mackman Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 Sky Sports Breaking News - 30th June 2007 WEST BROMWICH ALBION IN TAKEOVER TALKS West Bromwich Albion chairman Jeremy Peace this afternoon confirmed that the club has agreed for takeover talks to take place later this week with an unknown consortium. Where this will leave the club and their manager Tony Mowbray remains to be seen. Sky Sports Breaking News - 4th July 2007 TAKEOVER TALKS AT ADVANCED STAGE The planned takeover of West Bromwich Albion is reportedly at an advanced stage and may well be completed within one week, however there has still been no word around who the consortium consists of. Sky Sports Breaking News - 8th July 2007 CONSORTIUM REVEALED!!! Peter Chappel-Hyam (bankrolled by Godolphin owner Skeikh Mohammed) and music legend Eric Clapton who are lifelong fans of West Bromwich Albion have been confirmed as the consortium that have purchased the Baggies. They will be holding a press conference tomorrow at 3 o'clock live on Sky Sports News, where they will reveal their plans for the club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Sky Sports Breaking News - 30th June 2007 WEST BROMWICH ALBION IN TAKEOVER TALKS West Bromwich Albion chairman Jeremy Peace this afternoon confirmed that the club has agreed for takeover talks to take place later this week with an unknown consortium. Where this will leave the club and their manager Tony Mowbray remains to be seen. Sky Sports Breaking News - 4th July 2007 TAKEOVER TALKS AT ADVANCED STAGE The planned takeover of West Bromwich Albion is reportedly at an advanced stage and may well be completed within one week, however there has still been no word around who the consortium consists of. Sky Sports Breaking News - 8th July 2007 CONSORTIUM REVEALED!!! Peter Chappel-Hyam (bankrolled by Godolphin owner Skeikh Mohammed) and music legend Eric Clapton who are lifelong fans of West Bromwich Albion have been confirmed as the consortium that have purchased the Baggies. They will be holding a press conference tomorrow at 3 o'clock live on Sky Sports News, where they will reveal their plans for the club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 Press Conference - The Hawtorns Press Room - 9th July 2007 WBA Press Officer: Good afternoon members of the press thank you for attending today, its my honour and privilege to introduce you to the new owners of West Bromwich Albion Football Club, Mr Peter Chappel-Hyam and Eric Clapton. They will briefly speak and give an outline of their plans for the club and then they will answers any questions you may have. Peter Chappel-Hyam: Good afternoon everyone, it is truly an honour to be here today in this position as the new joint owner of the club I have supported since I was a young boy, our aim is to propel the club back to his heyday when under Ron Atkinson, without a doubt barring LIverpool, we were the best side in the country. Myself and Eric have spoke at length at how this aim will be met. Eric, would you like to elaborate?? Eric Clapton: Yes, thank you Peter, good afternoon everyone, the plan for the club short-term is to gain promotion back to the Premier League at the end of this season, another season in the Championship, no disrespect, is not an option. Then once that aim is met, not only will we look to establish the club as a Premiership side but within 5 years we will be challenging for the Premiership and be back playing European club football for the first time in almost 30 years. Any questions?? Press: Yes, Peter and Eric, do your plans include the backroom staff currently at the club?? EC: Unfortunately, no it does not, we have spoken to Tony Mowbray this morning and a generous compensation package has been agreed removing Tony from his position with immediate effect. The search for the new manager, the man to take this club forward, will begin immediately. The new manager will then have full control over his backroom staff. Press: Okay, will the new manager be given money to spend?? PCH: The specifics will be decided with the new manager but yes we can confirm that money will be available for the new manager to spend to build a squad capable of winning the Premiership within 5 years. Press: A lot of money?? EC: As much as is necessary for our aims to be met. Press: Will the new manager be appointed from within this country or will you be looking abroad?? PCH: At this time we cannot confirm anything, all we can say is the manager will be the best man for the job. WBA PO: Thank you for your time today everyone, I'm sure that you will all wish the new owners the best of luck. 10th July - Red Lion pub, West Bromwich I was sitting in the pub, supping a pint after a long and tiring week at work, with my friends who were still talking about the previous days press conference where it had been revealed that our beloved club West Bromwich Albion had been purchased by Eric Clapton and Peter Chapple-Hyam. Mate1: Good riddance to Peace, wouldnt give any of the managers any money would he??? If he had Megson or Robson would have kept us up and Mowbray would have got us promoted last season. Me: Dunno mate, money aint everything, look at Real Madrid, had a few bob and bought all the Galacticos, didnt win anything did they until Capello took charge and then even he got sacked. You need the right manager who can create a team regardless of money. Mate2: What bout Chelsea then?? Won everything when they had like £47 billion to spend, i could have managed them. Me: Still took Mourinho to blend the team though, make em play as a team. And i doubt you could have managed em, you dont know anything bout football and you go every week. Mate3: Still, who do you think will get the job, now Mowbray's gone?? Me: Dunno, Mourinho maybe?? (cue laughter). Well maybe not even Clapton could tempt Mourinho to us. Mate1: Im sure we'll find out soon enough. Little did they know, i already knew. TO BE CONTINUED... