Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Borja Valero returns to the Albion mix
Wednesday 7th July 2010, 11:01AM BST.
Albion are ready to repatriate Spanish midfielder Borja Valero into next season’s Premier League plans following the midfielder’s return for pre-season training.
Valero is back from a headline-grabbing season with Real Mallorca, which the Baggies acknowledge has generated a lot of interest in his services in Spain.
Sevilla have already had one bid rejected and with Spanish clubs struggling to meet Albion’s asking price of around £5million – Valero remains the club’s record signing at £4.7million – there is now every chance of him returning to the midfield mix for next season.
During the summer, coach Eddie Newton confirmed that Valero was sent back to Mallorca last season because it was felt his passing style would be trampled underfoot in the Championship promotion push.
But Albion’s management believe the 25-year-old playmaker, who found his first taste of Premier League football difficult during Albion’s last doomed campaign, could yet thrive.
Sporting and technical director Dan Ashworth said: “Borja is back here with us now and he’s a professional athlete in how he conducts himself.
“He’s coming back to the Premier League and that’s not exactly the worst league in the world – the things which attracted him in the first place are still here.
“We can’t dismiss the option of him playing again for us. Sevilla finished fourth and it came out that they made an offer but not one which we felt was worthy of the player he is, or the season he had in Spain.
“He’s got plenty of admirers over there but not much has moved.”
The prospect of Valero settling back into the Hawthorns way of life must be improved by the arrival of fellow countryman Pablo Ibanez, who Ashworth believes is capable of big things for Albion.
He added: “Anyone who’s played 23 games for Spain is a top player and he only played for them last November.”
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I don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to pay close to 5 million for him except us. Lets face it he’s no Karl Henry.
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#1 – Your just a jealous dingle who isn’t fooling any1 apart from yourself maybe !
Personally always liked Valero. Would be a real good addition to our team.
Also got a fellow spaniard in the team which may help his cause unlike last time where-by he was the only guy who could speak Spanish. I feel the best is yet to come (hopefully against the dingles!!)
Boingboing-
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Better than Karl Henry i would imagine!
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#1 – A lesson in pretending to be a baggie !
* Make up a creative but not to challenging name (e.g – BOB)
* Never speak about wolves in a positive fashion
* Learn how to spell and use the correct grammer
* Have a day off school
* Put something like boing boing at the end of your post
Enjoy …………
Boing boing ;)
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He’ll be a much better player with Mulumbu behind him, a striker in front of him with whom the ball sticks (no offence to Miller, he has his own strengths but he’s not a target man), and a team who aren’t leaking goals and chasing games every week (this may still happen but certainly not as often as last time around).
If people give him a chance and he’s willing to give us commitment, he could still be an asset for us.
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Liked Velero, has a great touch and good vision. Had no protection last time, but with Molumbu looking after him, you never know.
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Don’t forget, we have got Gonzalo Jara here as well as Ibanez, who both will speak spanish!
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I personally would let him go, from what I understand he does not want to be here, he did not make the mark previously so why would he now. The fact is we paid over the odds for him and Mr. Chairman wants to recoup the fee which will not happen. Better to cut our losses and move on.
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I can see the Albion playing a similar formation to the Dutch at the World Cup this year.
4-2-3-1
Jara and Mulumbu in front of the back 4, with players like Brunt / Thomas / Mozza / Dozza / Barnes supporting a striker who can hold the ball up and has pace (still need one of these to make it work though).
We all know that at least 1 new striker is our transfer priority.
I don’t mind if the goals come from midfield again next season, as playing this formation would mean that they’ll no doubt get more chances than the actual striker himself.
Valero could fit into that style of system too, so maybe this is a brilliant opportunity for him to prove himself in England as opposed to Spain??
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Always rated the bloke and could see him
fitting into our 4-5-1 formation with
Brunt,Mulumbu,Dorrans,and Morrison.
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Would love to see him given another chance, he is clearly talented as his performances in Spain prove and with RDM utilizing a 5 man midfield he could flourish in an attack orientated role. However he has to want it himself, if he’s not up for the challenge of the Premiership and his heart is in Spain he has to go.
