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Baggies blog: Multi cultural Albion
Friday 5th September 2008, 2:07PM BST.
Albion blogger Jarrod Hill talks about the foreign legion, a multi-cultural Albion and the unattached brigade ahead of the international break.
I read with interest this week that the Premier League has 65 different nationalities of player within it this season. Amazingly the team with the most is Albion with 17.
I believe it highlights the improvements Mowbray has made in widening his scouting network throughout the world.
It also highlights that the Premier League is the place where most players want to be, but let’s face it; it has been driven by money.
It seems there are two types of Premier League shopper scouring the best players in the world, one which buys the best players at any price (Chelsea, Manchester United and now Manchester City) and those which shop abroad due to the fact that you can get better value for money.
The reality is that managers want to construct the best possible squad they can within their means. If that results in them putting together a multi national squad, then so be it.
Mowbray now has to sit and wait to see if his players away on international duty return in good health.
Much has been made of our current squad and the lack of an additional striker. Yet I would like to confirm my view that this is the best squad of players I have ever witnessed at the Albion, at age 34.
I still stand by my view that we needed another striker but the fall back is that I also conclude that the rest of the squad looks as strong as I could have ever hoped for, as we walked from Loftus Road and started looking forward to top flight football.
You would have thought the transfer window closing would have brought the transfer rumour mill to a shuddering halt, but alas not.
Due to there being a number of players with no contracts and thus still available, we are still being fed the media rubbish of ghost interest in certain players.
Well I have seen the list of players who are without contract and thus available and I cannot see many clubs breaking the bank for them.
Take a look for yourselves: -
Stephen Appiah aged 27, Ghana captain, midfielder.
Thomas Gravesen aged 30, midfielder.
Ronaldo, aged 31, striker.
Steven Carr, aged 32, full back.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 36, striker.
Quinton Fortune, aged 31, midfielder.
Other than Appiah, I can see the others struggling to get contracts of a similar nature to what they have received before.
Ronaldo, although once brilliant, is still recovering from a serious knee injury and there are concerns for his general health.
Whoever is on the list, I think Mowbray has made his mind up that the squad he now has is good enough.
I do not expect to see any new arrivals until January.
That said, he has surprised me before………
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Our scouting net work has improved alot over recent years. I’d love Appiah here but Everton + Arsenal are in for him. The founds like Koren + Zuiverloon are immense so far. If Carson plays like he did against Bolton it wont be long till he’s back in the England squad.
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Good blog.
I think, crucially, whilst we have many different nationalities at the club, we still have half a dozen very important British players in and around the starting XI which helps retain a close relationship with the supporters in Greening, Robbo, Barnett, Morrison, Brunt, Miller and Carson, with others in reserve.
The likes of Koren, Hoefkens and Bednar seem good lads who would slot into a dressing room seamlessy and I think that’s credit to Mowbray in that he seems to research a player’s character as much as their footballing ability.
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Jarrod, yes, and it’s still early doors as we start to gel as a team, showing signs of improvement in performance each match so far.
Remember that the forwards are in the process of adjusting to a better standard of defence in the Premiership, which may take a little while for them to get up to speed.
One points not yet mentioned, is that our better strength & depth in defence also will help our attack!
How so?
Because our forwards now get chance to practice against Premier standard defenders on the training ground each day, thus expediting their progress.
It is only a matter of a little time for the results to begin …
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Its all well and good having the most nationalities and what look to be good purchases and more importantly a strong squad BUT if those results dont start to come and the goals still look a distance away then it wont be long before nobody will care about this other than the fact we have not replaced KP!!
On Mowbray we trust …. Bit for how long???
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give the lads a chance to prove themselves,its early doors yet(to quote big ron).so lets get behind ToMo and the boys and roar the baggies on to victory VIVA BALERO!!!!!!!
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Robbie Fowler is available again too.
Personally, I’d love to see us go for Ronaldo.
He may only play half the games this season but the publicity we’d get from it would be amazing!
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We started the multi racial team off with the 3 degrees (Regis, Cunningham and Batson). We had a great squad then. But they was all English. I’m all for foreign players but we need to strike a balance. They don’t command the high salaries normally which is good but to many stop the rise of up and coming local players through the ranks. I think this affects the game when it come to the national team. But money dictates.
