Why the Net has the advantage in the ‘Undies world’
- Shopping blogger Emma Iannarilli
Celebrate the past – don’t bury it
Monday 4th February 2008, 1:34PM GMT.
So Albion legend Tony ‘Bomber’ Brown will have a new tribute at the Hawthorns – but it will not be a stand or statue, writes blogger Tim Walters.
I have to say that I find that very disappointing and I speak as one with no particular attachment to the Albion – simply as a punter who believes that great players deserve to be recognised and honoured as such.
Whether you are an Albion, Wolves, Villa, Blues or Saddlers fan there can be no doubt that Bomber is a Baggies legend – his scoring and appearances record speak for themselves. In this day and age it is unlikely that they will ever be broken.
Yet apart from that he still simply loves the club that he served with such distinction for so many years – in the same way that one Steve Bull does for the Wolves.
Fair play to Wolves, or at least to Sir Jack Hayward, in ensuring that Bully and Billy Wright both have stands named after them.
In this country we are too quick to forget those who have given such sterling service to the clubs we love.
Compare and contrast it with the position in America.
The one sporting subject on everyone’s lips last week was the build-up to Sunday’s Superbowl.
Yet amid the hype and hyperbole the sport and the nation still found time to honour some of its great players when the announcement was made as to who would take their places in American Football’s Hall of Fame.
It wasn’t hidden away but broadcast on prime time TV across the country – a celebration of the past.
That’s typical of American sports all of whom have their own Hall of Fames as do many universities and states.
Yet in the country that gave the world the beautiful game do we have a Hall of Fame? If we do, it’s hardly something we shout about is it?
Now I know that many footballers get paid obscene amounts for kicking a bit of leather round a field but longevity, loyalty and outstanding achievements deserve to be remembered.
Bomber had all those things and anyone who has ever heard him speak about Albion knows the passion he still feels for the club.
If his achievement had been in American sport it would have been properly honoured – not simply by having a bar named after him in a revamped stand.
Is it any coincidence that it wasn’t until Randy Lerner took over at Villa Park that the club’s European Cup winning heroes started to be properly remembered by the club?
Randy has a proper sense of history and perspective – perhaps that’s something we could do well to learn from our cousins across the pond.
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bomber is undoubtedly albions best ever player, he could play anywhere and would have been in my fantasy football team if he were playing today. shame he didnt play for wolves and we would have definately have had a stand named after him. come on albion, celebrate your greatest players
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No Disrespect meant but I’ve never heard of Bomber Brown. The only player I ever heard of from back in the day was Astle.
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Nice blog,Tim.
The ’68′ Cup winning team NEVER did get the recognition they so thoroughly deserved.
But Tony did have the priveledge of playing alongside the likes of Jeff Astle,Bobby Hope,Dougie Fraser, John Osbourne, Clive “Chippy” Clark & other players, who, although they might not have got the Internatiol caps to go with it,made up one fantastic team under the watchful gaze of Alan Ashman.
Naming a stand after Tony would be far too little, far too late!
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2 Away Days are best:
Wash your mouth out with soap & try “Googling” the 68 cup winning team!
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2) Away Days are best
Maybe you’ve been too long AWAY!! Chum. Fantastic player, and deserves some sort of honour
But thats up to the Baggie Fans to protest, Not us.
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Wolves have the right idea, we must have the 4 best named stands in all of football!
Stan Cullis
Billy Wright
Steve Bull
Jack Harris
Plus Billy Wright and Stan Cullis have been inducted in the English Football Hall Of Fame!
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Surly Albion can name a stand the Bomber stand, has to be better then the “east” stand or the “smethwick”!!!!
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Away Days are best.
Are you sure that’s not Away With the Fairies? Or have you been on acid since the sixties?
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NathanWolves..Trouble with the stands at the Molineux…They’re all facing the pitch…!! seriously tho the Billy Wright statue is a fitting epitaph and in my mind thats whats needed for “Bomber” Brown.
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Thanks to the wolves fans who posted a decent comment on here.
I am all in favour of giving bomber a fitting tribute, however the only problem with naming a stand would be the temptation in the future to rename it.
Wolves for example I think changed the john ireland stand to the steve Bull – now I honestly don’t know who John Ireland was (if he was a great player then I apologise for my lack of knowledge) – but the honour was taken away from him.
In 50 or 100 years time fans could be demanding the renaming of stands to honour THEIR heroes (the Tony Mowbray stand??)
It would be better to have a statue for bomber – although having a suite or similar is STILL a mark of respect and a great honour.
Its not a simple as it seems.
