Albion will fight to keep Mowbray
Wednesday 27th May 2009, 10:31AM BST.
Albion are ready to fight for manager Tony Mowbray if Celtic launch a bid to take him back to Scotland.
The Baggies are prepared to pull out all the stops to fend off interest from the Old Firm giants, who reportedly have Mowbray high on their shortlist to replace Gordon Strachan.
Albion have already issued a statement designed to dampen speculation over Mowbray’s future, although Hawthorns officials have had no contact with their counterparts at Parkhead.
Baggies sources have stressed privately they will fight tooth and nail to keep Mowbray, should the Bhoys make an official approach for permission to speak to their manager.
Parkhead chief executive Peter Lawwell has postponed his departure to Rome for the Champions League final, prompting speculation that Celtic are ready to pick up the pace in their hunt for Strachan’s successor.
Lawwell was scheduled to fly to Italy ahead of the meeting between Manchester United and Barcelona, but he switched to a last-minute flight this afternoon to remain in Glasgow.
Mowbray is still believed to be among the front-runners, despite shock speculation linking the club with a move for Birmingham assistant boss and former Parkhead player Roy Aitken.
Celtic have also refused to rule Burnley boss Owen Coyle out of consideration, in spite of the Premier League new-boys insisting their boss is going nowhere.
Albion have still received no approach for Mowbray, although they will inevitably be aware of the esteem in which he is held among the Bhoys hierarchy.
They hope the compensation they would be due for Mowbray’s services – well over £1million – will deter any approach. But they remain hopeful they could persuade Mowbray to stay.
The Baggies’ brief statement read: “Tony Mowbray is under contract for the next two years and we fully expect him to be our manager next season.
“Further than that, the club feels there is no need to comment on speculation.”
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Just a couple of comments on this story…
Should Celtic wish to take TM then I amfarid the 1 million plus compenstaion would of course our sway our money mad Chairman
another point whilst “TV Surfing” last night I watched Setanta scottish radio phone in (Alan Rough remember him?)and to be honest none of the fans in scotland seemed to want TM or Owen Coyle in fact.
A lot where asking for Keane even though he has only just joined Ipswich.
Who knows what is going to happen but should a decent amount of money be involved then I am afraid its goodbye Mr Mowbray.
Al TM has to do is to publicly come out and say I am staying at West Brom and his silence makes me think he could be on his way
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We’ve got to keep him!! We’ve got to stop all this talk of trimming the squad to 20 senior players and give him at least 25 good players to work with.
Think about it, realistically you need at least
2 x GK
2 x RB
2 x LB
4 x CB
9 x MF (all of our midfielders seem to be able to play anywhere across the middle bof the park, so I didn’t bother splitting that down by position)
4 x CF
That’s the bare minimum due to injuries / suspensions / resting players etc. coming into effect
That’s 23 players needed at an absolute bare minimum if we want to get straight back up.
I like JP, I think he’s done a fantastic job at the Albion, but I would be very, very unhappy if he did let TM go without a fight, and also if he makes the squad wafer thin and we suffer because of it.
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IMO if we are to build on our foundations we will have to stand up against clubs trying to bully players/managers out of us.
Money isn’t everything after all!
Heres hoping we keep TM.
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Nedball.
Agree!
But it makes me wonder just what JP is doing with WBA.
It seems he is prepared to make very slow progress which is frustrating for all the fans.
It would be really good if he would communicate with the fans in some detail so that we knew some of what he is thinking.
Maybe that is the problem. If he let us know his real thoughts, it would cause uproar.
Who knows?
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as ive said the only person who can stop this speculation is the man himself,as baggie boy says his silence tells us his head as been turned,if hes forced to stay would he be the same tony mowbury that we know,nobody is bigger than the club(apart from my x missus)but if he does go i will very very let down down by a man who we have stood by through thick n thin,aye boing boing no loyalty in football im afraid
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If we can get £3m for Mowbray let him go, we finished bottom of the Prem he signed more than a couple of donkeys and is too stubbon in his tactics. Nobody is bigger than the club and nobody is indispensable.
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Any predictions for tonights match??
I’m swaying with United 2 – Barca 1
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Mowbs hasn’t come out and said ‘no’ so he must at least be interested and who could blame him. Its a rare chance to join a top club, probably the biggest he’ll get. Peace’s insistance on 20 players couldn’t have come at a worst time. If TM feels things are going pear shaped in his relationship with Peace, he’ll look to move on. This time, Peace should have allowed the manager total control and loosened the purse strings. Not that TM has been perfect, some very dodgy signings, which is why we went back down. That money spent more wisely would have seen us stay up no problem, so maybe Peace thinks he has to pull some control back, who knows. I want TM to stay but it won’t be a disaster if he goes. Its been a roller coaster 3 seasons and theres other managers out there that can do a good job.
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Sorry, was meant to post this first than the score predictions.
It was only last week Mr Mowbray was saying how the players are under contract and how they owe the fans another year to get us back into the Premier League, is he going to do the same? Being as I blame his team selection at home against Newcastle that relegated us this season!
