Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Albion blog: Season review
Friday 9th May 2008, 8:25AM BST.
As we trudged away from Wembley and the rain drizzled down our grey faces a friend suggested we all cheered up a bit and to look forward to us going up as Champions next season, writes Albion blogger Jarrod Hill.
It had little effect on our collective mood but it does highlight the beauty of football, there is always next season!!
As the summer came and went Mowbray installed a swing door at the Hawthorns as he allowed any player that wanted to move on his blessing to go, it turns out his master plan for our assault on the Championship was just beginning.
Jeremy Peace negotiated enough funds for the departing players to allow Mowbray to go and get the TEAM he wanted, some we had never heard of, some of them cost a little and some cost a bit more, but collectively we now had a squad that could entertain AND win promotion.
Mowbray stuck by his football principles when it would have been easy for him to adopt the normal blueprint for getting out of this league, and we soon realised we were in for another season full of goals and high drama.
We always hoped we would be pushing for the title, but I never once thought we would come so close to an FA Cup final. Baros ultimately ended those dreams by cheating Portsmouth through to the final, but it is hard to be bitter when the competition gave us so much joy, Coventry away will live long in the memory.
As the squad started to gel and the goals started to fly in, it was obvious we where in with a chance of promotion, nobody in the division seemed to want to win it and it was not until the last ten games that we put a run together to cement our place in history as the Champions.
We kept reading so called pundits saying how great Albion were to watch but feared it would all end in tears as teams kept bullying us out of three points, they need a holding midfielder, they need a dominant centre half, and they need to stop conceding goals from set pieces, but Mowbray simply retorted with scoring goals and lots of them.
Indeed it was our goal difference which allowed us to celebrate promotion after securing a draw against Southampton, and boy did we celebrate!!
We then left it until the last game to take the title, very dramatic and in keeping with a high drama kind of season, and now we look forward to the next phase of the Mowbray revolution.
The previous two times we were promoted I must admit I felt more than a little trepidation at the thought of taking on the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, but under Mowbray I feel total trust in a man which has restored my faith that we could establish ourselves in the top flight.
I will remember this season forever, so many great moments and memories to choose from, Coventry, Peterborough, and Wolves away, the moment Brunt hit the back of the net against Southampton and promotion was ours, and of course, the wonderful carnival at QPR, Champions, yes Champions, ok one more time, Champions!!!
I would also like to thank everyone who has taken the time to leave messages and join the football debates on these pages over this season’s roller coaster ride, I have loved writing these blogs and have loved being a baggie, thanks also to the E+S for giving me the opportunity to ramble on each week.
To all the fans of our local sides have a great summer, and remember, there is always next season!!
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Next season review: I loved that one game we won, shame about the other 37 but never mind we will have our parachute money for another two years. Hope Mowbray does well at boro and we look forward to getting a new manager in.
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i hope no dingles dont read this blogg or they will all burst into tears reading about our success thanks for your great bloggs every week and dont forget our party,boing boing its party time
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1. wulfswulfs,
At least we are in the Premiership to win that one game…
Just look on in envy Dingle !
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1,awwwwwwwwwwwwwww it must be awful for you,your never going to accept it are you,come on cheer up it could be your turn one year,stop getting yourself all worked up,after all its only a game,
boing boing CHAMPIONS CHAMPIONS
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1 you spout some b*****s, but i admire your persistence.
Here`s yours for next season.
PREVIEW : we will storm the league, and have it wrapped up by xmas.
REVIEW : Ince has been a crap manager, we should have stuck with super mick,
we have been let down again, but if we get Bully in as manager, we will be up next season by xmas.
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1/ And at least next season you wont have to go through the pain of yet again losing to the one team you hate and going through tears and heartache.
Enjoy yer Wes Miid Derby with Coventry and watching Eastwood banging in a hat trick.
Boing Boing
CHAMPIONS
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Enjoyed reading the blogs all season and what a season, August can’t come around fast enough. Boing Boing
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a fantastic review to sum up our season, i feel the same as you in reference to trepidation from previous seasons, i really do feel confident in what TM can do with the squad.
Can’t wait to see who he brings in
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Right i have got my planning head on today, if we are having a party we need a venue and a date.
One suggestion is the Village Hotel at junction 10 M6, Friday 16th May.
Or the Vine (as last time) same date.
I will leave it up to you guys as i am flexible!!
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wolveswolveswolves,
i admire you persistant attempts to rile us up but you even have your fellow fans laughing at you….
you should know by now, 99% of us on here have class. And live up to our own mental age.
