Ben Foster: Drop talk is banned
Wednesday 30th November 2011, 10:59AM GMT.
Keeper Ben Foster today revealed talk of relegation has been banned by the Baggies as he targeted a key trio of fixtures in the weeks ahead.
Although the Baggies remain part of the congested pack of teams above the Premier League drop zone, Foster insists there is growing confidence within Roy Hodgson’s squad.
And with Saturday’s trip to QPR followed by clashes against Wigan and Blackburn, Foster believes the chance is there for this group of players to make Albion finally feel at home in the top flight.
“These three games are big for us,” said the former Blues No.1. “You look at who we’ve played so far and we’ve acquitted ourselves well against most of the top clubs.
“But the main thing is that we’ve taken points from those clubs around us.
“Talk of relegation has been banned at the training ground and, personally, I don’t think we’ve got anything to worry about.”
Foster also reserved special praise for fellow new-boy Gareth McAuley.
The unheralded free-transfer steal from Ipswich has been a major factor in Albion’s defensive stability, and the Baggies keeper paid tribite to the Northern Ireland man.
“He’s so calm and confident in how he goes about his job,” he said. “As a goalkeeper you appreciate having him in front of you – in many ways he’s the ideal defender.”
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.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Its great to see the players appreciate what a great job McAuley is doing.
He gives us a calmness that we have not had for a long time and is the perfect partner for Jonas.
There were plenty of whispers about Roy when he made McAuley and Jones his main defensive buys this summer – but the man has been proven right again – same with getting Shane Long in – master stroke !! I hope he can weave a bit more magic in january just to keep the squad fresh and playing for their places.
If we can get a few points from the three games mentioned I think we will see daylight from the bottom three where Blackburn look out on their feet, Wigan are woeful and then its one more from 4 or 5.
Just hope we can keep the squad fit through December cos we’re gonna need all of them.
Report abuse
On a different note I see man Utd are looking to sign Dutch player Ricky van Wolfswinkel.
Can I just say i will be DEVASTATED if he doesn’t sign for wolves cos thats a headline that will never get tired……
Note to Steve Morgan – get Wolfswinkel in NOW !!!!!!
Report abuse
nothing to worry about. i cursed at the end of the Spurs game because i thought we’d shot ourselves in the foot with missed chances. but that won’t always happen, i believe on other days we might have scored four or five
2, happy baggie….that’s class!
Report abuse
2- obviously Mick would play him up front on his own and name him after prolific wolves poster ‘Lone Wolfswinkle’.
I agree with Happy Baggie. Wigan and Blackburn will surely go down and that just leaves one spot to play for, and that spot is reserved for the Dingles!
Report abuse
Have anybody noticed that Mcauley is quite often mentioned in posts on the dark side,the comments have a slightly different slant to those made when we signed him.
Cantello
Do you fancy another night at the Robin?
19th December Mike Sanchez.
Adéu
Report abuse
‘talk of relegation has been banned from the training ground’?-
I should hope so,Ben!!!
(I’ll just put me white coat on……)-
It’s a psychological principle that whatever you hold in your mind,you get drawn towards,
e.g. if you’re playing golf,and see a bunker in front of you,and you keep thinking ‘I don’t wanna go in that bunker,I don’t wanna go in that bunker’,
chances are your shot will go……’you-know-where’.
And that’s why,when RH became Manager last season,the first thing he said was that he ‘didn’t want to hear about all the negative stuff going on before his appointment’.
And although we were one place above the relegation zone at the time,he told the players to focus on trying for a ‘top-half’ finish,which we then almost achieved.
Where’s the club’s psychologist,and what are they paying him?
I charge 50 quid a session,but you get tea and biscuits thrown in,plus a copy of the ‘How to control your anger at premiership Referees’ DVD.
(p.s.- and NO,let’s be realistic,thinking about Kylie,Kelly Brook or Nigella doesn’t mean you’ll guarantee ending up with ‘em.
I know,I’ve already tried it…………)
Report abuse
Sherlock – I’m unashamedly amused by the word Wolfswinkel….
B90 – the possibilities are endless…. Big Wolfswinkel up front, Wolfswinkel in the hole… Doyle feeds Wolfswinkel …. Wolfswinkel and Johnson etc etc….
I suggest we have a whip round and help Morgan to buy the bloke.
