Albion class to survive for Barnes
Friday 23rd April 2010, 1:44PM BST.
Giles Barnes today insisted he will not relive his Derby Premier League nightmare with Albion – because the Baggies are “miles better” than the Rams.
The Hawthorns winger is heading for a second taste of the top flight after an injury-restricted role in Derby’s awful 2007-08 campaign.
The Rams won just once en-route to the division’s worst points total and earliest-ever relegation.
But Barnes is confident he will not suffer the same fate after helping the Baggies to their fourth promotion in eight years.
“This team is miles ahead,” said the 21-year-old. “That’s no disrespect to the team we had then, but Billy Davies did a really good job to even get us up.
“Even he said we went up too early and we probably weren’t ready and I think most of the players agreed with that.
“He didn’t get much money to do what he wanted to do so he had to work with what he was dealt.
“Albion are a good passing team – the best in the League – so that’s a good start because it’s about keeping the ball and making other teams work for it.
“We can finish and we can score so we just have to keep it as it is and build on what we’ve got.
“We have some really good players and a very fine squad. I think it is good enough to stay in the Premier League.”
Barnes’ Premier League experience began late and ended prematurely because of injuries but he is relishing the chance to play next season to apply the lessons he learned with the Rams.
“It feels good to be a Premier League player again but the hard work starts now,” he said.
By Steve Madeley
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
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I feel more confident about our survival chances next season than ever before. I look at the 4/5 greed league teams that are likely to finish just above the relegation scrap this season and to be honest, i dont see anything too scary! Sure we will be 2nd favourites to go down and rightly so given our recent record and the overall record of teams that come up from the Championship, but The Blues and the Dingles have proven that it is possible to compete in the premier league.
I think the overall standard in the premier league was lower than ever this season, in general the money being spent is less and where there used to be 3 sections, The top 4-6, the bottom 4-6 and the mid table section, i think it is more like a 2 tier now with the top 10 being closer than ever and the bottom 10 likewise.
Ok we need to buy a few experienced players to strengthen the squad for a real survival push, but with just the odd player excepted, does anyone really think that the current Wolves, Wigan, West Ham or Sunderland squads are any better than ours?? I dont!!
Come on you Baggies
Boing Boing!!
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You need more than just good players to stay in the Premier League.
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i feel very confident of staying up,with the dingles in there that only leaves 2 relegation places,aye boing boing
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1. Yes, I do, they are established premier league clubs and we finished bottom last season and have since lost Greening, Robinson and Clem.
I would love to have Rob Green, Upson, Carlton Cole, Scott Parker, Roddalega, Bramble, N ZOgbia, Doyle, Hahnemann, Jarvis, Ebanks Blake, Darren Bent, Kenwyn Jones, Lee Cattermole, Michael Turner. We are not better than these sides, we will have to work very hard and hope we pull a couple of gems out on the cheap.
Last season alot of our supporters were ‘we will be in the top 10′ or ‘we will have enough points by xmas’ this time we have a slightly weaker squad and we once again have an inexeprienced manager, expect a long-hard fight to stay up. I am being realistic.
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Seem to remember the same line the season before !!!!
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Berkshire Baggie. I am a realist, not a blind love Wolves fan, and I think we have a much better squad than you. Sorry, you may prove me wrong though?
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4, afternoon shadrag aye boing boing
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4 – Why have you taken my name. Get your own!
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Me…………I’m just please to support a club that has brought me joy this year no matter what happens next year (and I have great expectations)but what ever happens we have a club thats stable (not many are) and we will do our best I’m sure.
Thanks West Bromwich Albion.
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1. What about the 100mil spent by Man City, 20mil Aquilani etc still plenty of money beinf spent, our problem is we will get complete out-battled, teams will see that physically we will struggle and unless we get a couple of ugly players in it will be the same as last season without as many flicks and pass and move in our own half!
