenders and maybe 1 or 2 upfront. We managed to get to the premier league without phillips and we stopped up so why cant we do it again?
Who does anyone think he’d look to get in, that’s available?
Looks as though he’s after Robinson in goal (but he’ll struggle there due to cost/wages)
Centre backs and Midfield Generals with established Premier League / International experience are few and far between….and costly too!!
Cyril - excellent post…you’ll be giving Jarrod a run for his money with the blogs soon!
Cyrille - Great Post. Totally agree. Lots of rumours. Let’s see what happens before we all call it. TM and JP have got a plan and in many cases a plan B. We should not be so short in memory that we forget what they achieved last year and that they did it in order to compete in the Premiership this coming season. 20th is a very pessimistic outlook. I think there will be something fresh about us this time around and we will be good enough to give it a real go. Keep the faith.
i really think sean davis could do a job. Experienced but still young and seems like mowbrays kind of player. Shouldnt cost too much either. I heard blues were linked with him. I think he is definetly good enough to stay in the prem.
Laughung wolf will you lot never learn yopu keep coming out with the same old rubbish”we losing our best players” yes just like the end of last sesaon when we missed out on the play offs.You all came on here saying the same.Its nice that we have got some good players and that we can afford to let them go.Notice theres no rush to sign any of your star players.Mind you Bilston Town have not started rebuilding for next season yet.
6 - Albion Wizards
I changed career about 5 yrs ago, to do web-design instead of engineering. I had to take a wage drop of about 50% but it ultimately made me much happier. Money doesn’t buy you happiness!
Look who we lost last season and what happend we won the championship .Tony Mowbray will produce a team to do well this season.As for laufin wolf more like laufin stock .THE FUTURES BRIGHT ITS BLUE AND WHITE.
Not sure about Amobi when Nugent is clearly available and would fit our style of play.Totally agree if we need experience then Phillips is a must
Laughin wolf, never mind, perhaps one day you`ll get your turn in the prem, doubt it though with MM in charge.
Derby, blues, reading and Sheff U will slog it out for the automatics and I think you may just sneak 7th like last year but only if MM is shown the door at christmas which looks likely.
What happend with Kevin Thomson. We were linked with him for a while but its all gone quiet. What about balde at the back? Senderos? and how come the song and taarabt loan deals have all gone quiet again? Does this mean they have gone quiet becasue its was just made up rumours or because TM has changed his mind and trying to secure someone else on his loan allowence instead. If so wonder who?
Cyril,
I totally agree with you, tyhe only constant at any club is the fans. I too have followed the team in all divisions and will continue to do so. I think we currently have the best opportunity we have ever had to make some sort of impact. I think we may miss Phillips for his experience but I think we know and he knows that at this pointy in his career he is a championship player. I suspect we will sign another 3 or 4 players a midfield general being one of them. We have sorted the right side out with Zuvuiloon now lets get a decent left back in. Our problems at the back can in the maon be put down to a keeper who does not command his box and two fullbacks who are incapable of stopping the crosses coming in. TM will spend the availanble funds wisely.
16 - I agree, I think Sean Davis would be a very good buy!
Last time we were up and looked for experienced players it worked (briefly) with Campbell / Greening / Scimeca / Kanu coming in, but the next season we went for inexperienced players and we all know what happened. We have an exciting group of players, but without the know how or wise heads we’ll struggle. Apparently George Boateng’s leaving Boro….would he be good enough still?
Don’t forget we already have quite a bit of experience - Deano, Robbo, Clem, Greening Morrison and Moore (off the top of my head) have all played in the prem and there are plenty more who have international experience.
Yes we need some more experience but we have the nucleus there already so lets not panic.
What we don’t want is aging journeymen like Savage whos best years are long gone.
I just hope the whole team come through pre-season unscathed.
However,I’m going to miss the start of the season, due to going into Hospital for neck/spine surgery on the 13th of August.
Good luck to Albion & Wolves & the other “West Mids” teams for 2008-2009 season.
On a sadder note, I’d like to offer my condolences to the family of the late Micky “Scabby” Whithouse.
We both came from Tipton & We were both Smethwick Enders in the late 70’s!
He was Albion through & through and he rightfully exprssed his disgust when I “defected” in 1980,when I married my ex wife.
Together we would stand back to back & fight whoever “fancied a pop”.
He died last week at the age of 47.
God bless you Micky.
R.I.P.
Kent
Good luck with the op mate, i hope all goes well,
also sorry to hear about your pal.
I cannot believe ANYONE can change their allegiance, unless they are some acne ridden adolescent that changes between Man U ,Chelsea or whichever team has the most success at any given time………err and come from anywhere except London or Manchester.
26 - Good luck with the surgery Kent, hope it all goes well…..despite turning to the dark side!
Good luck with the surgery Kent must have stood by you in the smethwick in the 70s .
10. S*U*P*E*R. You are right, I am laughing. Gray plays 2/3rds of the games then only 2/3rds of the 90 minutes. I reckon that’s less than half a season, no wonder he was, in your eyes, player of the season!. We don’t need him thanks!!!.
kent,are yow the local guinnie pig aye boing boing
Thanks for the nice comments lads. Kent, we shall all put our hands together for you, though I must admit I tend to ask my deceased family Pa, Ma, brothers and sister for guidance because THAT works! Yow musta loved that wench a bit t’ change over frum Baggies aer kid. Who’s this player mentioned above, something like ‘Tarra a bit an’ thank yer fer ‘avin’ we’???? We used to say that after visiting family.
We’ve still got a few weeks to shape the squad,so I’m sticking with the club’s judgement.Peace has seen us drop from the prem. twice,so he won’t want it to happen again,and I believe TM spends so much time watching games and individual players,that he knows who he wants to be at the club.All that matters is what happens when the season starts,who knows what deals could be in the pipeline?