Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Albion not giving up on Reid
Wednesday 19th May 2010, 12:56PM BST.
Albion have refused to give up on signing loan star Steven Reid despite a late bid by Celtic to hijack the move.
The Old Firm giants have made an offer to the Republic of Ireland international, who visited Glasgow on Monday to discuss a possible deal.
But the 29-year-old also has an offer from Albion and Hawthorns officials are still hopeful of bringing him to the Black Country, despite media claims from north of the border that a deal at Parkhead was all but complete.
Head coach Roberto Di Matteo confirmed that Reid is among a number of players in talks with the Baggies over joining their Premier League campaign next season.
Di Matteo said: “At the moment we are talking to a lot of players and players’ agents and trying to finalise a few deals.
“We can talk about many players that have been linked with us and a few haven’t.
“But behind the scenes we are working and talking to a lot of people to shape the new team.”
Reid, who spent almost three months at the end of last season helping the Baggies clinch promotion to the Premier League, is one of the men that the Baggies boss hopes will add top-flight experience to his young squad.
The Blackburn man, who is free to leave Ewood Park when his contract expires later this month, has been offered a contract by Baggies officials but they now face added competition from Celtic, with whom they played out a bitter compensation dispute over manager Tony Mowbray last summer.
Reid was shown around Ibrox and the Bhoys’ Lennoxtown training ground on Monday, then offered a deal reportedly worth around £20,000 per week.
The Baggies could match that figure in the Premier League, as well as offering Reid a degree of familiarity and the chance to prove himself against the English elite after a string of injuries.
For their part, Celtic hope their sheer size and the possibility of Champions League Football will work in their favour.
Albion are also close to trying up a permanent deal for former loanee Gabriel Tamas from Auxerre for a fee of around £800,000.
Di Matteo said: “Technically we are not allowed to announce it, but we are signing him.”
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Why would Reid be shown around Ibrox? Surely you mean Celtic Park (the clue is in the title)
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If Albion offer Reid the same deal as Celtic,plus the chance of regular Premier league football,but he turns it down,he can get on his bike and go to the land of two clubs if it makes him happy.He’s got experience,but he can’t get in the Blackburn side,they don’t want him,so he won’t be a massive loss.On the other hand,if Albion lose him because they want him on the cheap,they’ve only got themselves to blame for the usual over cautious approach.We’ve lost decent players in the past by being a bit too tight on the purse strings.
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Not just tight on the purse strings but incredibly SLOW to sort the deal out.
We could have signed Reid weeks ago with a pre contract agreement.
We are STILL working on the Tamas deal.
WHY???
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Cant get into Blackburns squad and is surplus to requirements there but gets into our first eleven at right back even though he is a central midfield player? Shows the task at hand I suppose. After the chance we gave him last season I dont think he should of even been in Scotland to look around he said he wanted to stay with us. Let him go there and play at league 2 standard.
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Only players who cant hack it in the prem league go to celtic,keane,naylor etc aye boing boing
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Hope we can still get Reid, and as others have said, the Scottish Premier League, is a league where there is only 2 clubs worth mentioning. English Premier League is where every player should want to play. Blackburn dont want him, Albion put him back in the spotlight, and now he is being looked at from elsewhere. Come on JP and RDM get your fingers out and sign him up.
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let him go,he`s to injury prone anyway,will miss his own goals tho, crackers they was,aye boing boing
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3 Jeff
RDM’s been quoted as saying the Tamas deal’s done and dusted but we can’t officially announce it yet.
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*UPDATE* from post 8
Tamas has signed Jeff, see official website.
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Lot of negativity on here today (some of it erupting from the dark side.) Reid is a free agent, we’ve made him an offer. He’s entitled to see what Celtic are offering and would probably think it rude not to listen. We don’t want to get involved in bidding wars, we’ve offered what we think he’s worth, now it’s up to him. If he chooses them, he’s done a good job for us so can’t we just be a bit magnanamous and wish him well.
As Celtic are short of money they could halve the cost of their scouting system by sharing one with Fulham at our training ground.
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Agree with most,if indeed he did only come to WBA to put himself in the shop window,as it were,then let him go.West Brom are worth better than that,good player as maybe,if he doesn’t want to be at the Baggies,and is looking to Celtic,then fine, on yer bike sunshine, and the best of luck in the Jimmy Krankie league.
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Jack the Hat.
No problem. Up the Baggies.
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5) Sir Terry Bag’o'Wind.
“only players who can’t hack it in the Premiership join Celtic”
Albion are going to have to be very careful then, they won’t have a squad left.
That Olsson will do well against Inverness Caledonians !
