Albion set to miss out on duo
Tuesday 23rd June 2009, 11:29AM BST.
Albion’s search for a new manager gathered more urgency today as summer transfer targets began to slip their grasp.
Any hope of persuading striker Marc-Antoine Fortune to make a permanent move to the Hawthorns have gone, with the news the club’s former boss and Celtic manager Tony Mowbray has now agreed the £2.5million fee demanded by the forward’s French club Nancy.
Now Barry Ferguson, who is believed to have staged preliminary talks with Albion about a move from Rangers, is now expected to join Birmingham City.
Both deals had the stamp of their former manager on them, as do the continuing talks to persuade two of last season’s late successes, Youssouf Mulumbu and Juan Carlos Menseguez, to stay.
Albion chairman Jeremy Peace is settling on a narrowed down shortlist at the moment, with a view to interviews over the weekend and an appointment in time for next week’s return to pre-season training, by players now wondering in which direction the club will turn.
But the urgency of that appointment has been underlined by the sight of player targets eluding them.
Rangers’ former captain Ferguson is on the verge of signing for a second time for Alex McLeish, who paid Blackburn £4.5million for the midfielder while manager at Ibrox in 2004.
Fortune’s agent Michael Manuello has now ruled out staying with Albion.
He said: “We will talk with Celtic at the end of the week and see what is on offer financially. We will talk with everyone over the next 10 days.
“Celtic is definitely an option Marc will consider. His relationship with Tony at West Brom was wonderful. It would be very exciting.
“The two men would like to work together again.”
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i would seriously consider nolan even at 50 grand a week im sure hes willing to lower his wages a bit to play in a higher leaguee.. also 2 million thats a steall!!! and as for kevin doylee.. hes a good player.. runs alot.. alot like keogh in many ways but a far all round better player.. 6.5 million is a bit steep butt hey ho if it worksout id like to see whos complaining thenn!!
UP THE WOLVESS!!!
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Even more close season shambles. No sense of urgency; complacency re promotion next year; no sponsor; no manager; player queueing up to lead; a risk averse business model…but besides that everthings great.
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i dont think we are going to sign any players of quality with no manager in place its no wonder half the team want to leave as they sense like many others this team is on a slippery slope down the divisions as for shirt sponsor we should ask pampers coz were s**t at the back and p**s up front
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Barry Ferguson is a great friend of Derek McInnes and would hope at least that Barry will wait to see what happens at the Hawthorns before making any decisions.
The bigger question is why the delay – we have known for some time that Mowbray would be leaving – so why are we not doing interviews until this weekend. Seems like a weekend too late for me, should have been last weekend! Hurry up Jeremy!
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This is why JP needs to get a new man in this nextweek. I’m not worried about Fergusson or Fortune as I always thought they would attract a better offer. What does concern me is the lack of urgency. We are a proven example of dithering in the summer months not delivering results the following season. You would have hoped we have of learnt.
JP may have got an extra 1/2 million for Mowbray but will the extra week it took going to cost us more in the long term.
Can he accept an offer rather than none on the shirt deal as well. Is it better to swallow pride and bag 700k rather than have 0% of the expected million sponsor deal overall. How about attracting some South African investment since they are hosting 2010 World Cup? There must be many companies ready to gain more exposure but you have priced us out of the market.
I doubt that a club with no manager is easy to agree any deals with so cancel your holidays JP and get the job done for the 25,000+ fans you are supposed to be working on behalf of.
Dwanye Dingle – fair point Nolan is quality and he can galvanise your team. I think everyone at the Circus St James ended up looking poor because of what was happening off the field – Nolan would be a good addition and will come good again. Doyle’s a bit of a gamble but if the worst comes then he will score bagfuls next season in the championship and if you stay up I doubt anyone will care where the goals have or haven’t come from.
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If Peace accepts a sponsership deal below what the club is worth it has a knock on effect year on year. The revenue is fairly small fry condering they would have their name pastered all of the shirts and the ground.