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 6 hours earlier i had got a call from Eric Clapton having met him a few years before when i took an ex-girlfriend to one of his concerts in New York. When I met him in the States we chatted about football, especially West Brom when i told him that i supported them as well. He took my number and said that if he was ever back in the UK and wanted to go to a game i should join him. I was shocked that he still had my number when i got the call. EC: Hi is that Craig Harrison? Me: Yeah, who's this?? EC: Its Eric Clapton. Me: Ha ha, very funny who is it really? EC: Eric Clapton, seriously. Me: Bloody hell, how you doin Eric?? Congratulations on buying the Baggies, must be a dream come true for ya mate. EC: Yeah it is, that's what i wanted to talk to you about. Me: How can i help?? EC: Well as you know, Tony Mowbray is no longer the manager, and we're looking for someone to take over. Me: Ah, so you need some recommendations then? Well Ferguson and Wenger will never leave, could try Mourinho now he's out of work, cou EC: (Interrupting) No Craig, we want you to take over, when i spoke to you in New York a few years back, you seemed to know what you were talking about, no manager can match the passion of a fan and thats what me and Peter want to take advantage of. Me: Very funny, good joke, really who are you after as manager?? EC: Craig, seriously we want to offer you the job as manager of West Bromwich Albion. Me: Er, er, ok. EC: Well me and Peter will give you a call later and arrange for you to come up to the ground and go over the details then you can sign the contract, after that we'll arrange a press conference to unveil you. That conversation was very fresh in my mind as i sat in the pub, the beer was actually calming my nerves even though i had told my mates it was due to my long week at work. I walked into the Hawthorns reception the next day and told the receptionist i was there to speak to Mr Clapton and Chapple-Hyam. She called upstairs and a few minutes later Eric stepped out of the lift. EC: Hey Craig how you doin? Me: Good mate. We walked upstairs and met with Peter. We sat down in the boardroom and immediately got down to business. PCH: So Craig, i believe that you are happy to take over as manager. Me: Yes, that's correct but I do have a few questions before everything is ironed out. Firstly with regards to finances, how much would roughly be available for new players because to be honest, the team may well be good enough to gain promotion but I want to build a team this season for the Premiership not use this team then have to bring in Premiership quality players when we go up. EC: Craig as much as is necessary. Me: I mean, what kind of budget would there be. PCH: No budget, as much as you need. Me: Ok, secondly what about backroom staff, are all the guys here at the moment going to be leaving or staying?? EC: It's your decision. So there I was signing a contract to take over from Tony Mowbray as manager of my beloved West Bromwich Albion, just praying that i could do the job justice and please my new employers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 First Day On my first day at the club, i sat down with my new assistant Mark Venus before meeting the national press to go over our current squad and see what areas we could improve: Squad Goalkeepers Dean Kiely - Age 37 First choice at the moment but if the best we've got is 37 then thats definitely an area that needs improving. Will provide excellent back-up though to the keeper i bring in. Luke Steele - Age 22 Currently back-up to Kiely but at this moment in time not good enough to pass him. Defenders Carl Hoefkens - Age 28 Belgian international, good enough to play in the Championship but would he be able to cut it in the Prem?? I doubt it in all fairness. Martin Albrechtsen - Age 26 One of many that will be unfortunately shown the door even though he could do a job at this level. Neil Clement - Age 29 Longest serving player at the club and will be sticking around for the mean time at least. Paul Robinson - Age 28 Another that will be with the club at least for the short-term, although he may be left back no2. Tininho - Age 25 Like Albrechtsen, not in my plans short or long term. Leon Barnett - Age 24 Possibly one for the future but will that future be with the Baggies?? Hard to say. Bostjan Cesar - Age 25 On-loan from Marseille and at the moment our best defender. Pele - Age 30 Number 3 on the exit list. Shelton Martis - Age 27 No4 out the door. Midfielders Zoltan Gera - Age 29 Hungarian winger who will definitely play a part at least this season. Chris Brunt - Age 26 Winger signed from Sheffield Wednesday by my predecessor, one that will definitely be staying. James Morrison - Age 24 Same as above, signed from Middlesbrough. Filipe Teixeria - Age 26 Flamboyant Portugese midfielder whose skills will light up the Hawthorns for a long time i hope. Robert Koren - Age 27 Our most versatile player, can go forward but can also sit deep. Richard Chaplow - Age 24 Exit No5. Jonathan Greening - Age 28 Has been very hit and miss in a Baggies