Albion look to beat World Cup rush

Friday 26th March 2010, 11:58AM GMT.

Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth

Albion are looking to land some summer signings before the World Cup after sporting director Dan Ashworth admitted the tournament will hamper recruitment plans.

Ashworth believes the action in South Africa will bring a halt to transfer business and raise the asking price for players who impress.

The sporting and technical director is hoping Albion can sneak some signings ‘under the radar’ before the players become household names in the tournament.

He said: “The World Cup might muddy the waters a little bit in terms of recruitment, because it means a lot of people who you might want to talk to are tied up through June. From a scouting perspective, it’s too late for us to be looking at players then because the whole world is watching.

“If we were to do our recruitment off the back of that it would be costly in terms of time and planning and it would be costly quite literally, because if a player has a good World Cup the price for him rockets.

“If there are players who we’re interested in going to South Africa, I think we’d look to do business before the competition starts if at all possible.

“Once you get to mid-June, I don’t think the players would be interested because once they’re at the World Cup they don’t want to be focussing on anything else until it’s over.”


  1. 1
    flow

    sure they dont mean the 2014 world cup with mr peace at the reins

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  2. 2
    Popa

    Sensible way to do things. People may knock JP but we are steady ship with him in charge. Its good that we are looking at Internationals and not the likes of Tommy Smith (Portsmouth)like them lot in Stafford.

    Report abuse

  3. 3
    langleybaggie

    Flow – .

    Sorry I dont get your meaning. Are you having a pop at JP. If you are please evalate because JP is very very good for our club.

    Report abuse

  4. 4
    Thw Real Bully Hoo.

    1 Flo.
    Yeah he’s terrible. £23mill spent the year we went up and not needing to lose any players when we came down. Let’s get somebody in that knows how to spend money. Peter Ridsdale or Peter Storrie?

    Report abuse

  5. 5
    AMS

    Flow I think you’re being cheeky. The thing that will most hamper plans is if we don’t get automatic promotion. It would be good to have most of our transfers done and dusted by the World Cup because we have to get pre-season in over the pre-season period and not the first few games of what will be a gruelling season – whichever league we are in.
    For now we need to help Dan and co by getting behind the team to ensure promotion comes sooner rather than later.

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  6. 6
    wba4ever

    1. Flow, I mean Flop..py. Why don’t you go back to your own pages.
    Peace is the best business man in football. FACT.

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  7. 7
    quinton baggie

    1. Flo – are you shadrag in disguise? JP may have to make unpopular decisions but at least we have a well run club

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  8. 8
    mickbaggie

    I agree with Flow it is not so much that JP has been good for this club it is more this club has been good for JP (check how much JP has taken from the club since he took over) MANY TIMES more that the amount he paid Thompson for his controlling share. His creative accountancy “spin” is mind boggling …
    boing boing! a fan before JP and a fan when he’s gone.

    Report abuse

  9. 9
    JACK the HAT.

    (post 1)

    Flower,

    We will buy better players than the woolfs bought
    when they went up. Most of them still don’t know
    what colour the first team shirt is.The word”they”
    in your post gives you away, TWIT.Dan Ashworth
    would’t have sanctioned the tripe you bought.
    Certainly Roberto Di Matteo would’t have wanted
    them. If things work out like I hope they do be
    prepared for a few more drubbings again next season.

    ~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.

    Report abuse

  10. 10
    Cyril Randle

    Flow and Mick, sounds like a comedy duo. Certainly they must be joking. A fan of WHAT TEAM Mick?
    I’m sorry to see TM get the sack even though I thought he was totally wrong bombing off to The Land Of Jock. We had loads of fun when he was here and should remember that too. Reading again tomorrow. Might get another cuddle off the Reading Girlie Stewards hey Sir Terence, (Night Of The Garter). And no, I didn’t forget the ‘K’.

    Report abuse

  11. 11
    JACK the HAT.

