The Great Escape II?

Friday 12th December 2008, 4:32PM GMT.

swans-mowbray.jpegAlbion manager Tony Mowbray believes a repeat of the Baggies’ historic ‘Great Escape’ is possible in the Premier League this season.

The Hawthorns boss is still hopeful his team will climb off the foot of the Premier League before Christmas – avoiding the need for a second Great Escape.

But Mowbray believes whichever team is bottom on Christmas Day could emulate the achievement of Bryan Robson’s Baggies, who remain the only side to stay in the Premier League having propped up the table at Christmas.

He reckons the congested nature of the table makes a similar achievement more likely.

He said: “Let’s talk about that if it happens, because we could win at the weekend and be off the bottom. But whoever is bottom, you could potentially see that scenario happening again.

“I try not to look at things through rose-tinted glasses but I genuinely believe we can compete in this league. Against Portsmouth, who are a team with some good players, we were always in it.

“We could have easily won at Wigan and at Stoke, so it’s not like we’re playing in a league where we have to give everything and a bit more just to hang on.

“We don’t feel like we’re out of our depth in this league, we feel like we are quite comfortable. Yet we need to score goals to win some matches.

“That is a pretty consistent message. Sometimes teams can think ‘we can’t win’ and I have been there as a young player thinking ‘we can’t win unless they have two men sent off and we have one of those days’.

“Sometimes all you are doing is defending and if we were in a league where we were playing Manchester United every week that might be the case.

“But I don’t feel or sense that. I feel every week that we could win and I feel we could have won in the last three weeks.”


  1. 1
    TERRY VANDAY BAGGIE

    ive already got my great escape 2 T-shirt staying in the prem the MOWBURY WAY IN STYLE OF COURSE OHHHHHHHHHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS BOING BOING

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  2. 2
    TERRY VANDAY BAGGIE

    i see dingles have got a BEATING THE BAGGIZ dvd out for christmas,should make good viewing while there eating there starter,dont blink tho,aye boing boing donk

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  3. 3
    Submarine_Baggie

    You’re ‘avin a laugh.No chance of this happening again.You going D
    O
    W
    N

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  4. 4
    WestBromJack

    Why did we not keep Super Kev? Why do we still not have a shirt sponsor? How did we not receive a single enquiry about the club when it was up for sale? How did we spent 20 million quid on players only to end up at the bottom of the league. Had we not spent 20 million, we couldn’t have been in any worse position?

    Lady luck kept us in the Premiership the last time we achieved the so called Great Escape. We have since kicked lady luck in the privates with some of the changes in playing personnel. I honestly believe that we would be in a better position today if we had the full squad from last year intact. Now we head into January without any money to spend looking for a striker or two. Now, keep in mind that these strikers need to have the midas touch with great ability and goal scoring prowess to keep us up. They also need to be regarded as surplus to requirements by their parent club.
    Additionally, based upon our recent history of players coming in, we will need to recruit at least 10 of these players to find one that can score.

    Hardly a time that fills me with hope and joy! Thanks god it’s Christmas. Then we have the joy of playing Chelsea on Boxing Day for what should be a very one sided affair and an easy 3 points for us.

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  5. 5
    tom

    who even said it would be another great escape, we pick maybe 4 points from the next 3 matches, and we’re off the bottom, sunderland should be worrying, 70,000,000 on crap and look where they are, we will start picking up points again, as we have shown we can compete in this league

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  6. 6
    Sutton Hoo.

    2 Terry.
    It’s a great DVD, the long shorts, black and white footage and jerky photography bring back memories. Good to see the young Billy Wright as well.

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  7. 7
    WORCESTERBAGGIE

    we will stay up for sure,no probs we play the better football we just need someone to stick the ball away( which we will have come january )and then watch us climb the table…STAYIN IN THE PREM THE MOWBRAY WAY,,OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YES..P.S HIYA TEL MATE ,C YA FOR SOME SHERBUTTS NEXT GAME MATE…NICO,S ROUND

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  8. 8
    Distant Baggie

    Terry. PLEASE start posting with some correct spelling and grammar. You’re making baggies fans look stupid, and we’re not all that bad.

    “They’re” NOT “There”, for a start.

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  9. 9
    marcwba

    we wont do a great escape cus we will not be bottom at christmas. STAYING UP THE MOWBRAY WAY!

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  10. 10
    frankthegas

    The great escape only happens once,and you need a lot of luck as was proved with Robson

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  11. 11
    Aussie Baggie

    Tony is again quoted in today’s Sun newspaper saying that Peace will not be offering ANY funds in January for transfers. TM only has the option of selling players to gain funds or taking players on loan.
    This is an utter disgrace.With the loss of Miller for the season you would think that Peace would have to loosen the purse strings.
    Great Escape 2? With Peace in charge of funds we have no chance.
    Seems Peace is quite happy to see us relegated again – as long as he can balance the books.
    What an absolute joke!

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  12. 12
    Happy_baggie

    11 – and we all know how accurate the Sun is don’t we.

    Yes we will have to sell to buy – and we have quite a few players who were brought for the CCC who will never get near the prem squad – and those players have to be moved on… but I believe if we make say 3 million in sales, and a decent striker is available for 4 million, then the club would find the extra cash.

    We just can’t keep buying without recouping some cash – thats the road to administration.

    After spending over 20 million in a year we STILL have people posting about purse strings and tight wad chairman – - who do you think we are… Chelsea ??

    Some people are so blinded by the money a few clubs can spend that they would gladly put the club in danger just to see what happens – I think some fans need a reality check !!

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  13. 13
    mooseman

    i totally agree happy baggie.my main concern is,although the strikers are just not doing enough,i am worried about the lack of goals from midfield.do you think playing borja in a more advanced role would be more beneficial?p.s i would love to see aruna dindane in an albion shirt!!!

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  14. 14
    Aussie Baggie

    12 – Happy, if we want to remain in the Premier League then yes we need a big reality check.
    Are you trying to say that we cannot afford to be in the Premier League?
    Think of the huge amounts of money that will be lost if we are relegated again!!!

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  15. 15
    Cyril Randle

    We aren’t even half way through the season yet so stop panicking. If we were being outclassed, yes! But we aren’t. The difference is a clinical finisher and maybe an in-off-the-cush to lift heads a bit. As for the Phillips saga, he went because he wanted to, same as Gera. Now let’s drop it please. He is NOT coming back and you’ll turn into a pile of Saxa salt if you keep looking behind you.

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  16. 16
    boy from the REAL bl

    I’ll start worrying about Great Escapes when, with 10 games to go, we’re still in the bottom 3 – not in mid-dec! – crazy!!!

    Damn, better hurry up and get them easter eggs, soon be Easter!

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  17. 17
    Happy_baggie

    14 – I think we can afford to stay in the prem – but we should NOT try to stay there whatever the financial risk… even if we could get a 6 million pound forward, there is still no guarantee we would stay up – and what happens if we were relegated ??

    JP has ensured that we give this year a real go by spending over 20 million plus whatever we do in january – whilst also ensuring that should we go down we are well placed to bounce back next season… If we break the bank now and still go down who knows how far we could plummet.

    I want to see us doing well, with top players and winning games – but there is a fine line between success and failure.

    13 – I think Kim, Borja or Tex can all play that role – and I would love to see Dorrens get a game too.

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  18. 18
    Santa!

    Peace is only interested in the parachute payments,he must squirrel it away some where,now there isn,t any money for transfers in Jan.?????????????We have to sell?uh!He must have a master plan,but i don,t think he knows what it is himself!.

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