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Jarrod, good blog, thanks
I’ve thought about the improved scouting system for a little while now, this being one of the reasons mooted for Megson leaving, him being unhappy that his scouts weren’t deemed good enough. Megson publicly reminded Jeremy Peace that Darren Moore, Jason Koumas and Jason Roberts were all products of his own scouts, so what was wrong with them? Missing the point a little really, the point being that, none of these players, were “hidden gems”, most clubs around the country knew of them, Koumas and Roberts had been scouted by a number of premiership clubs already.
Whereas, the new scouting set up, which seems to have been started by Peace and fully brought into by TM has unearthed Koren, Texeira, Zuiverloon to name but three. And, more’s to the point, those 3 cost less.
Our scouting network is much improved, and in Valero we have what looks like a real talent, we will be alright this season.
4 – We need to forget about KP. He was a great player for us and would have undoubtedly done a job in the Prem for us (I know he only scored 4 goals for Villa, but he didn’t play all the time and it was the time of O’Dreary, their top scorer that year only got 8 goals!) but he’s gone, Miller and especially Bednar are good enough IMO, it is a better class of defender, who will shepherd Miller onto his right foot wherever possible, dampening his effectiveness, but he will learn, and TM will get it right – in Mowbray we trust for definite.
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4,who could we have replaced phillips with,theres nobody out there,dont you think he (ToMo)would have if he could,aye boing boing donk
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as for multi-cultural albion we are in west bromwich aye boing boing donk
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Hiya Jarrod
Thanks for the comments. Loving your observations above. I really hope your season starts to pick up and we can join you next year.
Amazed you didn’t get a striker in the window, but Mowbray is a shrewd operator.
Have a good weekend.
Cheers, Nathan.
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Top blog as usual mate,
what was the delay in it coming on ?
Agree entirely, clubs have to cut their cloth accordingly.
The talent is out there at the right price, and the club have done a first class job unearthing real quality, albeit unknown names.
Bananaman
I`m afraid the clubs failed attempt to bring in a replacement for KP, as you put it is a contentious issue, and the ramifications of that will become aparent in the fullness of time.
Personally, if the right player was not available up to the window closing, then i have no problem with that, i would much rather the club sign the “right” player in January that “make do” with someone like Nugent for a quick, but flawed fix.
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Im not slating Mowbray for anything … He has got us playing excellent football and we have a good squad and yes he has unearthed some gems. All Im saying is that if we struggle to score nobody gives a damn about the number of good findings and good players we have????
Lets also not forget that was desperatly seeking a striker upto around 11pm on Monday so he knows its a problem! We have nobody proven at this level anbd if Miller was good enough Sven would never of let him go for less than a million! Yh KP gone but Im sure nobody can argue that we NEED a PROVEN striker!
I hope everyone stays behind him and have patience but we know as football supporters that we are a fickle bunch and if we are still in r-zone come xmas there will be hard times ahead for Mowbray and the players!!
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8,royley,i have to disagree with you about KP he wouldent have scored the goals for us for one simple reason,he,d have never of played thats why he went to brum he knew he wouldent have made those 19 appearences to set off is second year do you really think ToMo playin 1 up front would have relyed on a 35 year old,bedner and miller and the midfield will do the job for us, aye boing boing donk
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jarrod like i said the other day
the young chinese las man utd released
is still up for grabs
he scored a load of goals when on loan
but fergie decided to release him
might be worth a trial and who knows
he might be a decent signing
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9 – or he could have just kept Phillips…………………. DOH!!!!
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We must forget about KP it will drive you nuts!!
If it is possible to get a released player who is better than what we have got and the salary is right then get him. But I am sure us and every man and his dog is doing the same. TM knows this. Any way lets look forward to next Saturday and cheer the boys on to a much needed 3 points.
Is it Donk or a Bonk?
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Hasselbaink may be ok. Was we not looking at him before he went to Cardiff?
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16,he daint want to keep him else he would have done …………………DOHDINGLE !!!!!!!