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as far as i know john ireland was a former wolves director and the stand was probably named after him at a time when directors liked to pat themselves on the back, but footie fans dont care that much about board members, only their heroes. so come on albion, educate your younger fans about bomber brown and do him proud while he is still alive to appreciate it
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If the baggies can have a ASTLE gate why cant they have a TONY BROWN stand.The baggies directors never recognized THE KING when he was alive,so the same will be for BOMMER.It is the same for all the baggies old players, once they have retired they are forgotten, the dingles can name STANDS after there old stars why cant the Baggies why they cant name the east stand after him i don’t no, maybe they are waiting for a private company to come so they can make a lot of money from the company’s name
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a well written blog and the club should rename smethwick end the bomber stand and the east stand the 1968 stand
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your right happy,it has to be a statue,,,nothing else is good enough for such a great player,,some one should take charge of this to show albion how much bomber means to us,,,,,,,,
GOING UP IN STYLE THE MOWBURY WAY….OH YES
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a well written blog and youre right we should give great players like bomber and all the rest of the great players that have worn the baggie shirts so open a proper hall of fame museum and name the east stand the bomber stand
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You could have the Venus stand and put the women in it
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The naming of Stands and areas of football grounds is an important part of the history of a football club. Unfortunately nowadays the memory is short term and it becomes a question (rightly or wrongly ) of money. As a long standing Walsall supporter I remember walking away from many of the home matches, catching up with Gilbert and his sharing his memories with me and especially my,then, young son.A stand was named THE GILBERT ALSOPP STAND after him as he was a legend but now it has become a purple or a floors R or a what ever is next.So whatever Tony it will be for such a short while but best of luck as I like many other saddlers supporters remember you well.
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Kent Wolf.
Not very often that I have need to disagree with you but here goes. In 1968 Alan Ashman managed the team that won the cup, they wereen’t his team. In much the same way that Big Fat Ron took the credit for the team that Giles and Allen built, so the 68 team were Jimmy Hagans, I believe he brought all of those players to the club. Like a certain other recent manager Jimmy was a prickly, abrasive character who didn’t suffer fools gladly and like Gary he suffered by losing his job. For me Gary Megson was our best manager since Jimmy Hagan, perhaps if we hold onto him TM may eclipse them both.
On the Bomber topic. I’ve already had my say a couple of times on here, we should rename the East Stand the Astle and Brown Stand, two great servants who’s nameas will always be synonymous with WBA.
Well done the decent Wolves fans for their much appreciated comments on here.
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Why not ‘A WALL OF FAME’ at all our grounds? With the players name and dates they represented their club, with a minimum period to qualify, say five years, or one hundred and fifty games?
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No 3 Kent Wolf, whilst Tony is still alive it’s not to late.
Tony Brown was a fantasic player, a real gentleman (still is) and a great servant to the Albion. They should name a stand after him to honour him. He is Albion through and through as is Bob Taylor whom I also admire. Sorry, I didn’t rate Jeff Astle though.
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no2 above, when did you crawl from under your stone then?
COME ON MY SONS PLAYOFFS BEFORE FEBS OUT.
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I am in agreement with many posts above it has to be a statue near to the main entrance at the east stand.
We dont want some plaque over a pub door “Bombers bar”
A statue can be appreciated by all that attend the Hawthorns
Come on JP for once let the fans have a say
Regards
Baggie Boy
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I got to reitterate everything people have said here, sommat has gotta be done and i’d personally like to see the statue on the East Stand carpark area, there is definetly enough space.
On a different subject fair play Make My Day Punk, I’ve never seen a serious post off you before but now i see 2 in this thread. Well Done mate….It suits you!!!
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There should be a wall where the deeds of great players are printed on plaques or notice boards. That should suffice.
Too many statues make having a statue pretty meaningless. There are now two of Booby Moore – one outside West Hams ground and one outside of Wembley. He was an icon but two statues is one too many…
These players should be remembered and a corridor in the ground which is accessible to fans adorned with details of the clubs best players is all that’s required.
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My last post sufered from grammatical dyslexia. Sorry
ps Dudley Wolf…spot on!
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I am not a WBA fan and by the look of some of the posts a lot of the
above aren’t either. The best Albion player by a mile was Ray Crawford, closely followed by Bobby Robson. Bomber was good but fell someway short of Ray and Bobby.
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I now realise on sensible items like this you never get posts from Terrywalsallbaggie.
He is not only by virtue of his childish posts, very immature by age and knowledge of West Bromwich Albions history and players. In other words a bit of a sheep or goes with the flow.
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For Tim’s information, we do have a hall of fame. It’s at the National Football Museum in Preston and there is an annual dinner at which new names are inducted each year. I think Mark Hughes, dennis Bergkamp and Nobby Stiles were among the latest.
Only local man there is Billy Wright – there certainly ought to be more from this region. Williams, Slater, Flowers, Hancocks, Mullen,Wilshaw, Swinbourne, Cullis, Broadbent and Bull spring readily to mind. Can’t think of any others, though.
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Away days you no little about footbal–Do you know who Billy Wright,Bil Slater or N
Norman Deely played for I doubt it–Come on Wolves never mind respecting Sandwell lets beat then–That will make a good season for me–No early Bird this year first time in 10–dave h
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