If we keep the formation we played at Wo1ve5, he is going to struggle to get back into the team with MAF playing well.
Looking foward to the Sunderland game boing boing.

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Amy (Rippington),
So sorry to hear the sad news about your father. Hope you and your Ma are O.K. He will be there for you both again one day.

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

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I think the thing with MAF is something that we as fans don’t always take into account. Most supporters had understandably written him off as ready to be offloaded due to his lack of first team starts and lack of goals when he did start. The manager sees the players in training every day and obviously saw something in MAF worth giving a go.

We all criticise Roy when he leaves a player out or puts one in we don’t agree with but we only see them when they play.

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“When advertising it is always good to have something alluring, something that will bring in the sales opportunities”. The Grocer 2007.

Now take a look at the advert for mature dating .com on the right hand side of this page.

At first i thought hhhhheeeellllllooooo lady, then i realised the home made tattoo on the top of her arm was not a Throstle, and my desire waned.

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The Sunderland game will be a tough one. Mo’N has already organised them into an ‘in your face’ outfit and what I saw yesterday, (not the whole game), they deserved to beat Arsenal.
What did surprise me was the time Arsenal needed to dwell on the ball, getting caught time and again, when a quick pass would have made space. Not as much movement either as we have seen when they are flying. If we pass and move as at Wolves, we could shake ‘em more than a bit.

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Ever since this lad signed his big contract in the summer he’s been injured and isn’t bothered anymore.

Oh hang on, I’m getting confused. Wrong scapegoat sorry!! Think we need to get an advert out for a new one…….

It’s Monday morning at work, a little depressing, that is until I looked at the Wolves thread on Bruce. Good lord I hope he gets it. It reminds me a lot of when Robson took over down our place.

Kev/Baggiedad

You can still get Old Tom on draught in a few places up here, only in half-pint measures mind…..

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Further to Kev’s stroll down Memory Lane….

Anybody remember the ancient green double decker bus (Global Coaches), which travelled to Oldham?
It broke down on the M6, but limped into Oldham in time for the game.
(Kev claims that the passengers pushed it down the M6 hard shoulder).

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Trbhoo
Did you go to the game in Valencia? If so you ain’t got a copy of the picture they took of all the fans inside the plane have you? I’ve lost mine.
Adéu

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There were doubts about the valuation of Shane Long in the summer,but apart from the injuries,he looks to be worth every penny of the fee.

It still amazes me that he didn’t take up football until around seven years ago,but on reflection,it might have worked in his favour.

I say that because many young lads watch football either at the ground or on TV,then learn to ‘copy’ their heroes,many of whom tend to ‘pose’ around the pitch,and display such ‘gamesmanship’ habits as ‘diving’ and ‘professional’ fouling.
I see Shane as an honest,hard working sportsman,who runs himself into the ground for 90 minutes.

Just one thing-

I saw Shane on Soccer A.M. recently,playing guitar (very well),and singing ‘no woman,no cry’ (not so well).

So as a vocalist,Shane is a very good footballer……………..

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My favourite game would be Nottingham Forest in the FA CUP quarter finals. You could feel the Brummie Road bounce up and down when Cyrille scored. My favourite moment was when Cyrille scored 3/4 the length of the pitch against Middlesborough, as I was down the Smethwick end. My favourite players were Lauries and Willie, but I never saw them pass to each other! What a year of promise that was, but as Cyrille said, we never actually won anything! Which was a shame because wim a big club aye we.
Many happy memories, but it would be nice to win another major trophy in my lifetime. Maybe Long can do that for us, because wim a big club and deserve it.
Au Revoir.

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Favourite game has to be the play off semi final beating the dingles, second leg. I remember KP rising like a samon to score and the floating half way down and across the brummy road in a sea of happy baggies!!!. The fact we lost the final could not take away the fact we got to wembley and they hadn’t. It might not have been the best game I have seen but for being high on soccer nothing touches it. Having been to watch us loose to QPR at Highbury as a kid and miss out on a wembley dream it was so special to finally get there.

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It’s nice reading some of the memories above. My Granddad told me all about Valencia and Mario Kempes when I was growing up and how Red Star wound Big Cyrille up and got him sent off when we were favourites in the quarter-final?? (I’m not sure they were all impartial accounts I heard). Oldham too sounds amazing with so many people going and it being the start of a golden age.

However as an 80′s-born Baggie I look on with a degree of envy. For Valencia in the 70′s, I have Salernitana and Pescara in the Anglo-Italian in the 90′s!!

There may be bigger, better and more rewarding eras than I’ve experienced, but for me in my lifetime, Bradford City away and Igor Balis. Nothing gets close.