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You need pace in the prem and with morrison and brunt on the wings number 10 we will be toooooo slow to counter. Brunt, mulumbu, dorrans, valero, JT (or barnes).
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I think he will go eventually for £4.25m max which is a shame as I think a 2nd stab at the Prem with us after a good year experience in La liga under his belt could do the trick, plus he has a fellow countryman to keep him company.
I just don’t like the idea of a player in an Albion shirt because he has to.
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looks like we didnt have a real plan about getting a star striker for this comming season,so what are we gonna end up with?
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im talking about a striker that other teams will fear,where are the super bobs,andy hunts,tony browns,regis’s, where is our new reincarnation of king ASTLE?
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I would keep Valero he will show what a good player he is,with Jara and Mullumbo.We are also being link with Marcos Berg,could be a new Baggie Berg? THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT IT’S BLUE AND WHITE.
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No. 1, I wouldn’t swap any of our midfielders for Karl Henry and nor would Mad Mick.
I hope all Baggies fans will welcome Valero back. Yes it would have been nice to add his transfer to the coffers for a new striker and midfielder, but if we look at it from his viewpoint, he doesn’t want to be here.
If he doesn’t want to be here he can either play appaulingly and get put up for transfer (this will mean that he’ll only be able to move sideways at best) or he can knuckle down and have a fantastic season with an improved side. This will attract a lot of attention from his preffered destinations, who will then meet our value. The worst thing we could do is sell him on deadline day without already signing an adequate replacement. I’m sure RDM and JP will do the right thing.
Boing Boing.
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No4
Glasgow Rangers: Follow Follow
Glasgow Celtic: Hail Hail
WBA: …..Boing Boing!
Liverpool (and Celtic): You’ll never walk alone
Leeds United: Marching on together
WBA:…… The lords my shepherd!….????
Oh dear me!
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Personally I feel the midfield is good enough for the bottom half of the premier league, the defence, maybe the bottom third, the attack … well there is the problem for me.
If we can get a decent fee for Valero, we should take it, or compromise, and then speculate and invest that money in a loan move and use our new TV cash to sign 2 strikers as a minimum.
I believe that would be enough, just.
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DONT PANIC WE WILL GET WHAT WE NEED VALERO I THINK WILL BE A DECENT PLAYER UNDER RDM LETS FACE IT MOWBRAY COUDNT HANDEL TALLENTED PLAYERS WHO WHERE FAR BETTER PLAYERS THAN HE EVER WAS
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I used to watch Valero closely to see what ability he had,and there’s no doubt he’s got natural skill.There was a problem under Mowbray in that the midfield was too lightweight,but RDM has put more balance into the area.I’m sure Valero will be more comfortable there,which should improve his performances.If you look impressive in La Liga,you must be doing something right.If he can focus on being here,he can do a good job for us.
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Valero is going to Villereal i cant spell it.
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Looks like he’s on his way to Villareal now??
Either way, we’re on to a winner really aren’t we?
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new kit out tomorrow, i bet even that will scare the dings,seeing how tough our players look, aye boing boing
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This player has tremendous natural ability.
Why did England fail in South Africa? Because our players were technically inferior. End of.
Players of technical ability will always allow you to grow. Dennis McInnes gave us heart. But that only gets you so far. If we had stayed up under Tony Mowbray, we would now be top 8 material.
Us devoted WBA fans have to understand that basic footballing technique will ALWAYS be more advantageous than the usual English desire/passion/drive.
When the new shirt is introduced tomorrow I will purchase my first one in years and have Valero printed on the back…unless we sell him overnight!! :-)
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Gosh, this is turning into the wooden spoon reunion – Carson, Zuiverloon, Olsson, Cech, Brunt, Morrison, Dorrans, Miller, Bednar, Meite, Kiely, Wood, Mulumbu, Moore, Valero they all going to sit around and talk about how they finished bottom?
Ok, we have Tamas, Jara, Cox, Mattock, Ibanez not a Premiership appearance between them and Reid that could not get into Blackburns squad. Minus Gera and Robinson and we are as weak as last time. JP GET YOUR CHEQUEBOOK OUT OR WE WILL GET RELEGATED.
