Selling players key for Albion’s summer

Thursday 23rd April 2009, 11:02AM BST.

ALBION ARSENAL 3 DH 3Albion boss Tony Mowbray admits the summer rebuilding plans for his squad will hinge on how many players he can offload.

The Baggies manager is keen to freshen up his squad by selling some of his fringe players to fund new signings.

But he conceded today that raising money might be easier said than done.

Mowbray said: “What we need to do is concentrate on trying to add quality to the squad regardless of division.

“It’s important with the way we ask the team to play that we continue to bring quality footballers in.

“I think every football club has evolution and people move on when their contracts come to an end.

“When a bid comes in that is too good to turn down, or when you actively want somebody out because he is disgruntled, can’t see a future at the club and you have a buyer.

“All those scenarios potentially could happen or none of them could happen, so it’s very difficult to sit down in April and say you want x-amount out and x-amount in.

“You can’t get them out if no bids some in. I might have players in my own mind and want to change these three for those two, but nobody might bid for the three and it might never happen.

“Football isn’t like playing a computer game. You live in the real world and wait for your phone to ring, so you can have discussions and see how it goes.”


  1. 1
    ams

    Yep offload is the best word to use!
    Luke Moore and Beatie – find a club for them and I;ll drive them there myself.

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  2. 2
    Happy_baggie

    I think the headline is misleading….

    I don’t think we need to do that much selling – just one or two that either won’t make it or can’t be bothered – the majority of the squad is good enough to win the CCC again.

    What we need is an injection of self belief – and when we win a couple of games this will happen.

    As the article says, we need to “freshen things up” – we don’t need to rebuild.

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  3. 3
    WakeyBaggie

    We paid 4.3 mill for those two. What do we think they are worth now? Its a good job the Chairman watches the opennies when the manager makes signings like these.

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  4. 4
    DingleShandee

    Are Baggiez giving up alredy?!

    ”Mowbray backin the fans to help the club through another promotion challenge”

    ”Selling players in the summer, NOT buying?”

    Come on! You still have 5 games ye? 3 wins and your safe lol Granted ur run in is VERY hard but, west brom have always had the rub of the green. You always get lucky.

    You dont want to be stuck with just coventry next season do ya?

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  5. 5
    raythewolf

    who`s gonna buy any of your players????? Certainly not us Premier league clubs….. COME ON YOU WOLVES

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  6. 6
    jimbobaggie

    3. I agree – Mowbray has made some real duff signings, I wouldnt trust him to buy my pick and mix. at least megson and Robbo brought good value for money players

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  7. 7
    Warren (Albion)

    3- Is that an adopted Yorkshireman commenting on financial prudence?!! Every penny counts……

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  8. 8
    Nedball

    4 – When did the Albion EVER have any good luck?????

    I’ve been going to watch them since I was 6 and the only bit of luck I can remember is when we beat Everton 4 – 0 at The Shrine and Kuszack caught a ball blatantly outside the area but the ref didn’t see it.

    That’s 1 bit of luck in 20 years……not that I’m counting obviously!! :-)

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  9. 9
    Jonathan

    jimbo and wakey

    are you really Albion fans?

    megson and robbo brought good value for money players!

    you have forgotten

    gregan – 1.5 million
    marshall – 0.7 million
    hughes – 2.5 million
    albrechtsen – 2.7 million
    earnshaw – 3 million
    carter – 1.5 million
    ellington – 3 million
    quashie – 1.2 million
    kuszczak – mcshane and steele

    just as with mowbray some signings were great value and some were very poor value.

    if you had followed albion for more than a very short time you would know that.

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  10. 10
    whats your problem

    happy st georges day

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  11. 11
    The Real Bully Hoo.

    9 Jonathan.
    Good comment. People tend to have selective memories when it suits their argument.
    PS Perhaps the people who knock the running of our club should have a look at what’s happened to Southampton today and have a think about it.

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  12. 12
    rewwbauk

    number 4 i think u r bang on right m8

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  13. 13
    baggie9

    What is with the star? Headline Mowbray praises the fans,then you dig up a photo of the smethwick after stoke beat us.Last season when we was champions was there a pullout in the wolverhampton version? if no why put one in the sandwell.Im not anty wolves spend many years working in wolverhampton and got lots of mates.Moderater could you please print this and see what other fans think of the ALBION coveridge.

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  14. 14
    WBA4LIFE

    i dnt think a striker is the main prioroty,miller and Bednar will do the biz nxt season IF we go down,a midfield general and someone to play alongside olsson at the back is blatantly obvious to me.come on u baggies lets go down fighting with all guns blazin!

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  15. 15
    ffdgfdgdfgdf

    wish we had dan carter back

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  16. 16
    Happy_baggie

    Ned – I remember us beating Everton 3-0 when a dog ran on the pitch as we scored… last bit of luck I can remember !!! (ps – think it was 78 or 79)

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  17. 17
    Dean

    Mowbray just hasn’t got a clue! Only three players in our existing squad are from the previous managers regime, therefore he is responsible for the twenty odd, no make it more like nearly thirty, so called fringe players he wants to off load in the summer!! This is the worst Albion team i’ve seen in my 48 years of supporting them and believe me, i’ve seen some bad years during the early 70′s and 90′s. If we don’t get a manager who knows how to pick a format let alone the same team each week, then he has to go along with the tight fisted Jeremy Peace. We will always be a yo yo team under the Peace regime. I really can’t seeing us getting out of the Championship next time quite so easily, in fact I think we might be in there for a few years until we can get Peace out and find someone who can run Albion as a football team that wants to compete rather than a business venture.

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  18. 18
    frankthegas

    Mowbray will have to start with a new team, new tac tics and be in the top 6 by Christmas or he will be on his bike with a golden hand shake from JP

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