Albion manager Tony Mowbray led the praise for laid-back hero Ryan Donk after the Dutchman helped the Baggies to their best ever Premier League start.
Donk starred in his home debut against Fulham to ensure back-to-back clean sheets from his two appearances in Baggies colours, taking his side into the top half of the table.
Mowbray is delighted with the on-loan AZ Alkmaar man, after he was handed a quicker-than-expected debut last week.
The Baggies boss said: “I am pleased because of the changes we had in that department.
“We realised in the summer that was an area of our side that needed to change going into the Premier League.
“We have made quite a few personnel changes in the back four and five and the individuals are doing very well at the moment.
“Ryan is a very laid back individual that you need to gee up for games because sometimes he looks as if he could go to sleep, he is that laid back.
“Yet we saw on Saturday how fast, strong and powerful he is. It could have been a concern for us playing against the power, pace and desire of Bobby Zamora but Ryan stood up to that on Saturday.
“He showed how strong, fast and focused he was.”
Mowbray is delighted with a second successive clean sheet, as his reshaped side ensured they would head into the international break in the top half of the Premier League.
He said: “Any coach is happy with a clean sheet. I thought we worked extremely hard for it. We were made to work extremely hard by a good side.
“It is important to get points on the board early on. It earns you a bit of respect from the opposition.
“If we only had one win or three or four points by now, teams would tend to come here and be a bit more cavalier and have a bit more belief, confident that we were a team you should be getting three points from.
“The victories we’ve got now earn a bit more respect from the opposition.”
24 Comments
What a great signing - to coin a phrase: “Aye Boing Boing Donk”
AYE BOING BOING DONK
I thought he looked very good on Saturday, another quality Mowbray signing. What was very good to watch, was when he just had to get the ball out of the danger areas, he didn’t try to overplay the football skills, he just got us out of trouble time and time again by getting rid of it.
Boing-Boing-Donk-Thump!
donk is another who’s getting better with games behind him. as with olsen it’s a difficult league to come into, being a much quicker pace than the eredivisie (dutch league) to our northern rivals. i’d just like to say to all the people who’ve said bednar isn’t good enough for the prem, he was superb on saturday and looks like he’d give his life for the team. a PROPER centre forward, aggression, movement(leading the line brilliantly) and he could easily had let his head drop after missing a couple of chances. but, lets get behind miller too, he wants to do well, so we should back him, he’s young and raw, lets give him time. tex is back soon, things are looking good at the moment… FOREVER ALBION
donk, zuiverloon, and olsson have all made the difference at the back (along with carson!) - who drops out when meite comes back, donk or olsson?
# mb1wba , unless either of them have a stinker Meite will have to wait & earn his place back in the team as competition is strong now.
Just wanted to pass on my congrats to you Albion boys for the way your team have started the season in the Premier league - it’s good to see that Mowbray hasn’t abandoned the footballing principles that got you where you currently are, and it shows that good football will often pay dividends in the top division. Obviously a tought test for you coming up at Old Trafford but you deserve to be where you are and look like you definitely have enough in you to stay up this season. Keep it up!
Hopefully we can overcome our minor blip and get back on the winning trail against Coventry, I would love to see Wolves vs Albion in the Premier League and am optimistic that this is something we could be looking forward to next season. And before you all agree with me by saying it’s a guaranteed 6 points for you lot, let’s not forget the passion of the derby match and how enjoyable it is to win (not that we’ve experienced that much in recent years lol!).
WWFC
It’s possible Mowbray will occasionally bring one of Barnett or Meite in for particular games if he thinks they are right for that game, but to be honest I can’t see how they could do better than what’s there now!
Think TM will use Meite when we have to face a big bruiser of a centre forward like Carew.
Otherwise would swap them around
Boing Boing
going up the table the Mowbray way.
Fantastic signing and hopefully more TM gems to come in January. Boing Boing.
bench - when fit? - keilly, meite, brunt, kim, moore, cech, clement, mcdonald, texiera, pele, barnett , hoefkens ?? who makes the seven ? or is this the reserve team?
Does anyone know how much the deal is to make Donk a permanent signing??
I heard there was a deal in place but never heard what the fee would be.