….and don’t forget you heard it first in the E&S…. Rangers and Celtic will be ground sharing next season
Lord Molineux has spoken
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Personally i see the situation like this, he isnt a natural right back and prefers to play in midfield, but he isnt better than anything we have in midfield. If he signed for us he would be a squad player and at £20,000 a week i think the money can/could go to better use.
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i hope we dont get find for fielding a weakened team at wolves aye boing boing
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13-Lord Custard Bowl-wolves won’t need to worry about the Premier/Celtic comparison next season after your delayed return to the championship.You had an outstanding season to brag about with a mighty 30-odd points and about the same amount of goals,but the same won’t save you next time around.
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7) That’s right Terry. Keane is just 7 shy of a 100 Premiership goals and is record Republic of Ireland scorer ever and nearing 50 goals.
Luke Moore or Robbie Keane?
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The official site has released the news that Tamas has signed!!
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17-you won’t take the Mad Mick out of Luke Moore when wolves sign him after Kevin Doyle leaves next week.
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17,he may well have done,but only when he was in a decent team,he scored more for leeds than he did yow lot,aye boing boing
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16. We finished on more points than you did in the prem and 15th where you finished bottom. We also finished on more championship points than you and won the league, you were runners up, dont run before you can walk.
One things for sure, Albions squad is considerably weaker than Wolves, we have more money and no debt, if we go down you would of been relegated a few weeks before thats for sure.
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lord dingle i cudent care less about celtic n rangers sharing,i predict within 5 years wolves and willenhall town will be ground sharing, with willenhall having the biggest end,remember where you heard it first,from SIR TERRY THE BAGGIE FAN aye boing boing
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14 Bomber
Couldn’t have put it better myself
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17, its Sir Terry,show your superior bloggers some respect,thank you,aye boing boing
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21 The Wulf-As usual,you and your lot have missed the point-coming over here saying how good you are because you finished above 3 or 4 very poor clubs which saved your neck.If what you say is right,you should beat the Baggies with ease next season-do you really believe that?If it did happen,it would be the first time in living memory.
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22 Sir T.
Please don’t ever change.
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21 The Wolf
We finished last season with 91 points, which despite Newcastle’s presence, was more than Wolves gained in the previous season, and would’ve been enough to win the Championship in every season going back to 2005/06.
You stayed up (and I genuinely take my hat off to you for doing so), but it was in the weakest Premiership ever known. Pompey and Hull had no cash, West Ham were in turmoil and Wigan were shocking.
We didn’t bask ourselves in glory the previous year, but Middlesbrough and Bolton had just each spent £12m on a striker, Newcastle has Owen, Wigan has Palacios, Cattermole and Heskey, Hull had that ridiculous start that kept them up.
It’s just not comparable. You might think your squad’s stronger, I personally think about 3 of your players would make our starting XI, but I guess it’s all about opinion. We’ll see if you’re right next season!!
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The Wolf
P.S. I don’t know what Wolves books look like, but Albion most likely won’t have any debt as of 31st July 2010 as the write-up on player values will wipe it out (that’s what caused it to begin witha after relegation) and we’ll be receiving monies for Greening and Robinson.
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Good grief,what is it with these tyts that call themselves footy fans.They must be so far up themselves its not true.They couldn’t hang on to Keane when they had him,can’t quite remember which club he prefered when he moved on?MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
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I know what Bomber and Warren mean about Reid not being first choice in any position but he’s a player that’s never looked out of place in the PL and his versatility would be priceless for us. The other thing is that he seems to have slotted in with the other players and team spirit can’t be overrated, it’s probably helped keep our rivals up this season.
I’m getting quietly excited at the prospect of Valero coming back. I don’t think we saw the best of him last time and agree with Bomber and Warren that if we were signing one of the best midfielders in Spain outside the big two, our supporters would be over the moon. Because like it or not that’s what he is, Real and Barca aside he has been one of the outstanding players in Spain while playing for an unfashionable club. The thought of him teaming up with Dorrans and Mulumbu is mouthwatering.
I couldn’t argue with the people that said we needed a new RB, as Zoovy or Reid probably couldn’t be relied on as first choice in the PL. Just read the Jara article where he says he prefers playing RB. I think if RDM agrees with him we no longer have a problem at RB. Only trouble is Jara is so bloody useful in midfield as well.
All in all I can’t wait for the World Cup to finish. Bring on the Premier League.
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I agree with the Dingles to a degree; their defence was fairly solid – too thick and immobile to get away from the box…
Reid knows the score with Celtic, huge support, but living on a knife edge in terms of cash. It would be an easy option to go North, but more of a meaningful challenge to join the Baggies.