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23 Warren,

All those games have great memories,but the Oldham one did see special celebrations.

I think the average home crowd that season for Oldham was about 9,000,but for Albion’s visit,we had over 23,000 there.
I recall getting inside the ground,and spotting almost everyone I lived by on the Albion estate inside the ground.
Going back on the motorway we saw many homes with Baggies banners displayed,and the pubs we visited in Quinton on the hagley road had people dancing on the tables all night.

It was a record breaking heatwave that summer,and we were back in the top flight.

You can’t buy those memories.

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10.Kev. I ain’t got nuthin’ against folks havin’ a drink mate. I come from a long line of foundry workers, (Dad and uncles), Miners, (uncles), Glass Blowers, (uncles), Puddlers, (Granddad) and they could shift ale on a scale. In 1947 we went to Doncaster, top, (us), bottom, (them). We lost 2-1 so to celebrate the defeat, Uncle Horace put away 14 pints in Nottingham and then walked the curb of the pavement perfectly. The first one, he challenged me to see his clack move. It didn’t. I was put in my place early on by Granny Oliver. “Yow’ll never be a real mon Cyril, yow dow drink ale”. There was no malice in the comment either, just an observation. She, on the other hand, could drink most men under the table and did once at her son’s wedding. All the booze they left after they’d ‘gone um’ was salted away in her pantry for future indulging. Let me say in my defence, I had a pint of shandy only last Wednesday, Becks beer and Schweppes lemonade. Only the best you see.
I saw many of the games mentioned but two others stand out. One was 3-2 against Newcastle in the FA Cup at the Hawthorns in 1954 when Ronnie Allen scored what was the finest goal I’ve ever seen, from a George Lee corner
The second was the Charity Shield against Wolves also 1954. It ended 4-4. Probably the most exciting game of football I’ve seen live. Then there was a 3-3 draw against Newcastle when we took Mom to her one and only match. But that’s 3 games. Nobody expects The Spanish Inquisition !
PS: How many of you know what a ‘PUDDLER’ is?

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Cantello rocket 78 .No mate we dont live next door to Mick mac carthy .We from a proper part off yorkshire but got a lot off yam yam in our blood . NO offence intended as it would be nice to see all midland clubs in premiership .Could you imagine the rivalry . Sounds funny coming from yorkshire people hey . Some numptys come out with some rubbish and its them that spoli the game for the rest off us . And in over 40 years watching the game nothing like a baggies wolves game . Baggies form good this season nice football . Dont really think your going down .Think we need a miricle though . So you see there are some nice wolves fans sorry saying youd finish bottom three playful banter and was still hurting after the 5 1 drubbing we were bloomimng awful . Keep playing the nice football and much respect for baggies and mr hodgeson .

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Warren
Good choice from a young wippersnapa and you reminded me of that game.
Me and a mate were amongst the Suits in the Seats as we went corporate cause that was the only tickets we could get ,his name was Jeff Powell sadly he’s no longer with us and he never had much luck in his life but had a sense of humour. After some exciting incident in the game everybody stood up in anticipation, ,when we sat down the pockets in the trousers of his one and only suit caught on both armrests of the seat and ripped the whole of the pockets out of his trousers,we did lof and the result wor bad either!
Adéu

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29,Adiee and Debs,
ITS ALL YOURS !
( I hope your not sensitive souls )

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TRBH – yes the glory hunters will never understand…but I couldn’t help think of young Stoke fans watching their team against Valencia last week and hoped it meant to them what it meant to me…teams like us don’t get too many nights like that.

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35 Happy,

Beating Valencia at The Hawthorns was a great night,but I also often have memories of the social side surrounding the event.

Whenever I think of that game,I recall standing in the side bar of the Throstle Club before the match,with many other people in good spirits,then a friend of mine suddenly sang,at the top of his voice (to the tune of the old ‘Valencia’ song)-

‘Vallennn…….cciiaaaaaaa!,

stick yer head between yer legs

an’ whistle round yer

Barce…….allonnnnnnnaaaaaa!!!

The whole room cracked up,we finished our drinks,watched the Baggies win the game,then returned after to celebrate.

Oh happy days………….

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Happy Baggie
Yes beating Valencia was a great night and so was the draw away in the first leg.
Flew to Valencia,watched the match got pelted with mandarin oranges inside the ground, waited in the airport for the team gave them a great reception then we flew back,frigin’ fantastic.
Cunningham played that good Real Madrid brought him the next year.
Adéu

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Trbhoo
Bobby the gaffa at the Bronze in Magaluf where I watch the matches used to play for Dunfermline
and he remembers well watching it on TV and at least once a fortnight sings the song to me about when “The Parr’s! beat West Bromwich Albion 0-1.
Adéu

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41 Kev.
Funny how you remember really bad things as well as the good ones. We had a big crowd for that game as expectation was high. Missed the kick off due to the queues outside the ground. The weather was really weird, it wasn’t cold but there was a swirling wind that was blowing dust up into your eyes as you waited to get in and once in the same wind was blowing the ball all over the place.