It’s just good to know that we’ve got plenty of options at CB now. Barnett and Meite will both be chomping at the bit to get back in the side. It’s looking pretty rosy at the mo, now just need Miller and/or Moore to come good as we can’t just depend on Bednar up front
The whole team deserve credit but especially our new look defence.I was criticized by some for questioning Barnets suitability to make the step up.I think the changes have shown he still has a long way to go before being competent at this level.
GC it would be great to renew one of the fierce rivelries in football.But sorry to say with our continued progress it will result in 6 points for the Baggies.GREAT START ALBION
Regarding Miller. He’s trying hard but hasn’t the nous as yet to put it right. What did grieve me was to hear the roars of anger when he blooped, but little appreciation when he did battle to put it right. He’s just a kid, so imagine he’s YOUR kid and encourage him. What has happened to the few, embarrassing, know-all Wulfies now life has evened itself out a bit? MicMac is still a good manager and he won’t panic, nor will he promise you the world either. It’ll come good again but you won’t walk this League. Reading may have a say in that.
Lets hope Barnett keeps focused,I,m sure he,s one for the future.Hope he doesn,t get to despondent being out of the team,I,m sure he will get his chance.
Bednar made it to the subs bench on Garth Crooks’ team of the week, as did Donk and Greening for the second week in a row - Carson gets an England call up and after Green’s fumbles I guess he’ll be number 2. All we need now is for Luke Moore or Miller to score and that’ll decide Bednar’s strike partner.
I doubt we’ll get anything against United, but Newcastle after that could be tasty.
look what being out of the team has done for bednar - he has been excellent in every match he has started…..
7) greg, you always write decent stuff and i for one hope you’ll get up with the blues. i actually thought the game wasn’t as open as our usual style. this maybe due to fulham actually trying to come and take a point first and hopefully nick it. if ever there was an indicator as to how far we’ve come in a couple of months this was it. from what i’ve seen so far this season i feel only the top 4 could (IMO) give us a real tough time. chelsea, man utd and liverpools movement is on a different level, but ALL the others we are capable (on the day) of beating. all games are obviously tough, but the way we’re being viewed now by the opposition is testament to TM’s ability in the transfer market and on the training field. i’m not worried about united, we’ve earned the right to be on the same pitch, lets just see what happens. prob get thumped, but we won’t be disgraced. FOREVER ALBION
i’ve just done a bit of trawling to see if laughingwilf had become a hermit. but no, i’ve found him on the wolves page saying and i quote “WHY HAVE THAT LOT DOWN THE ROAD GOT A GENIUS AND WE’VE GOT THIS IDIOT!”. does this mean no more predictions or thought out comments like “you were only playing a poor middlesboro team” etc. come back laughingwilf we miss your rapier wit, spot on predictions and deep analysis of the albion. i also spootted michael on there, he sounded a bit like frazer from dads army.. “we’re doomed!!!” was all he said. we should start a campaign to cheer them up, maybe TM coach the wolves during our international break, or loan them a couple of our kids. more than likely they’ll be back after the united game, but i think we’ll need the samaritans if we get something at old trafford. FOREVER ALBION
Ryan Donk is the best left back we’ve had since Gera left. With the likes of him we could be safe by Christmas, then we can have another FA Cup run again.
When I was 13 back in 1944, my world was at an end when Albion lost. Luckily the teachers at WBGS piled the work on regardless so by Monday lunch I had survival, not suicide, on my mind. What those poor Wulfies haven’t come to terms with yet is Wolves are just a middle-sized club these days, no longer like the glorious 50s when they could, and did, beat anyone. If a man like Sir Jack couldn’t, (wouldn’t ??) compete with Chelsea, then they should back MicMac to the full and accept whatever happens. I don’t bet, but if I did I’d have a flutter on Wolves to make it this year although I wouldn’t put a bent halfpenny on them staying up after that. But I wouldn’t be daft enough to tell them they’d get fewer points than Derby did as those silly, spiteful, juvenile, ‘missing’ posters told us recently. We’ve hit a good spell and Loffin’ Fowl thinks Mowbray’s a genius, (he’s right for once). Two games ago MicMac was a hero. Now they want to have him put to sleep although he’d got 3 of his best players missing! Greg Cooper’s got the balance right. Generous in victory and in defeat. (I still LOVE IT when we beat yer though Greg).
Put a Donk on it ! eh nice 1 tony !
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Forgive me if I’m missing something in your comment but Donks a centre half and Gera’s an attacking midfielder/winger…