shirt, will hope to get him to be a hit for me. Strikers Roman Bednar - on loan - Age 26 Will have his loan terminated. Kevin Phillips - Age 34 Veteran outfield player, should chip in with a few vital goals. Ishmael Miller - on loan - Age 21 Exciting prospect on loan from Manchester City, should terrorise defences at this level. Craig Beattie - Age 24 Another on the out list. So after evaluating the squad, the areas that need improving are in goal, right and left back, at least two centre backs, a midfielder and probably two or three strikers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 My initial wish list of new signings include: GK - Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel from Manchester City, Tim Wiese from Werder Bremen and Celtic's Polish stopper Artur Boruc. Defenders - Pichu Atienza, Christopher Samba, Steven Smith, Sergey Ignashevich, Christian Pander and Jonathan Woodgate Midfield - Argentinian midfield hatchetman Ever Banega, Brazilians Rafinha and Lulinha and Shunsuke Nakamura Strikers - Mauro Zarate (Argentinian wonderkid), Eddie Johnson from Kansas City in the MLS, Romanian Bogdan Stancu and Bruno Mezenga. I send Venus away to contact clubs and agents in regards to my wish list and come back to me with exact numbers of who we can get. Press conference - Hawthorns Press Room - 12th July 2007 PO: Welcome ladies and gentlemen of the press, here are the owners of West Bromwich Albion Eric Clapton and Peter Chapple-Hyam. EC: Good afternoon everyone, myself and Peter sat in front of you all a few days ago after we had bought the club and we told you are first objective was employing a new manager at West Bromwich Albion. Well the news is good as that man has been found and we are today officially unveiling the new manager, if you would welcome into the room.... Craig Harrison. Press: (stunned silence) PCH: Now you may not have heard of this man before but he has one quality that we thought was detrimental in our minds to be the manager... passion. As a fellow Baggies fan he knows exactly how the fans want the club to play. Any questions for Craig?? Press: Yes, firstly congratulations Craig. As no-one knows anything about you with all due respect, do you have any managerial experience?? Me: Not professional no but the owners have the utmost faith in my abilities and so do i. Press: Ok, have any figures been agreed on for instance transfer budget. Me: That's not something that i can confirm but what i can tell you is that if i require finance to do my job, that option will be there. Press: Do you have any transfer targets in mind and are any of your current squad going to be made available to leave the club?? Me: Again that's not something i can detail right now, that sort of thing will be discussed with the parties involved and only those parties. You guys will hear about any transfer dealings, in or out, when they are confirmed. EC & PCH: Ok guys, that's all we have time for today, any more questions, contact our press officer. We leave the press room and i shake hands with Peter and Eric as they head to the boardroom. I pose for photos with fans and sign a few autographs. I head to my new apartment in Birmingham for a well earned rest. The question on my mind is the same as the one on all the fans: Can i do the job that everyone is expecting?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 Guys give me some feedback of how you think this story is going so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 The next day later Mark returns with my revised target list: Player Club Buying Price Hart Man City Not for sale Schmeichel Man City Not for sale Wiese Bremen Not for sale Boruc Celtic £9m Atienza At Madrid Not for sale Samba Blackburn £2m Smith Rangers Not for sale Ignashevich No club Free Pander Schalke £5m Woodgate Middlesboro Not for sale (at this moment) Banega Boca £2.5m Rafinha Cruzeiro £500k Lulinha Corinthians £2.8m Nakamura Celtic Not for sale Zarate Al-Saab £5m Johnson Kansas City £2.5m Stancu Unirea Urziceni £500k Mezenga Flamengo Not for sale So to rebuild my squad to decimate the Championship and take on the best league in the world, it will cost 30 million pounds!! Well the owners did say as much money as it takes... Two weeks later my targets are all signed, sealed and delivered (except for Lulinha who will sign at the start of next season and Rafinha who is denied a work permit), just need to decide where to play them all now!!! Albrechtsen joins Genk on loan and the rest of the exitees are placed on the available for transfer and loan list. Just have to sit and wait for the phone to ring. My best XI will be: Boruc Ignashevich Samba Cesar Pander Morrison Banega Brunt Johnson Miller Zarate The back up looks good with Kiely (GK), Hoefkens (RB), Clement (CB), Robinson (LB), Teixeria, Koren, Greening, Gera (MC), Stancu, Phillips (ST) completing my squad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 We hold a fans activity day to drum up some more publicity and i chat to a few of the fans who are excited at the signings the club has made and are liking the direction the club is moving in, one fan goes so far to say that we have spent as much money in two weeks as the club did in the previous ten years!!!! We took a bold action in arranging no pre-season friendlies, as i felt the rebuilding process was more important and needed my full attention. As i prepare for our first game against Sheffield Wednesday we are hit with an injury worry as Pander is ruled out for a month so Robinson will come in at