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16,Youl wish we had of kept him when he bangs um in agenst yow lot aye boing boing donk
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15,we r premier league, i just love sayin that,im sorry mate but we not signing any girls yet,she could always try the dingles,chinese las mite feel at home in the golden palace,aye boing boing donk
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Still going on about KP? He did not even back himself to score goals in tbe Prem otherwise he would have stayed. Can we got over it, there are goals in the team and we will be fine. As I have said previously to get a striker the calibre of Phillips in his prime is beyond our budget and thats life. I am sick and tired of this theme recurring he has gone and his record at Southampton and Villa was nothing to shout about.
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CRACKING squad of players we have now ,great time to be a baggie……
HES BOLD HES DUTCH
HES CLASS WITH EVERY TOUCH
ZOO-VER-LOON ZOO-VER-LOON
HES BOLD HES DUTCH
HES CLASS WITH EVERY TOUCH
AND HES NAME IS ZOO-VER-LOON…..
MOWBRAYS GEMS CAUSING A STIR IN THE PREM,,IN STYLE OF COURSE,,OOOOOOOOH YES..
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We were interested in Hasselbaink when we were a championship club – not sure he would be a useful addition now. Too much bling and not enough zing. In his day fantastic but not anymore – hardly set cardiff alight last season (except at the Hawthorns!)
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theres plenty of goals throughout our team we dont need kp ,get over him ..we should now be called INTERNATIONAL BAGGIES….OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YES.
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i hear wolves have alot of international players,they got one from ireland,and er ireland and er ireland i think…big players tho for such a small club..INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD,THATS MOWBRAYS GEMS,,OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YES..
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4. How long will I trust in Tony Mowbray?
Always. End of.
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terrydonkdonk………… your words………”4,who could we have replaced phillips with,theres nobody out there,dont you think he (ToMo)would have if he could,aye boing boing donk”, so you admit there is a gap left by Phillips and you need to replace what he offered your team, but then you say in another post he wouldnt have scored enough goals, make your mind up.
Most proper baggies fans realise it was a mistake to let him go particuly now cause there was no striker brought in. Miller wont score enough thats for sure. If you stay up ill be shocked!!!!!!
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May I correct Quinton Baggie….You did not start the multi racial thing at all, in fact you were nowhere near it. Charlie Williams a West Indian whos family settled in Barnsley in the late 40s played for Doncaster Rovers in the 50s. What about Bert Trautmann, a German who played for Manchester City also in the 50s and I’m sure there are many more.
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sorry wakey. to further the KP debate, the football we played last season would have been a perfect platform for any of our proper “legends” to have scored. superbob, andy hunt, king jeff and bomber would have benefitted from such service. all those mentioned would have also watched the team alongside the supporters. KP was a great player for us but no legend. by the way, cracking blog jarod, i want us to increase it in jan with an argentine, brazilian and a uraguayan. FOREVER ALBION
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haha all that money spent, all those summer nights the baggies spent abusing us, talking about the massive difference between our clubs, LOOK AT US NOW!
The great thing is WE ARE ONLY SEPERATED BY ONE PLACE! You’re 20th in the prem an were 1ST in the champ!
You baggies fans need to get some perspective! Which methods better now hey, the young and hungry english approach or your multinational big bucks waste of money!! There will be a revolt next year!
oh and 19) That is a load of rubbish, you offered phillips and gera contracts, and they bothe made it perfectly clear they didnt want to play for you!
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Forget about any of those players! What we want is what we are getting young, hungry players who are willing to give their all. Not so called has beens who are after one last big pay day!
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19,20,21. terrysteptoe, when exactly are we playing you lot then? Enjoy saying we r prem etc as come december you’ll be able to say we r championship…again, as for girls look no further than the steptoes of sandwell.
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Can people shut up about KP. He’s not good enough hence why he never accepted our deal.
Get behind the current strikers FFS.
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absolutely agree that we have the best players since the days of Big Ron but I’m very worried that we don’t have a striker who will score enough goals—we had excellent players in all departments under Big Ron but we are lacking up frony now. I would bring in Nugent or Boyd on loan if that’s still possible.