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boingboing666
mental age??
was that after the stone age just before the bronze age??
Does that display my mental age??
Yep you guessed it i am and always will be 19!!
and happy baggie is my little brother at the mental age of 14!!!
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We’re all going on a Championship Holiday!!!!!!!!!
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comment 1, they are in the prem, they have a better team, decent supporters, so why dont you get over it ,i hope they do well and get another representative from our proud region established in the prem, so why cant you? lifes too short to be bitter and twisted!!!! good luck next year!
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wolveswolves, for goodness sake accept they are a much better team with a manager who studies the game.
I for one wish we could watch free flowing attacking football played at pace and with skill. Not only that they`ve scored 210 goals in 18 months.
Your insanely jealous comments just make the rest of us wolves fans look thick.
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wolveswolves or is that welosewelose, so Mowbray loses 37 games in 1 premiership season and gets poached by a premiership club to become their manager.
If I were you I`d get down the bookies and have a tenner on that.
Silly little girl.
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fantastic season and all achieved the mowbray way,,stunning football at times i cant wait for the new season,oh in the PREM,,,,,,,PLAYING IN THE PREM THE MOWBRAY WAY,,,IN STYLE OF COURSE,,,OOOOOOOOOOH YES.
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Jarrod, good blog mate. I hurts like hell at the moment as I’m sure you will be aware. All the best for next season. Look forward to reading your blogs next season – assume you’ll be back ?
Have a good summer and prepare for a roller coaster ride next season (personally I think you’ve got what it takes to stay there).
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Bomber
personally mate, next Friday is a non starter,
and the VILLIAGE, you know that is far too
adjacent to one of my vices.
Like you mate i am flexible…..err, apart from
the 16th.
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Champions folks just drink it in.
I will probably be quite drunk for most of the summer.
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Jarrod.
I’ve enjoyed your sometimes thought provoking, sometimes funny, sometimes down, sometimes enthusiastic but always interesting blogs. Although it may be asking a lot I hope to see you back on here doing the same next season.
Regarding May 16th. I’m not being awkward but it’s a date I can’t make for a reason I can’t go into on here. I’ll be gutted to miss it but perhaps next time.
While engaged in my Samaritan duties in Wolverhampton recently. I picked up a discarded school exercise book. The front cover was emblazoned, THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLEINEAUX AGED 13 3/4.
I knew it was wrong but I couldn’t resist looking inside. Although it was written in block capitals, I find this very annoying and so will not persist with this in the exerpts I reproduce.
May 2007. Ha ha. The boggies lost in the play off final to Derby. We would have thrashed such a rubbish team. We always win at Wembley. Shows what a rubbish little club Sandwell Town are. Much better not to reach final than to lose it.
Later in May 2007. Ha ha. Tesco Town in meltdown. All the rats are leaving the sinking ship. They will be lucky to stay up, while Merlin Mick takes our young team on to win the championship.
August 2007 Ha ha. Mangy mowbray is trying to buy Chris Brunt and James Morrison. No way will quality players sign for such a crappy little club, much more likely to come to the Mighty Mol.
September 2007. Mouldy Mowbray has bought in a load of no marks. Brunt and Morrison know they’re not good enough for the prem. Super Mick has topped up our squad with proven Irish internationals and players who took Sunderland up last season. Can life get any better, Premier league here we come.
September 2007 Ha ha Not doing very well Boggies. Thrashed by Cardiff in LC. The mighty Wolves march on. Can’t wait to smash you in November.
November 2007. Ha ha. You couldn’t beat us on your own ground. Wait til March when we walk over you at Molineaux.
January 2008. So you’ve had a lucky run. It’s a marathon not a sprint. If it wasn’t for Muppet Mick and his Sunderland rejects we would be walking this league, not struggling to be top like you.
March 2008. Ha ha. Not so clever now are we. Not top any more, Stoke and Hull to go up while the Mighty Wolves thrash you at Wembley in the play off final. Due to your lucky cup run against lower division teams we will thrash you under the lights at Molineaux. You’ll be lucky to make the play offs now.
Later in April 2008. Ha ha. Couldn’t even beat Portsmouth who are rubbish. Your geriatric strikers won’t hack it in the prem.
Later still in April 2008. You were lucky to beat us. Anyway Phillips and Gera won’t be there next season and Robinson wants to go but he can’t pass a medical and he’s too fat to get out of the door.
May 2008. You were lucky to get up and anyway you will come straight back down with no goals and record low points and go straight into Division 1. The Wolves are going up next season with Merlin Mick or if Steve replaces Muppet Mick with super Incey because we are a massive World famous club and Man Utd are waiting to play us again because we’re the only ones who might challenge them….