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My prediction for tonight is a boring 0-0 and Barca to win on pens
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No one can be sure what TM is thinking; half a job done and a smaller squad versus going to a club he played for?
I stated last week a squad of 20 might be enough for top six finish, but not for a successful promotion bid. Relying on loanees is a dodgy back up policy. I’d favour 25 players to cover injuries, loss of form and suspensions.
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barca got a few players missing and wot i saw of them agenst chelsea i cant really see them troubling manure hope it goes to xtra time n pens so i can drink more beer,3-0 manuremaye boing boing come on barca
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if tone does go i think nedball should be next manager.aye boing boing get in there my son
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prediction for tonight 0-1 ronaldo,, 34/1
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Another thing.
Don’t forget.
All of this stuff about Mowbray leaving is pure speculation generated by the media AND the betting firms.
We may find out later that Mowbray was never considered by the Celtic board.
I can’t see Mowbray saying anything until a definite offer comes along .
He would be daft not to consider it if offered.
Just one more thing.
Maybe he should take note of those managers who have left for seemingly better jobs elsewhere but later said they regretted it!!
Ossie Ardiles was one!
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Tony Mowbury should show the fans the same respect and loyalty we have showed him.He should make a statement saying he is’nt interested in the Celtic job.I thought he’d come to make us an established premier league club.He has’nt done the job yet.So i believe being a man of his words,wich i think he is.He needs to end this speculation NOW!
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Mowbray needs to make a statement as to what his thoughts are on this speculation,untill then its all a bit of a dogs breakfast.So come on Mobes stop the speculation,and make that statement.The fact that you hav not said anything so far leads me to think there is smoke and fire.
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You could sell your Mowbray masks and buy a couple of defenders with the proceeds.
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15-Jeff,
Ron Atkinson was one who didn’t say he regretted it. And he took Robson and Moses with him as well!
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If TM stays,we will see what he can achieve,if he goes-well,he did buy a few rubbish players,couldn’t sort out the defence,and the club finished bottom,so it won’t be the end of the world.
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He needs to make a statement NOW,to end all this needless conjecture.The fact he hasn’t knocked this story on the head says one thing to me,he’s interested.(In the Celtic job)
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There are some people who ARE Albion. Nedball 2, your assessment would suit me fine, logical and well thought out. JP please note! Sir Terence, Knight of My Girl Friend’s Garter, sharp football mind with a giggle attached, Real Bully and several others. We are seeing top class youngsters emerge from the Academy, eager to sign contracts because they buy into Tony Mowbray’s philosophies of pure football. They all know that if they become a Rooney or Ronaldo, they’ll move on. Anyone who thinks differently is living in the past. Man.U. are talking of £25.5M for Tevez. We just might get close for our whole team. Of course TM will be interested. He’s a brainbox as managers go, articulate, honest, stable, diplomatic…and still one or two think he can be replaced easily. TOSH!! If we can keep the whole set up we have now, we can do it all again and better next time. Just think Newcastle. Fire Sales, bankruptcy if the owner walks away, Div.1 awaits. A huge fan base doesn’t guarantee success, in fact it can cause disruption. Look at Celtic and their manager forced out by fans just because they came second. Our bloke could have a job for life here with us. He has to weigh that in his options.
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13 – Tezza, thanks for the vote of confidence. I’d have to speak to my financial advisor first of all, to see if it’s worth my while taking up the post.
What you reckon Shadrag? Should I take it? Love you xx
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The silence from T.M is a worry.He needs to make a statement NOW.
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I hope he stays..
I think he’s done a great job AYEDOWNCLAP…
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As some others have said JP has done a great job and TM has definately wasted the thick end of 8 Mill on Moore and Valero, but the chairman cannot keep falling out with managers or we will never get anyone to take the job should it become available. I agree that TM has asked for loyalty from the players and I fully expect him to show some too. If he does not he ain’t worth bothering with. He sjhould just come out and say either let me talk to them or I a not interested, end of story.
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Sorry about all the postings,but sometimes my comments don’t show up and i think for some reason they have not been accepted.At times when i have gone back to the page they are not there.It’s a bit Paul Daniels,any way fellow posters we are all only concerned for our club,and we would like to know whats going on.
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22 Cyril.
Sorry to disappoint you but I’ve been told that I’m either Jeremy Peace or a Wolves fan because of my name and that I’m out of step with the rest of the Albion fans thinking.
Therefore.
I think we should end all of the speculation and sack Tony Mowbray now.
We should get in Darren Martinez as Owen Coyle is no longer available.
We should sack Jeremy Peace and get in a Chairman who has lots of money and is willing to throw it at the club.
We should get rid of all of the current squad and replace them with big name players, using the new Chairman’s money.
Phew! This is so easy I wish I’d come over to this side earlier. Cyril, Ned, Hoff, Terry, Worcester, Bomber, Forever, Warren, Tony etc come and join me with the long range snipers, it’s great.
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Let him go, the bloke has been let of very lightly this year when lets face it, he has made some horrendous errors . When will the love affair with this LOSER STOP??
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22 – Cyril. Thank you very much, I’m glad that I can still make sense on the odd occasion.