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On Phillips
IMO he was a goal scorer (still is) he can score goals from half chances thats a natural goal scorer, he would have got us about 5-10 goals this year as he wud have got less chances, i wud like to have seen him again this year for us but he’s gone, now body is given Bednar the credit he deserves, he is our top striker in the club and i believe once he is given a fair run in he will score 10-15 goals this year, he is a quality striker and will prove to be a massive favorite this year when he starts scoring and phillips will be forgotten, as for miller he is a player that will come on with expierence i doubt he will score alot this year but next year he will score more, i think the other player that needs a fair chance is macdonald he is a quailty player with as much talent as any player at our club needs a gd run in up front with bednar. P.M to all dingles, shut ur mouths sayin ur 1 place behind albion, no ur not ur a championship side playing against CCC sides, we are prem league with a squad twice the team ur team will ever b
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Yes 22, couldn’t agree more as i have said on previous posts, not all 20 premiership managers can be wrong.Bring on the hummers, stick their bubbles up their ar*e.
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the wolves aint goin nowhere
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30 TOPOFTHELEAGUE ,,you may be top and enjoy it while you can cos we both know soon you wont be top and come may muppet mick will blow it as per normal,,and as for being one place behind us you may be but the difference in class is still there even more than last year,,we are simply miles ahead of you lot and thats how its going to stay,,sorry to bring you back to planet earth,,enjoy your big day trip to donny…boingboing…WHAT TILL WE GEL WITH MOWBRAYS GEMS,,LOOK OUT PREM WERE HERE IN STYLE ,,OOOOOOOOOOOH YES..
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theres no reason why the chumpionship cant be playing today,i mean they dont play for real footballing countrys do they,aye boing boing donk
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31- hear hear
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4 Bananaman.
There’s an experiment being done on Wednesday that could end the world, so why bother at all. Let’s just give up.
27.
‘Most Baggies fans realise it was a mistake.’ When did you undertake this survey and how many did you ask? Although I haven’t done one the impression I get from on here and at the ground is that most Albion fans trust TM’s judgement.
29.
Your not one place behind us, you’re light years away. As for young English players, we have as many as you. Most of the rest of yours you will find are Welsh or Irish.
PS You’re not top of the league you are top of the championship. For the time being.
6 Supermaths.
Can’t agree with you on this. It’s the sort of stunt BFR would have pulled. We’re a serious football club, not a circus.
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donk-key player for the boggies.
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quinto baggie- comment 18- i am a villa fan, however JFH? are you serious? the dudes ability has gone. Since he has left Chelsea he has flopped, Charlton and Cardiff and he didn’t score more than 15 goals in 30 months and if you want a goalscorer why don’t you put in an offer for Kevin Doyle in January because he is not as good as Carew or Gabby but i believe he would score goals for you or even Carlton Cole or Scott McDonald from Celtic. They are all realistic targets on terms of money and the pull power from regular 1st team football and they would do the buisness for WBA.
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Id be amazed if Bednar, Miller & Moore scored 15 goals or more between them this season. You ain’t playing against the Gary Breens or Jody Craddocks of this world now and for all the pretty elaborate football you play it means nothing if you don’t score. I was convinced you would stay up but Mowbrays failure to sign a couple of premiership quality strikers will ultimately cost you bigtime. If Miller was good enough, Man City wouldn’t have sold him in the first place. Moore is quality but will you get 30+ games out of him? Its asking alot of Bednar and the midfield to score you the goals you are going need to stay up.
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i see mclean as just scored for peterbourgh,remember him the league 2 player who yow cudent afford aye boing boing donk
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1 PLACE BUT A QUITE A FEW MORE MILLION
IN THE BANK THAN THE ROLA COLA LEAGUE
WE R PREMIER LEAGUE CLOWN
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Can any of you see comment 37 by me? It says still awaiting moderation but I can’t see anything untoward in it. The misery on here just about matches the rainy monsoon weather we’re having. Cheer up a bit, there’s a match NEXT week.
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43,44. Enjoy it whilst it lasts ladies as you’ll be back there next season and yow know it.
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terryplonkplonkboggie your down aye dong dong bonk
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29; John Aston. The emergence or acceptance of the Black player started with Regis, Cunningham, Batson and Viv Anderson (not in that order). Before that you may be right the odd one or two here and there. Viv Anderson was the first Black player to be capped for England.
Charlie Williams was a comedian in the 1970′s?