left-back. English Championship - Sheffield Wednesday vs West Bromwich Albion - Hillsborough - 11th August 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Cesar, Robinson; Morrison, Banega, Brunt; Johnson, Miller; Zarate As i lead the team out at Hillsborough I think the pressure is finally getting to me as i sit for the first ten minutes with my arm covered in goosebumps and sweat rolling down my forehead. Those fears are quashed after four minutes as Ishmael Miller times a run perfectly to round the keeper and roll in the first goal of the Harrison-era. Esajas levels on 26 minutes as a lack of communication between Cesar and Samba gives him a free header past Boruc. The parity lasts less than 200 seconds as a Morrison corner is flicked on by Zarate at the near post and Eddie Johnson gets to the ball ahead of Richard Hinds to head past Lee Grant. Seven minutes later and we have a bit of breathing space as Johnson again beats Grant, this time with a volley from the edge of the box after Brunt's cross was headed into his path by Hinds. The second half is a bit of a bore as we play keep ball and make Wednesday do all the running. Miller gives me a bit of a scare with a few minutes to go as he hobbles off after a robust challenge but it doesnt look as bad as is feared. Final Score - Sheffield Wednesday 1 (Esajas 26) West Bromwich Albion 3 (Miller 4, Johnson 30, 37) Attendance: 37,797 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clonabanjo Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Great start to the stary Mack KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 As we leave the pitch the fans applaud our efforts and i echo that as we enter the changing room. The journey home is full of laughter and i can tell that spirits and morale within the club are already at a extreme high. The only problem with high morale is that the players start to believe all the hype in the national press about them being champions elect after only one game. Before the next training session starts i tell them to ignore the press and not to take anything for granted, especially after just one game of the season. The following session is the best since i took charge of the club and i know that every player has given 100%. That was the exact thing i was hoping would happen. I tell the players to have a couple of days with their families before our next game. Carling Cup 1st Round - Barnet vs West Bromwich Albion - Underhill - 15th August 2007 Kiely; Hoefkens, Samba, Clement, Tininho; Teixeria, Banega, Gera; Johnson, Stancu; Zarate Making seven changes from the team that beat Wednesday seemed like a bit of a gamble to my assistant but i had full faith in the players that I was sending out on a damp Wednesday evening. That faith proved to be justified after just seven minutes as Banega broke up a Barnet attack just inside our half, swapped passes with Teixeria and curled the ball past the outstretched glove of Beckwith and in off the post. The goal seemed to bring Barnet to life and they had a couple of chances, Boruc denying Adam Birchall and Puncheon heading just over at the far post. Seemingly against the run of play we put the game to bed as Johnson got his third goal of the season, rounding off an excellent passing move, firing into the roof of the net after Gera pulled the ball back from the byline. Gera slid into the advertising boards in setting up the goal and was subbed at half-time, Brunt coming on in his place. Both sides had half chances in the second half before ten minutes from time Birchall's cross was handled by Samba and the ref pointed to the spot. Ian Hendon placed the ball down and coolly sent Kiely the wrong way to set up a nervous finale... for about 60 seconds. Zarate's first goal for the club was worth waiting for, a cool chip from the edge of the box after he was played through by Brunt. Another decent performance but I know that we can play better. Final score - Barnet 1 (Hendon pen 81) West Bromwich Albion 3 (Banega 7, Johnson 30, Zarate 83) Attendance: 4,987 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 English Championship - West Bromwich Albion vs Norwich City - The Hawthorns - 18th August 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Cesar, Robinson; Morrison, Banega, Brunt; Johnson, Miller; Zarate I name the same side that beat Wednesday in our first game in front of our very loyal fans. However my optimism is dampened within three minutes as a crunching tackle from Tebily leaves Brunt hobbling and his inability to continue means he is replaced by Teixeria. The first half is like a game of chess as both teams carve out half chances at best and neither keeper is really troubled. That is until thirty seconds into first half injury time as Zarate taps in the opener at the back post after Morrison’s cross was headed across goal by Johnson. That gets the crowd boing-boinging and we’re cheered off at the half-time whistle thanks to our dominance. We have a bit of a downer three minutes into this half as well as Banega turns suddenly and catches his studs in the turf, jarring his knee. Things get better five minutes later as this time Zarate turns provider and Morrison volleys his first goal for the club into the roof of the net giving sub goalkeeper Gilks absolutely no chance. Miller almost scores an excellent solo effort as he takes on the whole Norwich defence but he is chopped down on the edge of the box and Brunt’s free kick cannons off the underside of the bar and Norwich clear the danger. I’m happy with our first clean sheet