Keane to join the Baggies? I can hear it now, “I’ve always want to join Liv..Cel..the Baggies.” LOL
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If he don’t want to play for the club that’s up to him
Only want who will wear the shirt with pride and desire
The stupid banter with us and the DOGHEADS gets me though
Lets not respond to their dross
Couldn’t watch that lot every week
Congratulations! They’ve stayed up. Well done
But its been the easiest season to date for Premiership survival,with only 2 being relegated in a sense and some very poor teams in there.
So don’t get too carried away or cocky lets see if you can do it again.
Mad Mick Sack him!!! How many times we heard that 1
Bigger Club??? Noooo
Better Stadium—DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH
Its 20yrs out of date already, the only corners are on the pitch
Thats where the talkings done on the pitch.
With RDM we Believe!!!
BAGGIES.BAGGIES.BAGGIES
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I always thought that Steven Reid was too good
for the Championship but not good enough for the Premiership
If he what’s to go to Celtic let him go , its a similar league as the Championship he will do well there , and many thanks for your service .
There’s younger & better players out there that can easily fill his boots!
boing boing the Italian baggie Gio
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Scene 1. You don’t get on with the boss and he’s made it clear he doesn’t want you. You’ve been off ill more than a few times.
Scene 2. Another firm takes you on from the Agency and you do a good job for them. They’re prepared to offer you good wages and super working conditions.
Scene 3. Another firm from another Agency offers you a job at good wages, the rest unknown and you have to re-settle in a different country.
I’ll bet more than a few of you have been there, done that. But you always look at all the options. It’s common sense. Reid is in the For Sale window.
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we dont need him, but surprised that koren is off!
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Can you feel the vibration, no it’s not an earthquake, it’s the dingles knees knocking. They’ve got to tangle with us next season and they
remember the last time. Let them console themselves. WE ARE BACK!.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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I do not like to get into these debates but I think a few WBA fans must be on the whind up. Richard Stearman cannot get in the wolves squad at the moment but he is a better defender than anybody on Albions books. Henry has won plaudits all year for his commending performances and you have Mulumbu who found it difficult at premier level. I think Dorrans would start at wolves but is Brunt better then Jarvis? No. Tamas better then Craddock or Berra? No. Carson better than Hahnemann or Hennessey for that matter, definately not. You do not have one striker of any notable quality, dorrans and a very leaky back four. Please live in the real world, no wonder the bookies will have you as favourites to go down.
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17,Lets compare our player of the season,ours is a young up and coming scottish captain,attacking midfielder scores goals for fun wanted by a host of premier clubs,value 15-20 million,yours is a 38 year old defender with one leg longer than the other,or one shorter than the other on loan from stoke,wanted by a host of league 2 clubs,value £0-000 aye boing boing
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and we are back to stay,so be afraid dingles be very afraid cuz weem comin to get ya,AYE BOING BOING
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36)Boing~~Boing~~JtP Yes, you and your little pal Sir Terry Bag’o'Wind are right. We are absolutely terrified. The anticipation of having to face the likes of Olsson next season will proper spoil my enjoment of the World Cup…….and the possibility of Beattie leading the line with his dodgy knee… OMG!
I see Rob Hulse has gone off the radar, I suppose bigger clubs have come in for him.
Lord Molineux has spoken
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Read post 37,and he says weem on a wind up aye boing boing
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37, your brilliant welsh no3 keeper is going on loan to relegated burnley,and i cud play in goal for america,stearman dont even turn up when its snowing,aye boing boing
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38) Terry Boggy. There is one comparison you have coveniently forgotten. Dorrans was player of the year against teams like Scunthorpe, Peterboro and Barnsley et al. Craddock won his against Premiership teams.
However I do rate Dorrans as a promising player and will be concerned when he arrives at Molineux with Everton or West Ham.
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Lord Moulinex, you’re a bit of a mixer.
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37 wolfie.
You say you don’t like these fairly puerile debates on our player’s better than your player but then you throw yourself into it wholeheartedly and as unreasonably as anyone else.
You grant us that Dorrans might just get a game for you. Very magnanamous. Mulumbu was young, raw (a bit like your own Goudiera but no doubt he’s a World beater) and picked up an injury that limited him to a few appearances.
Richard Stearman better than any defender on our books. Such a ridiculous statement I can’t even bring myself to comment.
Berra ? even your own fans don’t rate him or Henry either, while Craddock has been a solid pro that is approaching the end of a decent career. Better than Tamas who is a fixture in his national team? Do you really think either of them would get near it?