I used to think of games like that, typical Albion, they always let you down but I think the real lesson is never take anybody for granted. We’ve become guilty of that this season, I think the players as well as the supporters IE Wigan, Norwich etc. But like Dunfermline they are where they are because they deserve to be there, just like us. Never get too big for your boots.

40 Rocket.
The arrogance of Londoners has to be experienced to be believed. I worked at the Scrubs for most of the 1980′s and found it very funny how often a plastic Cockney would say ‘Birmingham, how can you live in a dirty horrible place like that?’ Totally missing the point that from the middle of London you have to drive about thirty miles to see anything green that isn’t mould.
The arrogance is generally matched by the ignorance. Typical exchange.
‘Where you from, Liverpool?’
‘No Birmingham.’ (to them Birmingham means the Midlands.)
‘Oh that’s the same isn’t it?’

39 TB.
I read that and then realised it could mean that it puts the ground’s other stands in the shade. But I tend to agree with you, it has a deliberately mischievous double meaning. Can’t really begrudge it them can we? They don’t have anything else to hold over us.

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mind you they dont come any better than 5-1 at wo1ve5 do they …

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Best game for me was Palace at home. If a hollywood director wrote the story of what happened that season it would be laughed off as being too far fetched.

I was still playing for Chasetown at the time on a Saturday but a mate asked me to play for his Sunday League team in a must win game, to stay up!

I told him “are you having a laugh, Albion play Palace tomorrow to get into the Premier League”. Please he begged, ive got players on holiday, and i really need your help. Never wanting to turn my back on a mate i told him ill play but only until half time. So the lads i was going to the game with came too watch, they got nicknamed my groupies. They stood on the touchline drinking cans of beer at 10:30am. I hadnt sleeped properly for a week, but my nervous tension meant i was like a tightly coiled spring. Five minutes into the game we went 1-0 up, i contemplated going, but id promised. My mates took the mickey every time i got the ball. Then about 20mins into the game, at this point all id been thinking about was the game against Palace later, i went into a tackle with a bit of built up nervous tension. I hit this bloke like a freight train, got the ball, but also the man. As the ref walked over i explained to him i was an Albion fan and my mind was elsewhere, he smiled and said “mine too mate, which is why im not going to book you, cheeky grin”.
I scored a header off a corner, then five minutes before half time scored another one to make it 3-0. My mates had my clobber on the touchline so i could get dressed quick and get down the Vine. I scored, removed my top ran over to my mates, took my shorts down while running, and then kicked off my boots. The opposition started complaining to the ref that my goal celebrations were becomming a bit too much!!!

Straight down the vine for a few settlers. Never experienced an atmosphere like it. All week i had worried whether things would work out for us, but here was a couple of hundred fans that were convinced it was a done deal and the celebrations had already begun. Two guys dressed as big dave off the pot noodle ads were leading a conga, it was mental.

The game came round, big dave settled the nerves, and then just to add that fairytale ending super bob scored the final goal. I remember thinking, i dont want this game to end. It did end and then the celebrations began. The Vine, the Homestead (Wo1ve5 pub)strangely quiet as we sipped our champers. Woke up on the kitchen floor, didnt go to work. A day to be remembered, although some parts are a little scatty!!

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TRBH – Double entendre indeed.

wbabomber – cracking story.

Outside of the fantastic games mentioned, I have a soft spot for Notts Forest away in our 2001/02 promotion season. Not a great game but it was the first time that I truly started to believe we may get promoted to the promise land. I was right behind the post that Clement struck with that fine free kick, Bob Taylor following up to send the away support into raptures. We can’t, can we?

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Happy, Cyril, CR78, TRBH

I can only say I’m envious. I hope my generation gets the same joy as you lot did in some of those games. Unfortunately with wealth in football as it is, I can’t help think we’ll never have the sky to reach in the way we once did.

Other games that spring to my mind:

Emirates last year (although the last half hour was agony);
Swansea play-off semi;
3-2 Wolves Darren Bradley;
So’ton at home when Brunt scored to take us up;

I know the Europa Cup puts a huge strain on your league form, but I’d love to be able to watch us away in Europe other than in pre-season.

