10 January 2010: BAGGIES LOST IN THE FOREST!!
For me a long, tiring journey in freezing conditions and the team couldn't even be bothered to turn up! For the first hour we handed the game to Forest on a plate. Second best in nearly every tackle, sloppy passing and a disgustingly casual approach to the whole game. This was Albion at their very worst. A completely abject performance throughout the whole team. Yes, even Olsson looked poor at times. It wasn't until the third Forest goal that we woke up. Only the appearance of Miller brought any cheer into the evening. That's four home defeats and RDM didn't even bother to appear on the touch line. There really doesn't seem to be that much effort going into the promotion fight. It looked like a team that has lost faith in the management.
Or perhasp that is what RDM stands for - "Really Doesn't Matter!!"
30 December 2009: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
As 2009 draws to a close in a fairly successful manner, what has 2010 in store for us. No doubt there will be very little shuffling of the pack in the January window, as in previous years. My wish for the New Year would be to see less of Moore and Brunt. Two players who are not reaching their potential and look disinterested for large parts of games. We will not get out of the Championship by pretty passing football alone, and these two do not, in my opinion, work hard enough for the team - hence we get bounced out of games from time to time, especially at home.
Sunday, 24 October 2009: Is It Just Me – Or Should We Be Getting Worried?
So, we start the season OK. The results keep coming. The goals are flowing and everything seems good. The football however is distinctly average. Apart from the blitz on Boro we have failed significantly to be convincing or dominate teams we should have been beating comfortably.
What’s wrong I hear you say, we were top – and have only just slipped to third?
It’s the overall team plan – or lack of it – that leaves me feeling uneasy. We have now scored only once in six of the last seven games and at times the football lacks any pattern. The writing is very clearly on the wall – changes, big changes, are needed!!
Sunday, 10 May 2009 - A Good Day Out
A bit too late, but another very enjoyable home win. Valero probably played his best game for the Baggies - perhaps conscious of being in the "shop window" with the Albion facing relegation. Another great performance from Fortuné and two deserved goals. Good to see Kiely given a chance at last and he performed very well apart from that one slip from the, Brunt deflected, Wigan free kick. All in all a good day out - shame it is almost certainly too late. Man of the Match: Borja Valero
Sunday, 03 May 2009 - BUSINESS AS USUAL AT THE LANE
After the brief fillip of a three goal romp against struggling Sunderland last weekend, this game was more symptomatic of the reason why Albion have failed again to make any real impact on the Premiership. Plenty of possession, quite a few good chances – all squandered. Then just as the half-time oranges were being pealed the usual moment of sloppy defending allowed Jenas too much time and he scored with apparent ease.
The mistake of playing Valero and Greening together was again made.
The mistake of playing the ineffective Simpson was again made.
So another wasted season – I’ve said it before, what is the point of all the hard work and effort of promotion from the Championship to be thrown away through lack of investment. All the more galling this season as there are a number of teams in the Premiership poorer in footballing terms than us.
Sunday, 05 April 2009 - Clueless and Spineless again!!
Yes, we all groaned when we heard Valero was picked in front of Koren (apparently a bit tired after the internationals) and Dorrans who would have at least stood up to Stoke. Bad, bad management!! Morrison, Simpson and Robinson all had good chances in the first half and threw them away. Martis, after his first half howler, generally played well and Carson made up for failing dismally with the first goal. Midfield again ineffective - well what did we expect with Greening and Valero playing together, much too slow, allowing Stoke to funnel back and defend with ease.
Unfortunately with the season slipping away Mowbray, and his so called management team, appear to have learned nothing, absolutely nothing - which leaves me extremely nervous about coping with the Championship campaign coming soon to the Hawthorns. It’s time to seriously consider whether Mowbray will ever realise that pretty, tippy-tappy football alone cannot achieve results. Man of the Match: Jonas Olsson
Sunday, 22 March 2009 - Simply Not Good Enough
Following on from the disappointment of not taking three points off the
Hammers on Monday night, this was another mediocre performance against poor
opposition - until the game was practically lost. We clearly are unable to
compete at this level both in terms of technical ability or Premiership
gamesmanship - often referred to in footballing terms as cheating. I was
appalled how Bolton got Greening booked when the referee was uncertain as to
even award a free kick initially. That is until group pressure from Bolton
players changed his mind.