Carson has played for England and as Capello has recently stated is still on the radar. I won’t slag your players off for the sake of it, Hahnemann is an excellent keeper albeit reaching the veteran stage.
Jarvis and Brunt? Very different types of player. Jarvis has surprised me and has done better in the PL than I thought he would, I’d compare him more with Thomas but better, who knows?
I like to listen to Professionals assessing players, they tend to see so much more than we mere mortals. But at least we can try to get out of this ‘our players better than yours cause he plays for us’ mentality. It’s very childish.
PS ‘No wonder the bookies will have us as favourites to go down.’ Is your real name Mystic Meg? I’m sure the bookies are very clever, sensible people and will wait to see what happens in the transfer market.
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40 Lord Moulinex.
I’m no fan of James Beattie but as this is only the latest round of paper talk, I won’t worry about it.
Your cutting barb about Rob Hulse has stung me so much that I’m going to lie down in a darkened room.
Sir Terry.
Give up. You have met your match in this greatwit.
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(37,40)
Every player in a ten man defence should be player
of the year. All we have to do is breach your ultra defence because you can’t score goals. Worst
“goals for” in the whole football league. You see
we don’t need a defence, we’ll be too busy belting
the ball in your net if you decide to attack oneday. You wont know where they’re comming from as we can score THROUGHOUT the team.
Keep believing the paper talk and as I said before console yourselves as we are back to annihilate you.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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(40)
It’s Jack the Hat not Jack the Panama. So be
respectful lord Mongrel the Dog-Head.
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Wolfie
I agree with you, I hate those wind-up posts about who’s got the better squad.
What are people’s opinions when we have your facts? That former Leicester defender Richard Stearman is clearly a better footballer than 43-cap Gabriel Tamas (formerly of Auxerre and Galatasaray), 38-cap Marek Cech (formerly of Porto and Sparta Prague) and 31-cap Gonzalo Jara.
There is one thing you got wrong though, and I’m not sure how many Albion games you’ve watched before offering us your pearls of wisdom, but Youssuf Mulumbu didn’t struggle in the Premiership. He played a handful of games as we only signed him in the January, and like Dorrans, caught the eye in the few games in which he did feature.
I can accept a Wolf arguing that you might finish above us or that you’re a more effective unit. Those two may happen, but if they do, it’ll be because you play negative, disciplined, containing football with your negative, disciplined and containing players, and not because you have a technically superior squad. Let battle commence…..
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wolfies huff and puff
you will be left panting on your bellies on the bottom come may 2011
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it’s a shame a nice bloke like stevie bull who lived next door to us in tipton went over to darth vader dingle wars
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Boing~~Boing~~JtP. I should go and lie down in the same darkened room as your pal The Real Bully Hoo.
Talk about this in the gloom of your room.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was Golden Boot two years running scoring hatfuls of goals against Championship sides. Unfortunately he found the Premiership a different matter.
The Tescos limped in a tame second behind a Newcastle team that were an embarrassment in the Premiership and they had to sell half the team !
The Itlalian has no experince at this level so get the worry beads out forthwith !
Wolves found a way to survive which is something yoyo teams cannot grasp. Now we move on, add a bit more quality, and soon…. back into Europe, who have sorely missed us
aye…boing…boing…Bag’o'wind
Lord Molineux has spoken
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52 – how did we “limp in a lame 2nd” ??? We accured more points than either you or us when we won the league (yeah remember we won it first – when you came 7th)….
SEB was golden boot winner – but who was your secong highest scorer…. was it Craddock again ?? the year we went up we had three players who scored around 20 goals EACH – plus 3 more who score 10/15… but so what ??
You mention that RDM has no experience – fair enough – but MM’s experience before this season was played 52 – won 4……
As for surviving – yes you stayed up & well done. But you won’t be the first team to get relegated in the second season – it happened to us in one of our MANY prem campaigns so lets wait and see sha;; we ??
Bottom line is that we love this banter and it will continue until one club is more successful than the other next season – only problem for you lot is that it will be us !!!
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52 Lord Moulinex.
I’m afraid you’ve hung yourself on your own petard. Wasn’t it you that was telling us that we would have survived in the PL with a top class striker like Mr Blake. What a difference a year makes.
As you can see from my earlier post, I give credit to your players where it’s due. Try having a proper debate instead of daft point scoring or if you do that at least try to be funny like Sir Terry or Mixu Pantyliner from your own side.
As I’ve said before, don’t knock yoyo teams as your club have yet to achieve that. You’ve got up twice and stayed up once. We have easily bettered that record and we did it with the awful Bryan Robson as manager.
Lord Moulinex should think a bit more before he speaks.