    (post 8)

    Mick dingle,

    So you know Jeremy’s financial situation do you.
    Are you related to him. Yes we can tell he’s good
    at finance thats why we’re not like Portsmouth.
    I’m glad someone knows all about Jeremy,keep up the good work. You can see him bankrupting
    his own business can’t you, IDIOT.

    ~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.

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  12. 12
    mickbaggie

    10 and especially 11 … resorting to insults shows that you are incapable of rational discussion or thought … there ARE alternatives to bankruptcy or spending the minimum like JP has, SENSIBLE investment in player recruitment and wages MIGHT see us staying in the premiership and competing, like Stoke or Blues neither of which have done a Portsmouth … Check the dividend payouts for the last 5 years or so, more than 50% of that payout has gone to JP plus any salary he pays himself.
    It is soooo very easy to insult someone whilst not looking them in the eye Jack the ??at
    Boing Boing

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  13. 13
    sid

    as long as we dont buy no premiership journey men,(u know the ones i mean,usual suspects) ill be happy, but i dont think rdm would be that naieve, so come on albion, win at reading, and se how it all pans out, boing boing

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  14. 14
    BAGGIEBOYNICK

    some people amaze me at times
    im sure the portsmouth fans would love their club to be run like ours
    get a grip
    love him or hate him the chairman WILL NOT run the club into the ground and at the end of the day we all want to continue to go and support the albion what ever division it is

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  15. 15
    mboy

    This story has been lifted from Wednesday’s programme!

    Report abuse

  16. 16
    baggies

    So thats what our Dan looks like, never bothered to check before. He looks like a vicar in that photo with his white coller, well he’s blessed us with some heavenly finds recently lets hope he continues to do so.

    P.s – Am I alone in hoping forest win on monday, (assuming we do saturday that is), would be nice to go top for a week and put the toon under pressure. forest can drop points after that though unless by some twist we could go top and they end up second, unlikely but it would be nice, seeing almost a third of the prem from the midlands.

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  17. 17
    flow

    the headline says we will try to beat the rush before the world cup if we get promoted what makes you think business of buying players will be any different from previous campaigns the last hour before deadline day we will wait and see if i am right

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  18. 18
    Dudley Baggie

    Popa (2) yes we just go for quality players such as Luke Moore, Mattock, Zuiverloon, Carson, Donk, Cox, Reid, Meite and players on loan who cannot get into Blackburn or Wigans squad. Just because we look at internationals it doesnt mean they are any good (Meite, Carson ex-international) and if they are the chances are they will not want to join a club who cannot establish themselves in the top flight. Be realistic, the best players we will get if we can go up are the better players from the championship becuase that is all JP will spend and that is all we will attract until we can get established.

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  19. 19
    The Real Bully Hoo.

    Laughing Shadrag Flo Mick Samantha Dudley Shenanigan Wolf.
    You’ve tried this supporting your assumed name self by using other adopted names before. The worrying thing for the rest of us is that you may start believing your self induced schizophrenia. Remember when you pretended to be Baggiebob with your petition? You seem to have dedicated your life to becoming a fifth columnist Albion fan to the extent that you obviously never get to see your own team. The other worrying thing is that you have all this time to waste. In fact the only thing that worries me more is that I’m wasting my time answering you.

    Report abuse

  20. 20
    JACK the HAT.

    (post 12)

    Mick dingle,

    You’re not the brightest penny in the pile are you. Implying you’re a BAGGIES fan. You state
    “MIGHT see us stay in the premiership”.What do
    you say now as ALBION aren’t in that league?,
    LIAR.

    ~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.

    P.S. you have created a new saying- Don’t trust a
    DINGLE.

    Report abuse

  21. 21
    JACK the HAT.

    (post 18)

    Dudley dingle,

    How many of the players you mention were bought by
    Roberto Di Matteo?. Not like the tripe your current manager bought.

    (post 8)

    micky dingle,

    You’re still lying through your teeth.Dumbo.

    ~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.

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  22. 22
    mickbaggie

    Oh dear Jack!oh dear oh dear!

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