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24. “If we had stayed up now we would now be top 8 material?” we finished bottom and were the laughing stock on MOTD with pundits saying “they completed 89 passes and only lost 3-0″.
Look at Jose Mourinho the tactical genius. He goes out to win football matches and alters his tactics accordingly. Tony Mowbray was so one-dimensional it was boring. 1 away win all season and finished bottom.
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I’ve said many times I’d like him to stay, so I won’t go into that again.
Paid over the odds for him? One of the best midfield players in La Liga last year. What did Alonso go for, £20 mill? What would Xavi or Iniesta go for, £30 Mill, £40 Mill? And Sevilla expect to get him for £3.5 mill. Tell them to do one JP.
All this ‘doesn’t want to be here,’ comes from an interview in a Spanish paper. He’s hardly going to say ‘I’d rather be in England,’ is he? Players say what people want to hear.
From this article it’s obvious that it suited the club as well as the player for him not to stay last season. Playing Valero in the CCC would have been like putting Lionel Messi in a rugby union scrum.
14 Solihull.
Where did you see this plan to get in a star striker. I think the plan is to get in the best striker we can attract.
All the great players you mention were in another time, almost a different world. Football has moved on (not for the better most fans would agree) and we are still catching up.
9 Ned.
Not having a go but. ‘we need a striker that can hold the ball up and has pace.’ I think you’re talking about Didier Drogba in the premier league. Players that can do both these things at PL level cost £20+ mill and wouldn’t consider coming to our club.
I’m not sure about the wisdom of attracting N’gog as he has a mate here in Mulumbu. Nothing to do with N’gog’s ability, I think he could do a job for us but isn’t he more likely to attract Mulumbu to join Woy at Liverpool?
One last thing. Has anyone else noticed the wild swings in fees being bandied about?
In the E&S we were in for Ledley with Stoke and he was available for £750K due to being out of contract. In the Sun the day after, Stoke have edged in front of us by offering £3 mill + Michael Tonge.
In here today we’re still interested in Piquonne at £1 mill after being told a few days ago that we were no longer interested. In the Sun yesterday Piquonne had agreed to join West Ham for £3 mill (although this time Michael Tonge wasn’t involved.)
Anyway what I’m saying is, I think this tells us two things.
1) Don’t believe anything you read in the Sun.
2) Take every transfer rumour at this time of year with a ton of salt.
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26, see post 4, aye boing boing
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26.
Read Post 4 and have another go.
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Any predictions on the new away kit?
Recently, we’ve done dark blue, black, yellow, white, red…what’s left?
A return to green and yellow?
Anyone else remember 76 (I think) where we wore green and yellow stripes with sky blue shorts?
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25 Spag Bol.
Spot on. What we need is a balance of the skill and the grit. We didn’t have it last time but RDM is getting much closer. Some posters on here need to have a bit more patience. RDM is Italian and Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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Dorrans is going to West Ham for £6m
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Agree totally with Redditch baggie by selling BV and hopefully JP will give us £5m for a good striker. I don’t think Piquone is for us personally and hate to admit it but the only option would be meaty beattie.
Also sell Mattock, Moore and hopefully get £2-3m for two combined.
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Redditch Baggie
I feel our midfeild is good enough to be top
8 material but our problems begin when you
look at the striker situation,Cox,Bednar,
Miller,Moore,and Wood
Jeremy Peace should surely of learnt from past
mistakes but clearly hasn`t,all this bloke is
botherd about is making profits i.e. with
SEASON TICKET SALES,NEW SHIRT SPONSER,
NEW HOME/AWAY SHIRTS,VALERO DEAL,
GREENING DEAL,and ROBINSON DEAL.
Wolves seem to have the right idea
with the purchases of Doyle and Fletcher but
for some unknown reason Albion wont break the
bank for the same kind of quality.
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I see Joe Ledley has opted to retire from competitive football.
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26.
I see you followed the advice two older heads me and Sir Terry gave you and had another go at No 27 but did you REALLY get mommy to read post 4 to you?
Good effort lad but have another go.
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33.