At this point what appear to be tear stains make the rest unreadable.
This is ball genuine, honest. I’ve only corrected the spelling and ommitted the more fanciful bits.
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14# GET YOUR OWN NAME YOU MORON.
HEY JARROD HOWS IT GOIN FELLA, HAVE A GOOD BREAK AND SEE YOU NEXT SEASON FOR SOME MORE BANTER YEAH.
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No worries wbaforever, maybe 23rd May will give everyone more time to bank up some brownie pints with her in doors as it will be a late one!!
any ideas on venue, and has anyone seen happy baggie??
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23rd a bank holiday mite be a few guin away boing boing
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The Real Bully, post 20,
Absolutly brilliant!
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Bomber
The 23rd would be good.
RE: Happy, i spoke to him last night, he`s gone
on a jolly boys weekend.
Southbank
even though i liked post 14, i had a feeling it was an imposter, it was just TOO complimentary to be the real southbank,
look forward to blogging with you soon mate.
Oh sorry Bomber, a venue, see what the feedback is, the Navigation in Willenhall is a
personal preference, but i really dont mind.
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south bank barmy army
Sound mate, i see on your side things are still a bit hairy and the inquest goes on and on.
Re the PARTY is everyone ok for the 30th or 31st then????
and wheres happy baggie gone??
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Has this turned into a Swingers site, theres alot of love going on at the moment.
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1. ay it always the same, bit o the green eyed monster…. still arm sure merlin/muppet/mad mick (tek yer pick depending on which wik o the year it is if yome a dingle) will tek yo lot up with fatty ebanks blake next year..
20. class !
Once again a cracking blog – couldn’t av put it better me self
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WBAFOREVER..HAHAHA YEP IF I’D PUT THAT UP IN 14..WELL I’D GET TO A THERAPIST PRETTY SHARP MATE.
YES YOU TO MATE..HAVE A GOOD ‘UN AND SEE YOU ALL AGAIN SOON.
JARROD..BIT HAIRY..I’D SAY SO..BUT A POSITIVE MOVE FROM MUPPET TODAY WITH THE CLEAR OUT..ALL DEPENDS WHO HE BRINGS IN NOW. FINGERS CROSSED.
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Oh yes i forgot Happies gone to butlins for the weekend, we will sort the party next week after i have looked at all the dates when people cant make it.
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Anybody else think poster 1 will be in a lunatic asylum by the start of the season.
The pent up anger
The jealous streak
come and tell me ze problem poster 1
Yours
Zikmund Freud
Even SBA is being sensible (SBA GET BACK TO NORMAL WE DONT LIKE YOU BEING GRACIOUS LOL)
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BOGGIE BOY..IF YOUR REFFERING TO POST 14..WISE UP FOOL..DO YOU REALLY THINK I’D POST GARBAGE LIKE THAT. LMAO
HAVE A NICE BREAK MATE, AND WE’LL SEE YOU ALL SOON TO DISCUSSION YOUR RELEGATION FIGHT NEXT SEASON.
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Great blogging all season Jarrod, tho I dont post many myself reading the thoughts of those that genuinely understand the game and dynamics of a football club (Happy_baggie etc) has been interesting and gets me through to Saturday at 3pm!!
Have a great summer everyone, roll on August !!
Boing Boing
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SBA.. Thats more like it !!!!!
Next time you go to the Mol can you shake MM’s hand from me he did a great job this year lol
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Real Bully – hilarious!! Thanks for putting a smile on my face on an otherwise boring Friday afternoon!
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5 brilliant. best comment of the day, i love the cliche.
i cant wait for next season, bring it on, it would appear the good times are coming back.
mark it down in your diaries folks: SUNDAY, MAY 4TH, 2008. AN NEW DAWN A NEW ERA!!!
staying up the MOWBRAY way in style, as always!
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im away 30th,but im sure you,l have a good time without me boing boing
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might be relegation fight but we will still be 10 places above you..
if you would have asked nice we could have gave ya 2 of our 100+ goals to get in the playoffs
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Real Bully, brilliant, well put. That basically sums it up.
Wolves fans – good luck for next season.
Muppets – clear off and get a life.
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35. Laura.
Thanks. It’s been a long time since I’ve been accused of putting a smile on a ladies face. Even on a boring Friday afternoon.
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its great at this time of year to hear the young throstles going “boing,boing”as they migrsate to the mega-rich lands of the premiership.
well done tony mowbray & the baggies!.
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