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sherlock.
That tie cost us dear didn’t it? I also remember Colin Anderson got surgically removed from the game by I think it was the thug AKA as Van Den Hauwe. He was having a purple patch at the time as a left sided midfielder, showing form that we’d never suspected him capable of and when he came back from the injury never regained that form. He and Goodman were our key players at the time and we suffered without them.

Jarrod.
That just sums it up ‘you couldn’t have written that script.’ I’ve mentioned it before but what really made it all the sweeter for me was a fairly trivial incident. During the run in we were desperately short of players and as usual money. We had negotiated a fee for a Wimbledon winger (his name has slipped my mind Andy Something?) But our illustrious neighbours stepped in at the eleventh hour and gazumped us thereby putting the finishing touch to their procession to the Premier League and the final nail in our coffin.

But they hadn’t reckoned with the tenacity of our ginger haired wizard or the bottle and honesty of a wonderful set of players. I wasn’t as confident as your mates I’m sad to say and remember people all around straining to hear a bloke with a radio passing on scores until late into the game. What a day, what a season, what a celebration, what a memory. As Fred would say ‘they can’t take that away from me.’

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TRBH

Was it Kevin Cooper?

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Funny how among us older ones on here mentioning the memorable games,how many of these are cup games !!!!!
68 cup run – The heroics of the replay win at Southampton with Graham Williams in goal for the whole of the second half.
Liverpool in the qtr final and the 3 epic battles ending with one of the greatest games in our history at Maine Road.
Being second best in the semi against Blues but we had Astle & Brown.
Being written off in the final against the Mighty Everton but we had the king(Thats what makes a great Striker,a player who scores in important games,close tight games when it could go either way,not someone who scores hat tricks in 7-0 routs against inferior opposition in todays premier league.
The 78 cup run – Two fantastic games against Man Utd with the replay in my top 5 greatest Albion matches
Derby away, won 3-2 in a night game,a superb game of attacking football by both teams with Willie Johnston just magestic.
Forest in the qtr final with Forest unbeaten in 42 games and we were just magnificent.
Semi Final – Ipswich,we just didnt turn up but John Wile showed what it meant to him to play for Albion when he had to be dragged off with his head injury but was the first one over at the end of the game to clap the
supporters when he rounded his players to the North Bank and led them over(that brought a lump to my throat)
PITY WE TREAT THE CUP COMPETITION SO SHAMEFULLY NOW WHERE THIS YEAR I FANCIED US FOR A CUP RUN !!!!

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Warren.
Exactly, Kevin ‘Andy’ Cooper as his mates called him. Well remembered.

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Warren
That’s exactly what my nephew said when I told him where we sat,”So it was yo in the Suits in The Seats”.
Adéu

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I was walking past the molyneax earlier today when a little old lady in front of me had so many shopping bags to carry she fell over.

A window opened on the side of the ground and Steve Morgan stuck his head out.
“Can you manage love ?” he shouted down.

“Get lost” was the reply ” I don’t want the stuffing job”….

Great news that dawson has signed a new deal – he will be a big player for us for many years to come…. well done to the club for getting it done.

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Perhaps it won’t go down as one of the great games but I remember this weeks game last season. We beat Sunderland with a single goal from Peter Odemwingie, he often seems to pinch the points for us with the winning goal when he isn’t scoring hat tricks against inferior opposition. That game was the one when I thought perhaps this time we might just stay in this league, the first time I’d seriously believed it.

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Baggie91

That would be fantastic if you could.

Your reward would be a free drinking session with me. Bring the dvd, your drinking arm, and something that tells anyone who finds you what blood group you are!!

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One I’ll never forget (although looking back it was largely insignificant as we finished mid-table) was away at Blues in midweek in around 96/97. We were 2-2 in about the 93rd minute and desperately crying out for the whistle when Andy Hunt picked the ball up in the corner, he turned and swung in a Brunt-esque cross to the back stick, it was landing on the heads of Gary Ablett and Steve Bruce, then from nowhere they both went sprawling to the turf as a big, burly, bold and brilliant Bob Taylor went through them and planted a bullet header in the top corner. There was a bloke near us in a wheelchair with no legs all game, when that goal went in (no word of a lie) he’d dragged himself up the fence.

Bomber

I have on VHS both the season review 01/02 and the Palace game, however I don’t have a VHS player anymore so you’re more than welcome to borrow them if you know somebody who can copy them onto DVD.

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67 wbabomber

That’s all the motivation I need!

I will keep you in touch on here, it will more than likely be Thursday/Friday that I will have any news.