28 – Bully, I think you’ve cracked it! Peace out and Mowbray out, Branson and Mourinho in! ha ha!
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Whos interested in tonights game? certainly not me theres only one team im intersted in ALBION TIL I DIE!!! Please dont leave us T.M.
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29…….NEVER!!!!!! As long as he is manager of my beloved football club!!!
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Nedball perhaps you could join me in a post of
Shadrag .. give us a post shadgrag, shadrag ..give us a post
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Come on Barca i hate Man Utd for what they did to us!!! Can we sign Marcelo from Real Madrid? (left Back) ToMo is the best manager we’ve ever had he talks sense! this man is a genius don’t let him go to the boring world of Scottish football again!
We need a classic number 9 in the summer who agrees? glad Menseguez is close to a permant deal :D
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we keep selling our best players. kamara,davis,phillips,gera,koumas. as long as we do this we will never establish ourselves back in the premier. we seem to have the nack of finding good players and then selling them on when we really need them. under our current chairman we will allways be known as the yo yos.
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we do ok and then we sell our best. kamara,phillips,davis,gera,koumas.we cant expect to establish ourselves as long as we keep doing this. our current chairman needs to realize that we must keep our quality and try and add to it not keep making money on the sale of these players.
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The Mrs’ uncle’s been back on and said that Slaven Bilic is the Hoops 2nd choice after Owen Coyle according to reports up in Glasgee.
Bilic’s agent has put him forward for the job too, saying he would be interested in a ‘new challenge’ and that he thinks he can take Celtic to ‘the next level’.
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28. Real Bully Hoo
And to think you were calling me sarcastic last week! Even your name is based on sarcasm isn’t it? Glass Houses…………
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if TM goes he goes the club will still be here long after he has gone,if middlesboro had come in for him i think he would have been off to them in a shot maybe that is what he is waiting for see how boro do at the start of the season if they are not doing too good i think then they will come calling.
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I hope the club is doing everything they can 2 keep Mowbray, the official statement from the club sounded a bit patronising towards the manager, saying they expect him 2 stay etc. Yeah its true, he should honour his contract and finish the great job he has started. But he needs 2 stay cuz he wants it not cuz he’s ordered!! Just like the whole 20 man squad thing, how he was reportedly fuming, the Robbo statement and the fact Mowbray hasn’t dismissed the offer. Managers normally say something by now dont they?? £1 million would be nowhere near enough either, whats our best player worth? Well I would rather keep the manager than any one player. Just waiting & praying 2 hear he’s staying!
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Albion Fan 16 here here on all your comment just seen the Barcelona result i get the same inner feeling as when Albion win.
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tony mowbrays barmy army
e cant go we dresses up for him on sunday
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No2 Nedball.
Spot on mate, 20 players would be pushing it if our only intention was to survive in the CC and not get relegated to Lge 1! But as we’re meant to be pushing for a prem return 20 is a joke.
I posted here just a couple of days back the 20 players i would keep and it left me with just 6 defenders and 3 forwards! Admittidley i went for 3 GKs ( although i’d happily let Carson go for break-even money) and loan players need to be factored in to the equation, but with some of the academy lads signing pro deals now, a squad of just 20 is starting to look a very silly number – no wonder TM is thought to be unhappy!! …And then there is the problem of off-loading the likes of Moore/Meite etc… who’s seriously gonna want them? We may well be stuck with them for a while yet.
I agree with JP about trimming the squad (there are several players we need shot of) but i think Mr. Peace needs to rethink this ridiculous number before TM joins GM in crossing him off the xmas card list!
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….Actually, in fact when i listed 20 to keep, i was left with just 5 defenders not 6 as i said above, one of which was Robbo, who has since announced he’s off!!
That squad of 20 is starting to look even sillier by the day!
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bet fergie wishes he hadent sold greening now aye boing boing there lost without rob styles
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tm, has made alot of mistakes,luke less ,simpson ,carson,,we should of had kieron westwood who went to coventry for 250 thou then tactics and not sorting out defending, why wasnt tex played when fit behind the front man, and fortune hasnt got quick enough feet to score 20 a season , get cox and hayes ,a strong quick centre half , sign ferguson, menseguas and mulumbu, then tell tm to get us up again as we have bought into his ideas and plan for atractive football and winning football eventually, and we where nearly there this season another 4 points would have kept us up , so not miles away, come on albion
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At least owen coyle as said somthing,why wont tony mowbury,me thinks hes off aye boing boing c u jimmy
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16,can you learn to spell our managers name please aye boing boing get to skool
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Come on lads! Let’s do our bit for the planet, where’s the nearest recycling bin for our Mowbray masks. Like them lot down the road found out with their Camara loyalty in football only lasts as long as an icicle in a furnace. Mind you he ain’t gone yet so if he stays I withdraw this comment.
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45 Sir Terry.
Spot on about Stiles.
49 kevin.
Your fortitude does you credit. Well done.
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So WBA are denying having recieved an approach from Celtic tonight,ithink the lady doth protest to much.Get the price right Jezza,you know it makes sense.Or come on Tone and deny you are interested.
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