We were again far to slow in build up - until Dorrans joined the fray. That
boy is what we have been lacking in midfield all season and now, when we are
as good as relegated he gets a chance. I am afraid that Mowbray and his
principles are not good enough at this level. I am not even sure I want
Premiership football at the Hawthorns if we cannot get out of the Peace
imposed financial straight jacket and compete. Better by far maybe to be
playing in the Championship and enjoying ourselves- and leave the greed and
cheating behind! WBASCLB Man of the Match: Shelton Martis
Monday, 23 February 2009 – Albion Flounder on the Banks of the Thames
Any hopes that Albion could bounce back from their last dismal performance against Newcastle at the Hawthorns were quickly dispelled. From the kick off Fulham bossed the game with Albion a very definite second. Only the woodwork and some poor finishing prevented another rout at the Cottage. Clearly the week in the sun for a team bonding session had made no impact at all. By the final whistle, as we trudged wearily back to the pub, we knew it’s going to be Championship football again next season. And if we are never going to make a decent fist of staying in this league perhaps it’s not worth the hassle of promotion. Which would be a great shame – who could forget those heady, happy days last season which ended in the triumph at Loftus Road. But, with hindsight, would it not have been better to have gone all the way to the FA Cup Final than to have yet again thrown away a promotion? Yes, I know we can still pull it off. Yes I know TM is calling for Fortress Hawthorns –and that seems laughable after the last home defeat. But at least I am now in the far happier state of resignation to relegation.
Sunday, 18 January 2009 - "We've Done It Before, We'll Do It Again!!"
Both defences contrived to make it an exciting game, but Albion (with a bit of help from Lady Luck) were sharper in front of goal. It could have been more, but I think we were all content to settle for the three points and a step nearer safety. The new boys made a major contribution and without six regular first team players (three of the back four) this was an encouraging performance. WBASCLB Man of the Match: Robert Koren
Monday, 12 January 2009 - S**T ON THE VILLA!!
Didn’t go up to the Vile Park on Saturday, so instead watched it in a Purley pub. How many times this season have we started brightly and then conceded. Sloppy defending again, from a corner needlessly given away by Robinson. Two clearances off the line – where was Carson. And then Olsson is blocked/pulled off the ball by Ogbanthewhore to allow Davies to easily head past the hapless Carson. The second Villa goal was a result of inept defending and shambolic goalkeeping, again. We had a (two) good claim for a penalty in the last minute, but when you are down you don’t get those sort of breaks. Once again neat play, no penetration up front and careless at the back.
WBASCLB Man of the Match: Robert Koren
 Monday, 05 May 2008 - CHAMPIONE, CHAMPIONE, OLE OLE OLE!!
What a fantastic season. Full of the usual ups and downs, but this time lots and lots more ups; some fantastic football; some memorable goals and a big silver cup at the end of it. We are privileged to have one of the best managers in the game at this level and we were privileged to have watched the squad he put together.
Monday, 05 May 2008 – IT’S JONO FOR THE LONDON BAGGIES!!
The London Baggies made Jonathan Greening our Player of the Season – it could so easily have been Zoltan Gera or Robert Koren – and had Teixeira completed the season he would have surely been in the running too. All those goals and it was the midfielders that constantly performed at the highest level throughout the season.
Barry Brisland presented our award to Jonathan at the "End of Season Presentation Dinner" on Friday, 25 April at the Hawthorns.
Sunday, 16 March 2008 - Baggies Outfoxed by the Curse of the Claret and Blue!