and everyone’s performance in general. Final score - West Bromwich Albion 2 (Zarate 45, Morrison 53) Norwich City 0 Attendance: 28,854 Brunt is only ruled out for a few days so that pleases me but Banega is going to be out for a month as he has strained his knee ligaments so that leaves us with a bit of a problem in midfield. A few of the fans i speak to after the game are a bit unimpressed by Artur Boruc’s early performances for the club but i tell them it’s probably because he hasn’t had much to do in the games he has played as the ball is always down the other end of the pitch. Eric and Peter are happy with our early season form but i tell them that we can play better and i know we can, and we can score lots of goals with the talent at our disposal. English Championship - Leicester City vs West Bromwich Albion - Walkers Stadium - 25th August 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Cesar, Robinson; Morrison, Clement, Teixeria; Johnson, Miller; Zarate Clement and Teixeria come in for the injured Brunt and Banega as we travel to the Walkers Stadium to play Leicester who are managed by ex-Baggies boss Gary Megson, we have a chat in the tunnel before the game and he also congratulates me on our early form and wishes me the best of luck in the future. We agree to meet up for a glass of wine after the game. In the first half we are not at the races at all as Leicester dominate from the first minute and if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Boruc (clearly proving his worth to those unappreciative fans) we would be at least three goals down, the Pole denying Matty Fryatt twice and Carl Cort who gets a bit of stick from our fans having previously played for Wolves. I give the boys a right rollicking at half-time and they see that I’m not a man to mess with. It clearly proves a point as we improve ten-fold in the second half and on the hour mark we take the lead, Morrison curling in a beautiful free-kick around the wall past the unsighted Fulop. He gets booked for his over-exuberant celebration and is rewarded for that with me hauling him off, Brunt coming on in his place. Brunt’s injury doesn’t seem to have affected him as he skins James Chambers down the left and his well-placed cross is met by a diving header from Zarate and the points are safe. Final score – Leicester City 0 West Bromwich Albion 2 (Morrison 60, Zarate 71) Attendance: 32,480 I have two visitors in my office early on Sunday morning as Johnson and Zarate want to speak to me about some of my comments to the press in the Sunday morning papers, they feel that I’m not giving the team as much praise as they deserve and they are already pondering their futures at the club. I tell them that my comments were taken out of context and I was trying to play down the press’ comments about us being Premiership-bound already. I tell them that i have been very impressed with everyone since I have took over and I feel that there is no reason why we won’t be in the Premiership next season but I feel that we shouldn’t be believing the hype because we could become complacent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Carling Cup 2nd Round - Gillingham vs West Bromwich Albion - Priestfield - 28th August 2007 Kiely; Hoefkens, Samba, Clement, Tininho; Morrison, Greening, Teixeria; Johnson, Stancu; Phillips Another Cup game so another chance to rest some of my stars giving the back-up a chance to prove their quality and try to keep a place in the side. I think the nerves were definitely showing as a few of the guys struggling to make any sort of an impact in the first half, with only Teixeria showing any sort of invention and attacking flair. It was no surprise then that we found ourselves a goal down at half time, Steve Lomas capitalising on some slack defending to head past Kiely and send the fans at Priestfield into a frenzy. To say that my team talk at half time was harsh would have been an understatement and many of the players hung their head in shame as i ranted and raved! The reaction was almost instant as Morrison raced clear onto Stancu’s reverse through ball and sidefooted the ball past the onrushing keeper to level the game and continue his excellent form of late. Just after the hour our second half dominance paid off as Eddie Johnson put us into the lead, firing in the rebound after Phillips’ shot was blocked on the line. Phillips opened his own account for the season and ensured our safe passage into round three with the third 13 minutes from time, with a poacher like finish, heading in Greening’s cross from six yards out. Final score – Gillingham 1 (Lomas 37) West Bromwich Albion 3 (Morrison 46, Johnson 61, Phillips 77) Attendance: 11,544 In my post match interview I lost my cool with a reporter who claimed that several of my players were unhappy with my match day team talks, I responded by saying “well if my team played how I know they can play, I wouldn’t need to be harsh with my team talks!!