No suprise the Fortune will look at Premiership offers, same with Fergusson. I didn’t think either would happen even if Mowbray had stayed.
New manager needs to be in place for start of preseason (1sy July).
I have to admit I think it’s a hard choice, I would like to have to make that call.
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Very poor effort number 3.
You would not get your SANDWELL TOWN disguise past a human embryo.
Like many of your school reports say/said
Must try harder little Bertie Dingle.
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Some really unjust harse comments being made about JP. You can not rush these negotiations. The proper approach has to be made to club to enter any talks with managers and most people are on holiday at the moment. Chairmans, Club Secretary and Managers.
I beleive a lot of work would have already been completed and this weekend should wrap everything up.
The other old subject being mentioned is Shirt Sponsership. Unless we get a similar deal like T Mobile it is more commercially viable to lease the ground advertising and hospitality areas separately. This was the case last year and probably will be next year. I am sure JP has this covered.
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According to the Guardian newspaper Celtic can not afford Fortune, with 3 offers from either Hull, Portsmouth, Fulham, or Wolves have already offered 3.5 mill, with one offer closer to 5 mill with add ons!!!! Hull are the favourites to take him and Owen, what a pairing that could turn out to be.
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Come one JP, don’t give us the labour pains, just bring us the baby. New manager and new additions asap please. Also, cut out anyone who doesn’t want to wear the shirt. We don’t need them.
As for sponsor, I really don’t give a monkeys as long as we do our stuff on the pitch.
Boing boing blank shirt
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Dont worry my baggie friends Barry Ferguson was out of his depth at Blackburn so now even later in his career would be even worse in England. I know Roman Bednars behaviour makes things look pretty bad but it can only get better. No.8 if you read this site regularly Peace come out and said he is struggling to find a shirt sponsor.
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what a joke. when are some of you idiots going to realise jeremy peace is an idiot and we will never go anywhere with him in charge. What ever he does it takes 10 times longer than it should. We need to be rebuilding our squad and signing players that are quality and available. PEACE OUT
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if they are trying to sign players with no manager that tells me everything about my club.we have a director of football in place and i wonder how many of last years signings were to do with mowbray.He may have had some input but i doubt it was much. He got the blame for some of their performances, but did he want them in the first place.A new manager will be banging his head in frustration after a couple of seasons like everyone else who takes this position. We need someone to come in who is of a strong mind if he is to be able to manage properly.
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12
WOW!!!! EUREKA!!!!
Thats it then the malaise of our club simplified.
All of us idiots should realise that JP is an idiot.
We should sign quality players NOW.
Get rid of Peace, the fact he owns the club, is but a minor stumbling block. PEACE OUT PEACE OUT all together now PEACE OUT.
God, why has it took so long for someone to come up with the answer to Baggie utopia.
Europe here we come.
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right on tipton baggie peace out
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Tipton baggie – I’m thinking that you are probably a real Baggies fan and thats why I am answering your post….. You may not like JP but one thing that bloke aint is an idiot.
He has steered the club into a regular premiership team – but dosen’t have the cash to keep us there. He only sells a player (or manager) for much more than we pay for them, and he has made us a financially sound club likely to gain promotion this season.
You have no idea what is going on behind the scenes or which managers he is talking to – so WHY do you have to post such negative rubbish all the time ??
You talk about buying players and rebuilding – forgetting or writing off the 25 million he spent building the squad we have..
Maybe you would prefer to be a Leeds, Charlton, Newcastle, S,ton ect ect and just run the club into the ground to appease the baying pack ??
You need to get real and get behind the club.
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No11 The Shirt Sponsor is just about credibility and not worth having it is financially viable. We had three possible sponsors last year if you remember but none of them were worth having.