Report abuse
What relegation would that be me hearty. We are well above the waves, and Land ahoy. Haul the mainsul and keep a weather eye open. Give em a few board sides and race on. Great to be aboard the “Navy and White”, With Admiral Hodgson. Hold it I’ve just spotted a dirty yella un black galleon two fathoms down, looks in a bad way.
BOOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
5 Kev-
Mike Sanchez….,Mike Sanchez………
I remember!!
Didn’t he used to play at Blackburn,or somewhere?
Only joking,I’ve never seen him,but I hear he plays wild ‘boogie-woogie’ piano,and I’ve very fond memories of seeing the ‘killer’-Jerry Lee Lewis- at Brum Hippodrome many years ago,so it sounds good to me.
Me and Mrs.CR usually take in an ‘upbeat’ gig just before Xmas,so if she hasn’t already booked us up for something,I might persuade her to go as well.
Just one thing-the booklet they just sent me from The Robin has him down for 21st December-
the date you mention,19th,has got a gig for-
‘Maetloaf-the tribute act’.
Although he’s much slimmer than the real thing.
Maybe he should call himself-
‘Arfa Meatloaf’?.
Adeu.
Report abuse
Fantastic news about Dave Matthews, I have met him a few times and he is a smashing bloke. Sincere best wishes to him from the dark side.
Report abuse
Great news,
1/ Dave Matthews.
2/ Donervorn Daniels.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
Cantello
It would have dawned on me eventually,I fly back on the 19th,you can check him out on You Tube.
Let me know when you’ve made you mind up but I’ll definitely be going anyway.
Adéu
Report abuse
Just heard Gera is out for the season – gutted for him AND for us.
All the best for a full and successful recovery Zolly !!
Report abuse
11 Jack.
The bad news this week and last makes a good news story like this all the better. Good luck Dave.
As you say also good news about double D, especially as there were rumours about other clubs sniffing around him.
10 Malvern.
Hi, hope all’s well with you.
Kev and Rocket and anybody else that might go. Not sure if I can make it as I need to check with my diary secretary but will it be a plus one night or a lads only night?
I think Andy Fairweather-Lowe played with Mike Sanchez for a while in the nineties although I never saw them but if you mix with that sort of company you ain’t bad are you? I’ve seen Maetloaf and they’re good if you like Meatloaf, which I do. Rocket, if you like a good boogie woogie piano player Ian Parker (a local lad and brilliant blues guitarist) has a fantastic one in his band, at least he did last time I saw him.
Terrible news about Zoltan, I suppose the only good thing is that at least we know we have to plan for the rest of the season without him.
Report abuse
Crickey is the Robin full of you baggies these days? god how things have changed since i moved to Cornwall lol. Did any of you see a guy called Ben Poole back in June/July @ the Robin? i saw him in a little pub down here and he was awsome, fantastic Blue’s gitarist!! well just in case i dont pop over to this side again before Chrimbo seasons greetings to you all and here’s to continued top flight footie for us both
Come on me Babbies
Report abuse
13) That is a kick in nads, but not unexpected when you look at his age and type of injury, all the best Zoltan.
Don’t fully understand this article other than to say shows where our expectations are now days, given that we are two points behind this stage last season, and we all know how that turned out, given three points on offer Saturday, that would mean a win and this will be our best start in 5 attempts, cant be bad!
Spare a thought for our dear friends down the road on the other hand, this is their best start to a Premier League campaign (11 points after 13 matches), but only two points more than the worst of the other three (9 in 2010-11).
and lo, suddenly, the World seems much a brighter place!
Cant remember who I was discussing it with earlier this season on these boards, but it gives me no pleasure about Bruce being first manager to go, which Sunderland will turn up against Wolves now, how many times have we seen manager sacked, just for the team to turn in a Stella performance as if to prove a point!
Report abuse
….then again, how many times have we seen manager-less teams implode, there goes that Wolves lucky charm again! how do they keep getting their timing spot on?
Report abuse
14 Bully,
it must be a real sickener for Zoltan,having worked with medical teams for months,he now has the prospect of the same thing all over again until next summer.
What everyone must of noticed is the difference he made in the link-up play,so if we plan to bring fresh faces in during January,maybe Roy will look for a similar type of loan signing-if anyone decent’s available.