â€. The repercussions of this were plain to see the next morning. HARRISON REPRIMANDED BY WBA!!! West Bromwich Albion manager Craig Harrison was last night fined a weeks wages by West Brom owners Peter Chapple-Hyam and Eric Clapton after his post match comments following their Carling Cup second round victory over Gillingham. Harrison was responding to media reports that many of this players were unhappy with Harrison’s match day team talks. Harr.... I slammed the newspaper down onto my kitchen worktop as I sat in my apartment, I had called Mark Venus first thing and told him to take training as I had an appointment to keep. What I didn’t tell him was that the appointment had been the previous evening upon my return home, with a bottle of Jack Daniels and the aftermath of this was the reason I wasn’t taking training. The pressure seemed to be getting to me already but I decided to persevere and take everything on the chin. I spoke to Mark again later in the day and told him that at least for the time being he would conduct my post match interviews in my place, give me a bit of time out of the spotlight. English Championship - West Bromwich Albion vs Blackpool - The Hawthorns - 1st September 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Cesar, Robinson; Morrison, Greening, Teixeria; Johnson, Miller; Zarate I could see as the players made their way out of the tunnel to the sound of the Liquidator that they were determined to get back in my good books and quick as I sat ashen faced in the dug-out, giving Mark the responsibility of barking orders on the touchline. God must have been looking down on Blackpool in the first ten minutes, because only he knew how we were not five up as Zarate tested the keeper twice and Johnson, Miller and Morrison all went close to opening the scoring too. We were not going to be denied for too long though as Zarate scored his fourth of the season, a sweetly hit twenty five yarder in off the underside of the bar giving Rachubka absolutely no chance. The goal seemed to ignite Blackpool and this in turn made us take our foot off the gas and Boruc had to be alert to deny Taylor-Fletcher an equaliser which would have probably been deserved. The half-time whistle was a welcome sound as Blackpool couldn’t capitalise on their momentum. The start of the second half mirrored the first as we were quick out of the blocks and settled our nerves with the second ten minutes in, Zarate spinning in the box and firing the ball across the keeper into the far corner. He seemed determined to take home the match ball but couldn’t find another on this day. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 2 (Zarate 16, 54) Blackpool 0 Attendance: 28,864 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 As the boys left the field at the end of the game, I stood in the centre circle and gave all our fans a clap thanking them for their support of me since I had been at the club, when it seemed that everyone else was putting me down. The players gave me a round of applause as I entered the dressing room a few minutes later and the first players to come up to me were Zarate and Johnson who both said just one word, “sorryâ€. I told the boys to go home to their families and report back to training on Tuesday. I was told that a press conference had been arranged for the Monday morning. Press conference – Hawthorns Press Room – 3rd September PO: Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the press, may I introduce Mr Eric Clapton. (Applause) EC: Good morning everyone, I just have a very short statement to make and then you may direct your questions towards myself and my guest. Myself and Peter have been seeing a lot of bad press over the last couple of weeks around players unhappy with team talks, the manager losing his temper on national television and the pressure of you guys labelling us as a Premiership side already when we have only played three or four league games. Firstly everyone at this club is singing off the same hymn sheet, morale could not be higher. The manager did lose his temper and myself and Peter had a private meeting with him where any problems were cleared up. Finally no-one at this club knows of any reason why with the management team and the squad we have why we shouldn’t be playing Premiership football next season however the season is quite long and a lot of things can happen. Now I would like to introduce West Bromwich Albion manager Craig Harrison. (More applause) Me: Good morning, thank you Eric, I also have a short statement to make then we will welcome your questions. I would like to apologise to everyone involved with the club and the journalist who felt my wrath following the match against Gillingham, there is a lot of pressure involved with being a football manager and as Eric said bad press does not help that pressure but my mind is and will be on this job while I am in charge of this football club, so for now a ban on any press be it, written or spoken, has been placed on the players and the management team until match day then I will take all the press into the dressing room and put it on the wall to spur my players on, then you will see the real West Bromwich Albion. Any questions?? I think for the first time in the history of journalism, every reporter was speechless and didn’t seem to have any questions. Myself and Eric thanked everyone for their time and left the room with big grins on our faces, looked like our speeches had worked. Training ground – 4th September All the boys had seen our press conference from the previous day and were in buoyant mood as we started training, it seemed like a weight of expectation had been lifted from their shoulders and I told them from now on, the only thing I expected was for them to go out and play football and just try their best, then whatever happens would happen. With 11 days until our next match the club arranged a break for all the players, the players were expecting Spain or Portugal so they must have been very disappointed when I revealed that we would be going to the Lake District for a team building week consisting of paintballing, a quiz night, bridge building and more. Upon our return the players returned home to see their families and as I opened the door to my apartment, I realised that I needed someone in my life to bring me back down to earth when my day finished. This would be my hardest “transfer†search so far!