No12. In JP we have a safe pair of hands with a very well run club. Do not expect any football Manager to have any business common sense we rely on the Chairman and the backroom staff. If you want a real joke come down to Southampton and see the corrupt bunch at Saints who have ruined the club. Div One and still trying to charge 395.00 for a season ticket. They had a benefit night the other day to help save the club and they could only muster 400 tickets sales. At least with JP we have something to look forward too. I admit its fustrating but it could be a lot lot worse.
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Ferst of all we need a manuger, Brian Robson is available and he loves the club. He has a prooven track record in the champiumship and we cud do a lot wurse. Up the Throstles
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I cannot believe some of the comments I’m reading on here about JP out. You are all completely delusional.
First of all, we are one of the best run clubs around and that’s a fact.
We don’t ever get taken for a ride by the so called bigger clubs, in-fact, JP is arguably the best negotiator in the football league.
JP has presided over some of the most successful years in recent WBA history and remember, he’s doing this at the same time money is pouring into the big name teams.
Look at Leeds, Newcastle, Southampton, Forest, Mboro, etc etc and tell me again you’re for real.
I fear for our club the day JP leaves and by the way, just look at some of the other chairman we’ve had over the last 20 years; the only one I rate and highly is JP.
Get a grip on reality please.
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These are difficult economic times and JP is doing an excellent job. We don’t want to go the same way as Southampton, Charlton, Norwich, Leeds etc. It wasn’t JP’s fault that Mowbray has gone to Celtic. Mowbray had a lot of faults and the quicker everyone realises that fact the better!
We now need to appoint a new manager who will continue to take us forward, as soon as possible. For me, that decision lies between Derek McInnes, Alan Irvine and Paul Simpson. However, Derek McInnes may not have sufficient experience as yet.
We must back the Chairman in his choice of manager as he is the one who has got to work with him.
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Get JP out.we won’t go anywhere with him in charge apart from……up-down-up-down.Get mccines in at least he will sign decent players.
Up the baggies!!!
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19 NY Baggie – I agree the club has made progress under JP. I don’t agree that ‘…we are one of the best run clubs around’. That depends on what your business goals are. My corner shop is well run and breaks even. But it’s still a corner shop. JP appears to have taken the club as far as he can is averse to taking and managing the risks to take it further. This is at the heart of the problem.
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Spot on NYbaggie!. I have read some tripe in my time but to have a few semi-literate, semi-bankrupts tell a successful business man, a millionaire of his own making, that he, and we, are all idiots surely takes the broken biscuit. It would be funny were it not completely pathetic. One other chairman worthy of mention, Paul Thompson. A rich man, but a man of the people too. No.17KSB. Southampton could well vanish from the scene due to mis-management and that would be desperately sad. A club of our size, the supporters deserve better. Let’s hope Le Tissier gets it sorted.
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WHILE PEACE IS IN THE BOARDROOM, THERE WILL BE NO PEACE IN THE BOARDROOM, FINACIALLY SOUND, AMBITION ?
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19- Excellent post
I don’t think any of the Peace Out brigade have presented a viable argument to date.
There are teams in the Premiership whose wage bill is more than 100% of their turnover, teams who are nearly £100m in debt (Pompey, Bolton, Sunderland……Fulham nearly £200m, all as per their official accounts). Yet we are very nearly competing with these teams having a debt of £8.9m and running within our means.
I applaud JP, he’ll only be truly appreciated once the fools drive him out and we’re run into oblivion.
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This is a really important appointment. Its no good bouncing JP into taking the first manager who knocks on his door and then regretting it in 2 months time.
The timing’s unfortunate, but there’s no point buying players who may not figure in the new managers plans.
My choices would be Curbishley, Coppell, McInnes, Dave Jones, Nigel Pearson.
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16. Happy… how are you my friend ? Long time no speak !! You are now starting to see how fickle football fans can be !! We are now Premier and we are still getting the mud slingers !! Honestly you just cannot win !!
P.S. 18… you are a disgrace to the Gold and Black and if you are a serious Baggies fan – which I have grave doubts about, then you really should start attending school so that you can learn to spell – may I suggest the 1st year (primary) ?