Talking of the season review, I usually end up re-watching them all during the long miserable period when the current season is over and I’m missing watching the Albion. Every year it always amazes me how at the time in 01/02 we managed to get promoted with the squad/recourses we had, bearing in mind we had some injuries to key players too. Not to mention the 11 point gap between us and the d1ngle5 (new one there for you all) that we had to overcome. It’s surprising how exciting it can be to watch again considering the amount of 1 nil’s we had that season!

We have come a very long way in the last decade or so, long may it continue.

BOING BOING!!

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Big Club/Happy

Any candidate must also have a thorough understanding of European football as well given that Wolves invented it. Also, let’s hope they didn’t follow football in the mid to late 80′s or notice that Wolves didn’t sell out at home for their big local derby last week (or last year, or in the play-off year), as they might be clouded by some ridiculous idea that Wolves aren’t actually that massive after all…….

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wozza the really bully who?

yow tekin the mad mick?

dow even talk a about getting a ruff ride bully, there was this woman in bilston……

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Brilliant blog Martin Swain. Jeremys finacial management, Roys Tactical/Training input, Dans Technical directing just shows how a modern up to date club should be run. Moxey is a BAGGY.

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

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66.wimabigclubweam. I read your blog with great interest and welcome you, as an honest Wulfie, to join us again. However, I simply have to point out that grammar and spelling have to be up to required standard, e.g:

“Brucey,Strachan,Ince, Warnock, Wilkins, Coppell, Keane, need not apply, yow ay good enuff for us”.

One must realise that to make sense this should read:
“yow ay good enuff for we”

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Deliberately kept off here over the last few days as feeling towards me were a bit raw.
Hopefully I can get back in favour with my fellow baggies.
My favourite game. Ooh that’s a tough one but it would have to be the game where bully scored in the last minute in our 2-1 loss at home. (Again).
Played some good stuff throughout and only one moment of brilliance swayed the game in their favour.
That should get me back on track with you fella’s.

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81.BangWillieWulfie. It’s not FEELINGS that have been raw with YOUR hobby. You will find that icy cold baths or showers are helpful,
stimulate circulation and totally remove any need for flagellation, unless you have a very large magnifying glass. Look to the future too. That may not be easy at present with the manager short list on tap, but looking back at marginally better times is depressing and on your medication, not to be recommended.

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Bangkok

Boing Boing Boing Boing Boing

Now how many Boings is that?

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82 Rocket.
Only 5 new players, are you sure? Surely they need at least 5 + another 5 or is that too many 5′s? No you just can’t get too much of that number can you? What was it again? Oh yeah I remember it was 6. (Only joking I know it was 5.)

84 Brilliant and well done on beating Happy to the draw.

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(81)
Bangkok,
Just arousing from mental shock are we. Haven’t seen many Burka shirts about apart from one guy cleaning some wolf dung off his shoes. Never mind, chin up, look on the bright side. wo1-Ves wont have to go through that again NEXT season.

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

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86 Happy.
Not guilty and I’d proudly claim it if it was mine. I’m with Rocket in thinking it’s our old mate Lonely. If it is then double kudos to him for being able to laugh not at his own club but at some of his own fans, although I’m sure they embarrass him a lot more than they do us.

I’ve just put a post from the dark side on the Paul Scharner thread. I read it and re-read it and if it’s not meant seriously then it’s too subtle for me (then again it wouldn’t be the first time.)

PPS. Agree with Cyril and sherlock. Brilliant piece especially if you’re a Baggie but maybe more so if you’re a Wulfie. We should be rightly proud of the way our club is being run. Criminal that there is no comments thread. How about a reprint of it E&S allowing comments as I’m sure the anti the way the club is run people would like to have their say as well.

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Just seen this nugget over on the dark side:

13Blake’s Heaven
February 22, 2012 at 10:14 am

You read here first!
Kermit the Frog assisted by Fozzie Bear seem to fit all the criteria i.e.
1. No Strings attached
2. Wouldn’t mind working with the other muppets!!!!

Well at least they have a sense of humour!

Boing Boing!!

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I had a quick look on the Wulfy site regarding managers. My one dread is they get Holloway because it’s my opinion that if and when Roy goes, we should be there first.
It would appear many Wulfies agree with me too.
I am also a big fan of the way our club is run and have fought verbally for JP, Dan and the rest. I still think though that holding the AGM in London was WRONG, totally wrong, sends out all the wrong messages to the shareholders. It was disrespectful. Another reason for E&S to have run a comments page on Martin’s article. We are not just YES MEN!

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94 Cyril no more replys to his post then… wimabigclubweam :-)

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Sherlock-

judging by daily business on here,glad to see you always know the truth from the bull,never allow anyone to underestimate your intelligence……..

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Cyril they got you at it now best get miss Marple on the case …

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