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I like Lord Custard Bowl……..he’s so silly!!
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27) Warren you are way off the mark on how many would get in your side or who were outstanding for us last season? Here we go:-
Hahnemann Zubar Craddock Henry Jones Jarvis and Doyle
If you do not believe me look at Opta stats Dream Team etc.
Albion have or had – loss of Koren – a quality midfield but nothing up front and not a good defence.Get signing!
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BrummierobWolves
I think you and other Wulfies are missing the point re: our defence.
Yes, it leaks more goals than yours, and most likely will do next year. But that’s because we play a different style of football and set up differently to you, not because you’ve necessarily got better personel.
You have a back four, and Henry, Mancienne and Foley cushioning that at all times. You could stop a Wolves game at any given time and there wouldn’t be more than 15 yards between the back four and the midfield four, and when that high ball does come, you’ve got players to deal with it.
Our best defence in recent years contained Darren Moore, Phil Gilchrist and Larus Sigurdsson, they managed 17 clean sheets in the Championship and we were never thrashed in the Premiership. That doesn’t mean they’re better than the players we have now.
Doyle and Jarvis maybe. The rest you mention aren’t good enough technically to get near our side given how we play. Likewise monay of ours can’t contain like your containers can.
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Real Bully Hoo. You’ve come out of the darkened room then ? Hoisted (not hung) by my own petard ? Not me pal. Never uttered such words. Your confused, never mind, go and have a sit down.
You think Sir Terry Bag’o'Wind is funny ? Wow, I bet you enjoyed Terry & Joan and On the Buses. Expect they had you rolling about holding your sides.
As for Bryan Robson being awful, remember he was the only manager that actually kept you up, (although it was by default). Sure it’s not a bit of bad feeling ‘cos he joined a bigger club. ?
The shadow cast by the Wolves trophy cabinet will soon plunge Soho Road into darkness
Lord Molineux has spoken
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58 – has Terry left June for Joan…. ?????? I shall never watch again – as for On the buses – whats not to like ?? I bet you liked Friends for the irony.
p.s – the only shadow you lot will cast is SEB blockin out the sun with his gut !!!
p.p.s – never refer to yourself in the third person – it makes you look silly.
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Lord Moulinex. The correct phrase is ‘hoist by my own petard’ not ‘hoisted’, but you have the audacity to correct RBH when you write,
“Your confused, never mind, go and have a sit down.
You think Sir Terry Bag’o’Wind is funny ? Wow, I bet you enjoyed Terry & Joan ”
You mean ‘you’re’ not ‘your’ and the TV programme was ‘Terry and June’. Then you have one too many apostrophes after ‘Bag’. I sincerely hope your football knowledge is better than this drivel.
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(52)
lord mongrel the Dog-Head,
Yes,I felt for Ebanks-Blake trying to play striker in a “Park the Bus” team. No wonder he couldn’t score goals. Doyle wont stand for that
next season IF he’s Still with you. Wolves didn’t
find a way to survive, they couldn’t do anything but play two banks of four and a sweeper, in doing so they bored their fans to death. they
BEGGED Mick-Mac to play the last two games with an attacking formation, just to be entertained.
If ALBION were to play like you did the Hawthornes
would be empty. That is why we’re a country mile in front of you, in football terms we are walking
and you’re still in your prambulator.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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Lord Moulinex.
This gigantic trophy cabinet you talk of. I need some storage space in Wolverhampton, will it be available to rent. I’ve got a cardboard box you could keep your trophies in, well actually it had cigars in but should be plenty big enough.
PS You’re right about hoist, well nearly right as others have pointed out, it was a slip of the pun. Do you know what a petard was? It was a crude bomb in medieval times that would be hoist or hoisted by some unlucky soul onto the wall of a town under siege. Often it would go off prematurely, hence the saying. Perhaps if Wolves get any more defensive we might try it against you.
Anyway enjoy watching the ‘thrill a minute’ stuff at the Mol. The hours must fly by on a Saturday afternoon. My Doctor said I should get a season ticket for the Wolves. I asked if it would make me live longer. He said ‘no but it will seem much longer.’
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Lawdy Custard Bowl-you obviously come over here to amuse yourself with feeble wind-ups.I can appreciate your search for fun because watching Mad Mick’s wunder’s attempting to bore everyone to death by being ultra negative must be mind numbing.You’re supposed to choose a goal of the month,not SCORE one a month.Whatever the division,I would always take the Baggies open,attacking ENTERTAINING football any day.
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58
Shouldn’t your final sentence read ‘Lord Molineux has awoken’, after nodding off at the last Wolves game?
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