There are many Albion fans that are convinced that anything connected to the Seal Park must be bad and that the Devil probably lives in some murky cellars in Aston - that are filled with the stench of rotting fish. I have considerable sympathy with this viewpoint, especially having been brought up in Sutton Coldfield – a bastion of Villa support. These fans had even more fuel added to their burning hatred of the Claret and Blue when Luke Moore was shown a straight red card yesterday and the Albion folded. At that stage we were a goal up and seemingly getting on top of the game. Then Moore’s moment of madness and it all went belly-up – leaving us with just one point from the week’s two home games. The automatic promotion places were within our grasp before Wednesday night, but the week has left us wounded and with serious doubts about the season ending in glory. Man of the Match: Robert Koren
Sunday, 16 December 2007 - Baggies Go Top!
Another thriller with Albion scoring four and going top of the table as Watford crashed at home. A bit of a topsy-turvy afternoon as Charlton first took an undeserved lead and then levelled at 2-2 to give the Hawthorns faithful something to worry about. But in the end the ability of this Albion team to continue creating scoring chances was too much for the the visitors as we cruised to victory. The game was immediately followed by our Christmas Dinner in the "Black Eagle", thoroughly enjoyed as usual and then the score came in from Vicarage Road. Not a bad day!
WBASCLB MoM: Chris Brunt
Sunday, 04 November 2007 - THREE – NIL TO THE FOOTBALL TEAM!!
Albion’s stunning victory at Vicarage Road was not simply a win. Not simply a good win, it was a win of massive proportions. Billed as the "Beauty and the Beast" contest, it was the Baggies stunning football that won the day. With a poor defensive record in recent away games and having to contend with Watford’s fast direct approach the omens were not good. But the defensive pairing of Albrechtsen and Cesar is starting to look solid. Phillips and Miller are irrepressible and the midfield worked their socks off to both deny a supply of through balls to Watford’s prolific front two, and to then carry the attack to the League leaders. This was one of Albion’s most complete performances for some time. "Watford were comprehensively outclassed", was the summary on the BBC website. Absolutely brilliant.
WBASCLB MoM: Zoltan Gera
Sunday, 13 May 2007 – Albion Winner Sets up Great Night at the Hawthorns
This match was billed as the "Most Important Black Country Derby" of all time. And it looked like the occasion had got to the Baggies more than the Dingles in the first half. Despite going into the lead through a superb Phillips strike we looked nervy and it came as no surprise when the Albion defence was undone just before the break to make it all square at half-time. Worse was to follow early into the second half as the defence opened up again to let Wolves into a 2-1 lead. Bizarrely the game then swung to us as we took control and the passes started flowing. At last we managed to score from a corner when Phillips registered his second of the game and his twenty first of the season. Then it got even better when a sublime through ball from Carter put Kamara through on goal and he atoned for his misses on his last visit to Molineux by giving Albion a 3-2 victory to take into the second leg on Wednesday night. Imagine, just imagine, the noise in Dave Chapman’s pub when that Kamara goal hit the back of the net!! Absolutely brilliant.
Sunday, 05 March 2006 - "Baggie Shorts" by email
Starting with the next issues of our newsletter members will be able to receive copies of "Baggie Shorts" in PDF format by email as an alternative to the paper version.
Monday, 16 May 2005 - The very, very, very, great, great, great escape
The most nervy afternoon for seasons - ten minutes to go and we were still going down. Charlton equalise against Palace, Norwich are dead and buried and for all Harry's twitches Southampton fail against United. YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!! Bring on next season. What a triumph for Bryan Robson and the revitalised Baggies. What a day!
Tuesday, 22 April 2003
Our first Premiership season draws to and end. Not a home win in sight this year. Yesterday's defeat, though narrow, underlined the differences we have to make good should we return to the Premiership again. I am pissed off with the "Ginger Twat" blaming everyone and everything. He bought these players and he coaches them!
Who will ever forget 21 April 2002.
Big Dave then SuperBob. Thanks Palace for giving us a fair game and not spoiling our day, and joining in our celebrations.
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