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I also believe that Jeremy Peace is doing an excellent job. It wasn’t his fault that Tony Mowbray has gone to Celtic. It was unavoidable. Last season, Mowbray made a lot of mistakes but wasn’t prepared to admit to them. He knew that his job would be on the line if we don’t get immediate promotion in the coming season so he jumped ship. It was always on the cards. We can do better and I am sure JP knows that.
We need to appoint a new manager as soon as possible and we should select from Alan Irvine, Paul Simpson or Derek McInnes. But has McInnes sufficient experience? I personally doubt it.
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Thought it was in loan contract that we had any first options to buy Fortune. So if we had offered £2.5 million we should have got him????
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6 JB 8 KSB 14 Forever 16 Happy 19 NYB.
What did Kipling say? (no Brierley Hill, Tipton, Danny and Phil, not the cake maker.) ‘If we can keep our heads etc etc.) Good to see some sensible comments amongst the witterings of the ‘Peace out brigade.’ Comes to something when Laughing Wolf is making more sense than some of our own.
8 KSB a really excellent post, unfortunately some on here won’t even understand it.
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Ok Fair Point. But I am sick and tired of seeing us promoted then relegated. were getting the reputation of a yo yo club. And that is rubbish about peace not having any money. to be fair to the bloke he gave mowbray a lot of money last year and in my oppinion he wasted over 12-14 million pounds. Peace is a very good negotiator but things take too long. He should be appointing a manager asap so the new manager can get new targets and start rebuilding for the new season. All this tripe about mowbray being a very good manager we finished bottom for gods sake and the season was a joke. he should of bin sacked never mind leaving and going to celtic. Peace has fell out with all 3 managers… what does that tell you? Hes appointed two managers and both have failed, both have wasted money on terrible players. I just hope he is 3rd time lucky with the new appointment of the manager. dont mean to be negative but its my oppinion.
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Scene 1. Act 3. TM centre stage, “Couldst be my master hath my demise foretold come Micklemass or Harvest Time. Hark! What do I hear? ‘Tis an old friend from the Land Of Jock bidding me welcome. Make haste my departure for my income shall be thricefold for at least a twelvemonth. Make forth my caravan, my stars are good and Venus is high. When my passage is safe, I shall henceforth depict my now master the scurvy knave”
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30 – take your point. I prefer the Kipling ‘quote’:
“If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs…it’s just possible you haven’t grasped the situation!!!” :-)
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31 – As you say, he has fallen out with 3 managers and the two he has appointed have failed – I wonder if the two points are related?
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21 Calum.
Great post. Just one tiny question. If we get Peace out, who is going to get McInnes in? Please reply. I really want to hear your answer to this one.
22 BHB.
I like your juxtaposition. I presume that when your corner shop goes bankrupt after trying to compete with the supermarket, you will take your custom to the supermarket instead. Where will you go when your football club goes bankrupt?
26 WBAlex.
Far too much common sense in your post. Let’s just get anyone in. It’s much more important to get anybody in this week than the right bloke next. Besides it will give them something else to moan at JP about. Seriously, excellent post.
27 Filton.
Always good to hear from you.
PS. As you and Laughing Wolf both seem to hail from the same area, have you never thought of sharing your travelling costs? You could learn so much about football and finance.
Sorry, couldn’t resist it.
28 Kingswinford.
Are your initials by any chance PS.
29. Danno.
It was only binding on the club, not the player.
31 Tipton.
Fair enough you’re fed up with going up and down. Have you thought that the alternative to the Peace Plan may be a return to mid CCC obscurity. I’ll take the ups and downs, at least it’s exciting.
32 Cyril.
It’s posts like this that make it worth coming on here.
33 BHB.
I was adapting the quote to our situation but thank you for explaining that to me.
PS I believe they sell exceedingly good cakes at your local supermarket.