Bert Trautmann was a White German and broke his neck in the FA Cup final 1956 against Blues?
41 AVFC POTM. JFH – If he could come off the bench with 20 mins to go maybe he could grab a few goals. Would not use him as a starter in first 11. We do lack fire power and Luke Moore aint right. Should have shipped him back to Villa.
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31/ Seem to have heard this all before. You need to lay off that dingle juice ! early days yet – team still settling down – quietly confident of progressing.
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31,notforlong,as i said he would never have played for us,but he will agenst yow,will you boo him agen i wonder, aye boing boing donk
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28, as ive said KP wudent have played in the prem wether hed have stayed or not,but we are moving forward and if ToMo thinks there is a gap it will be filled in january,but i have every confidence in the strikers we have,so dont try put words in my mouth,if you go up i,ll be shocked!!!!! aye boing boing donk
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33,wilf 1887lasttimewewonsummet,where do i say we playin yow lot, aye boing boing donk
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31,notforlong,seperated by 1 place,but in footballing terms light years away,aye boing boing donk
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29,jan,charlie williams cud have played for you or the wilfs,after all he was a comedian me old flower,aye boing boing donk
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terrysteptoedongbong, light years ahead eh your having a bath ain’t ya, the steptoes never have been or ever will be ahead of Wolves, when we go up and pass you lot on your way down, we’ll be staying up and you’ll be staying down where you belong. Wolvesaregoingup.
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47- agreed yes you are a premier league clown. Good to see that you have seen sense and just admitted it.
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53 – 57
Get a job you knuckle dragging moron
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wulfs1877. “The steptoes never have been or ever will be ahead of wulfs” – last year steptoes 1st dingles 7th. This year steptoes premiership dingles chumpionship. Need I say more?.
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58 – where to begin…..
Firstly your oh so grown up “terrysteptoedongbong”.
Honestly – I have a three year old who would look at me with total distain if I ever voiced such nonsense. “Dongbong” ???? ..are you really a grown up ?
Secondly – “your having a bath”. Nice stab at geezer style rhyming slang – but totally getting it wrong. It’s either “having a turkish” or “having a giraffe” – no one (with a brain) says “having a bath”.
Finally – “steptoes never have been or ever will be ahead of Wolves, when we go up and pass you lot on your way down, we’ll be staying up and you’ll be staying down where you belong”
If we will never be ahead of you – how will you pass us? – moron !
I have read many stupid posts from you over the months – but that one really is pathetic.
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62. Firstly I was humouring terry the donk or whatever he wants to call himself these days, its called a sense of humour you should try one.
secondly I’ve heard loads of people say a lot of variations to rhyming slang, does that make them no brainers – no it makes them individuals that are quite within their rights to talk or express their own views in any way they so wish.
Finally the way you steptoes go on about being light years ahead of us is truly laughable, you make out that you are some kind of massive club with lots of millions in the bank etc etc blah blah, well you may be one league and one place above us but you ain’t no where near as big as wolves in terms of club size and stature, you lot can’t even get a sponsor.
And as for you calling me a moron well takes one to know one eh? I too have read the drivel you have posted on here and you also are pathetic so that kind of makes us even eh, except i support a bigger and better club.
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62. And another thing how can you slate me for being ” oh so grown up” when most of your fellow steptoes do nothing but insult us Wolves fans and call us names, I don’t see you slating them in fact you even do it yourself, you should learn not to throw stones in a greenhouse – MUPPET
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63 – “it takes one to know one” ??
I also suppose the one who smelt it dealt it, and your dads bigger than my dad ! What a child.
64 – “most of your fellow steptoes do nothing but insult us Wolves fans and call us names”…
Do you take stupid lessons or is it just a gift ?
Of all the morons I have read on here, you are possibly the most dense. Well done.
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65. yes mush it takes one to know one, do I take stupid lessons well only from you. This is a hobby to me winding steptoes up, and without fail you are proper easy, you bite every time, hours of fun for me, better than fishing as on here i’m guaranteed a bite from some moron called happy. You can call me what you want “sticks and stones” I’ll carry on winding you up because you are just so easy, so you think what you want mush but i’ve already won EASY EASY EASY.
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