I’ve heard he’s off to Wolves in a straight swap for Karl Henry.
I know I’m being ridiculous but you started it.
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28 – Hi Bully, no problem. I really wish that we could go and buy Drogba too (I’d even take Anelka!!)
I wasn’t saying that we need an absolute superstar to make this happen, because if Roman Bednar had more pace, he’d be able to make this happen at Prem level, as he has done a similar role for us last season in the Championship.
Marc Antoine Fortune is an example of the type of player that I was thinking of though (Cost £3 – £5million??).
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The old Scots saying, ‘It’s an ill wind that blows up your kilt’ could be applied to Mowbray’s tenure. I’m not sure Spaghetti and top 8 are right, but it was possible. The football was a dream, the clangers horrific, the ideals he expressed, elegant and worthy. He could have had the job for years because we gave him loads of slack. Would I swap Roberto for him? No way. This bloke has similar ideals but starts at the back and works forward. The phrase ‘if we can survive’ makes me want to puke, but I do feel that we shall grow into a formidable outfit in time. Problem then will be keeping him.
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But we wouldn’t go for Fortune, like I say, that’s just an example of the type of player we need to play up front.
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The 25 player squads for 2010-11 will, I believe, have a tremendous impact on the lower half of the Premiership. Top 6 teams will offload surplus players on loan. So there may be wisdom in waiting to do business. A risky strategy maybe, but one I think we will adopt.
I cannot wait for another tilt at the Premiership. Are we better under RDM than Mowbray? No in a technical sense. But probably better equipped.
That said, I don’t want to be Stoke City and survive for survival’s sake. Everybody is obsessed with the end result. Stoke represent anti-football. Look at Holland in the World Cup. In the final, but awful to watch. A disgrace to the likes of Cruyff, Neeskins, van Basten etc. I will be cheering the technical ability of Spain (despite getting there from a corner and numerous 1-0s)
Go on, guys. Lighten up. We have nothing to fear. We’re in a division with the likes of Stoke, Wigan, Fulham and Blackburn. By playing football, we will survive…as I truly believe we should have done under Mowbray with just a touch more awareness.
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Sounds silly but Bobby Zamora is a level we should take the plunge with. Fortune didn’t excite me too much and look what he’s done in the SPL.
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36 TRBH, does that mean he`s signing for wolves, aye boing boing
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39 Ned.
I get you now and totally agree, although I think people don’t always give Bednar the respect he deserves, he isn’t lightning but works hard and makes the centre halves work even harder.
The thing is I hadn’t heard of Fortune before we signed him so I’m sure DA has a few more up his sleeve. I read an article today where he was saying that we have our targets and we have them prioritised but the problem is ‘there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip’ (I think Cyril may have written that one.)
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At the moment I see the league going like this
18. Wigan
19. Westbrom
20. Blackpool
Reason we have no quality on the bench, the first 11 could maybe survive but afte that we will be in deep trouble. JP not loans, not cheap championship players, PREMIER QUALITY PLAYERS.
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(33)
And you’re going off your rocker worrying what ALBION are going to do to you THIS season, it’s getting closer.
I’m over the moon with our classy goal-scoring
midfield, our defence is looking good,need striking power while we wait for Wood to develop, Miller to regain form, Moore to sort himself out if he’s ever going to, Bedner we already know what he’s capable of. Another goalkeeper to contest Carson.
Glad of the powers that be at the HAWTHORNES.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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The one ‘wot I wrote’ was ‘there’s many a slip I’ve removed’. The ‘twixt cup and lip’ one is an Old English proverb but was probably nicked from the Greeks. No.46. What have Blackpool done to you? It’s Baggies’ duty to finish bottom so all the negatives on here can say ‘I told you’, which is another Old English proverb dating back to Henry V111
who liked chopping wives heads off for saying ‘I told you’ all the time.
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48 Cyril.
I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Bravo.
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PS Cyril.
Shouldn’t that read Henry VIII as you make him sound like an application for Road Tax.
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Exploit the loan signings,wait for other clubs to have trimmed down to 25 so Baggies can pick up the dross.Oh dear same old same old.
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