As for ‘The Robin’,Kev only mentioned it this afternoon,and my wife’s in London,so I don’t know what’s happening yet.
It’s a bit near to Xmas,and mid-week,but it could be a laugh if one or two can make it,and may help get people in the holiday mood.
Kev will already be on holiday,so believe me,he’ll be having his own party,even if the place is empty.
And as for Ian Parker,I saw him about 5-6 years ago as part of the Brum jazz festival.
I finished work at 5.15 p.m.,and got to the pub (is it The Pitcher & Piano off Broad St.?)at 6.00 where he did a free,’informal’ gig for an hour or so in the bar,and I stood facing him about 6 feet away.
Excellent player,I recall he was heavily influenced by Albert and Freddie King.
Booze ‘n’ blues- yer can’t beat it.
Report abuse
15 Kenny-
(I have to keep remembering you’re not KennyScorcher 77,my own ‘tribute act’)-
You sound in very good spirits,and as you now live in Cornwall,I’m not surprised.
My Brother moved down to Devon 9 years ago,and he loves it so much he doesn’t wanna come back up,even to visit the family.
So we have to go down there a few times a year to see him.It’s very tough,but what can you do?
Anyway,we (us here) meet up at ‘The Robin’ these days as a way of infiltrating Bilston,which is part of the plan to eventually conquer Wolverhampton.
We attend mainly blues gigs,and go under cover as the ‘Black Country Blues Brothers’,so no one suspects anything.
One day,Wolverhampton City Centre will notice many guys roaming around in dark suits and shades-
it might be the C.I.A.,or it could be us.
The only way to tell is if someone plays music by Solomon Burke,Wilson Pickett or Otis Redding,and if it IS us-
there’ll be some very strange dance movements goin’ on in the streets.
So be warned !!!
(And early season’s greeting to you,too).
Report abuse
Although I always tend to favour any English club over Johnny Foreigner, I have to say fair play to PAOK on last nights performance, that was a lesson in defending.
Worcester Spur if you read this, what happened without your Prem Ref protection??? even though, short of amputating his own arm to avoid giving a penalty away, I couldn’t see what Stafylidis was supposed to do? and as for counting a guy who is pole axed on the floor has playing a player onside, what? if anything how come Defoe wasn’t red carded for studs up foul? Perhaps if we had had the 4th official stood by the goal line we may have got Brads goal, or at least a couple of penalties, but then again, being a Prem game the referee would have probably over ruled him. Yes, life’s a bitch some times, even with the ref helping you!
p.s. you will be pleased to know the BBC still think it was a “controversial defeat”
p.p.s. said Gomez was suspect last season, pity you never bought him Saturday.
Report abuse
The picture in the “Gera out for season” article really shows his class and how he makes time and space for his self,he’s even got time to check his watch.
Trbhoo
I’m solo that night but if you and Cantello are treating the wife they are most welcome to join in the fun,the more the merrier.
Adéu
Report abuse
(20)
Never a penalty in a month of Sundays. The defender was drawing his arm away from the ball, lucky Spurs but justice prevailed.
How could that er referee not see that pole axing, it beggars belief. Hope the fourth official puts it in his report.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
Kev and Rocket.
I’m working that night so unless I can wangle a day off I’ll have to miss out, I won’t know until closer to the date. As neither of you have wives in toe that would suit me as it’s not the wife’s favourite type of music.
15 Kenny.
You don’t say where in Cornwall you are but if ever you’re by Newquay there’s a place called the Bowgie Inn at West Pentire just outside Newquay. Every Thursday they have a jam night and whenever I’ve been it’s been fantastic. It’s run by a Black Country bloke (don’t know what allegiance) Gerry Gillard, an excellent musician who pulls it all together brilliantly
Report abuse
Kev and Bully,
should be OK for The Robin.
I’ve been in touch with me much better and more sensible other half,and she’s at home that week,I think on holiday,so she’d also like to go.
As I said earlier,we usually see a show just before Xmas (last year it was The Blues Brothers,a couple of times before that Jools Holland and his Band),as it’s turned out,we haven’t booked anything this year,so this has fallen at the right time.
It shouldn’t matter how many go,I’m sure we’ll all enjoy it together,as we’re a pretty positive and happy bunch-
that reminds me,where’s Max gone recently?
Report abuse