West Brom fans band together to give Guochuan Lai their message
Action for Albion’s latest protest created quite the sight 12 minutes into Saturday’s defeat against Huddersfield at The Hawthorns.
The pressure group distributed all 10,000 of their printed posters for the clash against the Terriers, which emphasised the message that a full sale is needed from controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai and Yunyi Guokai.
Around 70 to 80 volunteers agreed to come on board and met with half-a-dozen group committee members outside the corner of the Smethwick Road and East Stand around 1.30pm on Saturday.
The group split with boxes of A4 posters to target each stand and all paperwork was shifted ahead of kick-off – the result of which created a wonderful visual inside the historic stadium as concerned fans fight for Albion’s future.
Once the 12th minute arrived, Baggies fans in all four stands held the posters – which read ‘FOR SALE - FULL SALE’ – aloft which were accompanied with chants against the absent ownership of Lai, who is looking to sell the club. Pleas to not launch the posters on to the pitch were also adhered to.
Action for Albion founder Alistair Jones admitted the sight of the group’s latest peaceful protest was an emotional one – chiefly due to the take-up from a large percentage of the home fans inside the stadium.
He said: “We were overwhelmed, twelve minutes past three was probably the proudest I’ve been at a game, it was incredible.
“I want to thank everybody that has contributed and the publications that have helped give us publicity.”
The group added in a statement: “First and foremost we’re gutted to have lost the game.
“However, thank you Baggies fans, you are amazing. This club is special and worth fighting for. Together we will see our club get through this and prosper.”
Jones had said before the protest that the aim was to garner more traction nationwide and further afield as Lai looks to sell the club after seven tumultuous years at the helm.
One of Action for Albion’s targets since its launch last year was to raise the attention of the club’s plight in the absence of investment and parachute payments following Premier League relegation.
The group made strong progress to highlight Albion struggles under Lai. They organised a march of thousands on Birmingham Road last season and have held productive talks with both local and national government on the matter, as well as meetings with club hierarchy, including former chief executive Ron Gourlay and managing director Mark Miles.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.