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4. Sorry but I think you have missed the point. What you have done is cherry pick the best players from the teams I mentioned to create a fantasy squad. Yes I would like some of the players you mentioned but I am pretty sure their fans wouldn’t mind a few of ours also Morrison, dorrans or jara for instance. I just looked at the individual squads and couldnt see more than a couple from each that would improve us.
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Have a look at the picture with the story ‘Albion honour players of the season.’ Is it me or has Jeremy Peace let himself go a bit?
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10 Shaun.
Everyone seems to agree that we need another striker, CH and RB and as you say we need a couple of ugly players I’d like to suggest Frank Ribery, John Terry and Gary Neville.
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9 JAF.
Very succinct and totally true. A proper fan.
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Baggietastic,
Don’t worry, He’s already been clocked by us. He hsn’t the guts to use his own aka.
Shaun,
There are ball winners who are not ugly players.
We will leave the ugly players for Mick-Mac.
(6)
I agree, Wolves are a lot better than us at “parking the bus”, dangerous play and certainly when it comes to hoofing the ball.
(4)
Doyle,Hahnemann,Jarvis,Ebanks-Blake?. SNIGGER
and SNIGGER some more.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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11. This is the whole point. Dorrans maybe would get into westhams side but Jara or Morrison are not better than Parker. We have a huge task on our hands. We do not have the quality of Greening to put his foot on the ball make things tick anymore, We lack experience and pace at the back and we do not have one striker good enough to play in the premier league and we really need an experienced keeper. What we will need is a huge effort and better work-rate than the other sides. I cannot see JP going in for players who will costs millions in transfer fees or wages, I think he will add a few free transfers or bargains from abroad as he is content on coming up and down as it makes the club tick without too much financial risk.
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Our current squad:
Carson (needs replacing)
Zuiverloon (defensively not good enough)
Olsson (goes to sleep far too often)
Tamas (time will tell)
Cech (lack of pace and not good defensively)
Morrison (come back from injury, hopefully be ok)
Jara (high hopes for the step up)
Mulumbu (looked a little out of depth last season)
Brunt (great from set pieces and a fantastic striker of the ball, will need to up workrate to help out the full back and has a lack of pace)
Bednar (good in the air but very slow)
Cox (needs to go on loan, not ready)
Moore (need I say anymore)
Wood (needs to go on loan)
Mattock (no)
Kiely (better than Carson)
Miller (too one footed and hasnt been any use since his injury)
Meite (no)
We need some premiership quality like Michael Brown, Hayden Mullins, Bo Myhill, Olofinjana, Chris Eagles, Steve Fletcher who will be realistic targets of signing.
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JAF No.9. Exactly how I feel. Wet, cold days in Bury meant just the same to me, watching Albion play and hoping to win. Bottom of Div.2 in 1994 at Portsmouth, were we downhearted ? Not bloomin’ likely. It felt like we’d won the League that day. Almost as good as winning the CCC under Mowbray. The reason for me is simple. WE BELONG.
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time was when all players usually played for their local team and actually improved as they trained.
just because a player is foreign does not mean that he is better than what we already have
stick with most of these players and watch them improve
with the exception of scott and luke who should be traded on
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18 Cyril-talking about Bury,I remember as a young lad in the mid-60′s watching Albion reserves losing 0-4 at home to Bury reserves on a dark wintry night during a snow storm.If you can stick that for 90 minutes,watching the Baggies these days,in whatever division,is quality entertainment that I for one fully appreciate.You’ve gotta take the rough with the smooth.
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(4)
Nobody but a dumb-dingle would state a club with one season in the Premiership as established, Dolt.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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(2)
Roberto Di Matteo will sort out our needs,you consentrate on cleaning the cow-pats off the pitch
for when we ride into your bum City, dingle,
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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(16,17)
You’ve used the word we six times in your first post, whats stopping you using the name ALBION,
dingle?. Must have took you hours to compile your
second post,nice to think you know so much about
our players names, glad to have educated you.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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