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C’mon Peace get your finger out! Get a Manager in ASAP, you are taking to long, we are missing signings and we need players in to have a pre season. The last time we dallied on signings for the championship we didnt get promoted!
Secondly, if Albion is such a well run club then why are none of the big money men who are looking at buying so called big clubs not looking at us. Are you doing something to turn away there interest? i cannot belive we are not on their list given that we are the most financially stable club in the UK with a great fan base to build on.
JP you are a great Steward but i fear we will never be top flight with you at the healm. Thank you for all you have you have done but please sell us on as i dont belive you will go the the extra mile needed to keep us in the Prem. 3 Managers cannot be wrong!
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Thanks RBH. My great-great-grandad used to sweep the hoss muck out of William of Stratford’s stables. Legs 225: I would suggest that we need to unload a few players rather than worry about taking more on. We have probably the best squad in the CCC, several excellent youngsters coming through all of whom would be more eager than Meite, Moore and others YOU could name no doubt. Let’s encourage JP to make the best players honour their contracts then the new man could think it’s Christmas.
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32: Cyril (Shakespear) Randle. Great post
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Ta Quinton aer kid. Me Grandad Randle un me Granny Oliver used ter spake ode fashunned in Great Bridge weer Ah wuz born. ‘Hast thee swep thee foad aer wench? Ooh, Kroist ar. Bist thee cummin’ or bist thee bay? Bist thee gun ‘it me?
If thee bist ar bay’. And other such delightful trips of the tongue.
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34. jim yes the points are related arent they?
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36 and rest of ‘Peace Out’ brigade
When a major benefactor looks at buying a club, the most important question he’ll ask himself is either ‘How big can this club be?’ or ‘How much can return can I make from this club?’.
Are we ever going to get 45,000 crowds or is our merchandising ever going to go through the roof? I doubt either to be honest, which is probably why we’ve not been bought.
When you talk about the ‘next step’, I’m guessing you’re comparing us to the likes of Bolton, Wigan, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Fulham and Portsmouth and asking yourself “if they can compete, why can’t we?”, which is a fair question.
The answer is because they are over £500m in debt between them, that’s how we go from where we are to the ‘next step’. Is that what you really want?
JP’s done a great job of maximising the club’s resources and (almost) working within our means.
As for a new manager, it’s been 8 days, give the bloke a chance!!
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Folks you have to watch the video on here Whos next for Albion ? I think they have been in the sun too long or its free beer day on the high street, Last bloke oh dear !
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Just a thought, I wonder if LW was shopping in West Brom today ? Wearing a green shirt !!!
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41 warren…. u say are we goin to get 45,000 in our stadium??….. the 6 “next step” teams you said? do any of them get that amount of fans in their ground? maybe 1 sunderland. i understand your point tho. But in my oppinion i dont want to watch us yo yo and it will come to an end sooner or later where we will just be a healthy club that sits mid table in the championsip. i would personally like to see us have a gamble. if it doesnt pay off or we dont gamble and are just a mid table side in the ccc in a few years then ill still be there :)
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And that, Tipton Baggie, is the most important thing to happen. I had the good fortune to see Albion all through their First Division days in the main, with just a couple of trips in the Second. But even in the Third Division I was still there as were many of my family. Now only two of us carry on the tradition. Whoever JP appoints will get my full support, (through gritted teeth if it’s Paul Ince I’ll admit). Nothing to do with being a Wulfie though. I just think he’s a No.8 Hat.
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just a few words fellow baggie boys, megson,you say he fell out with jp who hasnt megson fell out with remember ian marshall boys.robson bad un when as robson ever said a good word about us never to much a red , mowbury if he had wasted 30 mill of my money id a fell out with him. replies on a postcard pleas
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43 KB.
Brilliant. I hadn’t watched the clip until I read your post. I can just imagine Laughing Wolf typing out what that bloke was saying, even winking at the PC as he mentions his insider knowledge. All other LW disciples, if you haven’t watched the clip, view it now.
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