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 English Championship - Hull City vs West Bromwich Albion - KC Stadium - 15th September 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Cesar, Robinson; Morrison, Greening, Teixeria; Johnson, Miller; Zarate I was worried that the break may take our momentum away from us and for the first twenty minutes or so that looked to be the case as Henrik Pedersen rattled Boruc’s crossbar and Jay-Jay Okocha also had our keeper scampering across his goal to tip the Nigerian’s goal bound free-kick over the bar. Our nerves were settled after twenty six minutes as Eddie Johnson led a break-away after Robinson intercepted a cross field ball and set the American away. He found Teixeria out wide and his low cross was diverted at the near post by Zarate just inside the post. I was off the bench and punching my fist in the air. We continued to press and only a wonder save from Duke at point blank range from Morrison stopped us going in at half-time two up. The second goal did come ten minutes after the break as Morrison’s burst into the box was stopped by Callum Davidson and the ref had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Zarate placed the ball and sent Duke the wrong way to almost certainly claim the points. The points were definitely safe when Chris Brunt came off the bench to curl in a beautiful free-kick near the end. Final score – Hull City 0 West Bromwich Albion 3 (Zarate 26, pen 54, Brunt 82) Attendance: 25,388 English Championship - West Bromwich Albion vs Cardiff City - The Hawthorns - 18th September 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Clement, Robinson; Teixeria, Koren, Brunt; Johnson, Stancu; Zarate A second game in three days beckoned as Cardiff visited The Hawthorns and as the game kicked off they looked like they meant business with a line-up that included Trevor Sinclair, Stephen McPhail, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Robbie Fowler. I felt that we needed to get an early goal to force Cardiff to come out and play and that was exactly what we got, Brunt’s corner being headed past Turnbull by Paul Robinson of all people. My new tradition of showing the players bad press before the game had seemed to have worked after Dave Jones’ comments that he was envious of my position and the talent at my disposal. Cardiff’s ex Prem stars rallied and were level less in the 13th minute as Sinclair found Robbie Fowler at the back post for the former England striker to chest the ball and volley past Boruc. All hopes Cardiff had of pulling off a shock to a knock ten minutes later as Stephen McPhail was shown a straight red card for a two footed lunge on Koren and this seemed to settle us as I told the players to be patient. As half-time passed and the second half went on I felt that our patience may not pay off so I sent Samba up front as a bit of a presence to cause havoc and it worked as the ball pinged around the box after Cardiff failed to clear a free-kick and the centre back smashed in his first goal for the club and what proved to be the winning goal. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 2 (Robinson 4, Samba 75) Cardiff City 1 (Fowler 13) Attendance: 28, 865 The two games in succession had taken a lot out of us so a few changes may be in order as we prepared to travel to the Valley to play Charlton. English Championship - Charlton Athletic vs West Bromwich Albion - The Valley - 22nd September 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Clement, Robinson; Teixeria, Greening, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Phillips I brought in Greening, Gera, Miller and Phillips in place of Koren, Brunt, Stancu and Zarate as tiredness looked to be setting in with some of our players. For the first half hour we matched Charlton who were trying to play football but also make the game a bit physical, we certainly did that as Robinson followed his goal from the previous game by getting himself sent off this time as Luke Varney felt the full force of the left back. So we would need to play over an hour with only ten men and with only three defenders, we managed to make it to half-time and as we entered the dressing room Robbo was sitting with his head in his hands and apologised profusely, I told him it was just one of those things and not to worry too much. Another blow came on the hour mark as Kevin Phillips pulled up chasing a through ball and was stretchered off, Zarate taking his place. His introduction spurred us on and within three minutes we had the lead. A long ball by Samba was chested down by Miller under pressure into the path of Greening, his ball down the line was picked up by Eddie Johnson and his cross cum shot was parried by Weaver into the path of Zarate who made no mistake. Charlton threw everyone at us, including the kitchen sink, to try and force an equaliser but we managed to hold out for an excellent victory. Final score – Charlton Athletic 0 West Bromwich Albion 1 (Zarate 63) Attendance: 27,089 Robbo was hit with a three game ban and after seeing the incident after the match I decided an appeal would do us no good so accepted the decision. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 ================================================ Almost caught up with my game now!! ================================================After our win over Charlton we sat at the top of the league with a maximum 21 points and even I was getting a bit carried away with our early season form as we prepared to welcome Bristol City to The Hawthorns and I could rest many of our stars. Carling Cup 3rd Round - West Bromwich Albion vs Bristol City - The Hawthorns - 26th September 2007 Kiely; Hoefkens, Samba, Clement, Tininho; Teixeria, Greening, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Stancu My decision to start Stancu in place of Zarate was met with some mixed reception from our fans who were unhappy to see our top scorer sitting on the bench. Our first half display was excellent and we were very unlucky early on not to take the lead with Johnson playing in Stancu but after rounding the keeper his shot was cleared off the line. The young Romanian was not to be denied though and three minutes before the break he bagged his first goal in the blue and white. Tininho got away down the left and his cross just evaded Johnson but found Stancu just behind him and his header beat Basso at the far post. Bristol came out fighting early in the second half but we landed the sucker punch second goal with Gera’s free kick deflecting in off the back of Stancu and there was no chance Gera was claiming it! We sat back after the second and were almost punished but Kiely saved at the feet of Trundle late on and Byfield also missed a decent chance. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 2 (Stancu 42, 48) Bristol City 0 Attendance: 28,852 I was very impressed with the near full house for a League cup game, it showed that our fans are very passionate about every game we’re playing in. The fourth round cup draw gave us a potentially tricky away game at Watford but I don’t think our players are scared of anyone at the moment. The cup game rest would do most of my players good as Stoke were the next visitors to The Hawthorns. English Championship - West Bromwich Albion vs Stoke City - The Hawthorns - 29th September 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Clement, Pander; Morrison, Greening, Brunt; Johnson, Miller; Stancu Stancu retained his place after his excellent display in midweek and I was also happy to hand Pander his debut after his early season injury. Stoke were being very physical early on and a couple of hard tackles rattled Brunt and Morrison. On the ten minute mark we managed to avoid a kicking for a few seconds to take the lead, Morrison’s corner being headed by John Eustace past his own keeper. I’m sure that if he could he would have gladly given the goal to one of our players but he couldn’t!!! The fact that six Stoke players were booked in the first half showed how they were trying to out-battle us but we proved that footballers beat fighters by wrapping up the points just after the hour, Ishmael Miller grabbing his first goal since the first game of the season with a sweet volley and if not for Ignashevich missing a late penalty our winning margin would have been greater. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 2 (Eustace og 9, Miller 63) Stoke City 0 Attendance: 28,862 I told the press after the game that I was very impressed with Pander’s debut for the club and the German left-back would prove to be an excellent signing for the club once he got a few games under his belt. Our form in September was rewarded with me winning Manager of the Month and Ishmael Miller claiming the Player of the Month award. The trifecta was completed by Chris Brunt’s goal against Hull being named Goal of the Month. English Championship – Colchester United vs West Bromwich Albion – Layer Road – 2nd October 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Clement, Pander; Morrison, Greening, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate Zarate earns a recall and so does Gera. In the first half the match resembles the Alamo as it is attack vs defence but somehow we fail to take the lead, Gera, Johnson, Miller and Zarate testing Davidson in the Colchester goal. As the game goes on it looks like our 100% record is going to come to an end but then out of the blue we take the lead. Morrison beats the offside trap to round the keeper and although he is forced wide his pull back is fired into the top corner by Greening for his first goal of the season. Final score – Colchester United 0 West Bromwich Albion 1 (Greening 73) Attendance: 6,130 English Championship – West Bromwich Albion vs Scunthorpe United – The Hawthorns – 6th October 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Samba, Clement, Tininho; Morrison, Greening, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate Pander pulled up in the warm-up so was quickly replaced by Tininho at left back. Scunthorpe are no match for us in the first fifteen minutes as we dominate and its rewarded when Zarate latches onto Miller’s knock down and despite having a defender on his back, manages to fire in off the post. Ten minutes later we are knocked down to earth when Jim Goodwin leaps above Samba and his header sneaks in past Boruc and Tininho on the line. Our tiredness over the last few weeks shows in the second half as we seem very lethargic, Stancu and Brunt come on in place of Miller and Gera to give us some fresh legs and the subs combine with two minutes left to give us the winner, Brunt’s shot parried by the keeper and Stancu getting there first to fire home. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 2 (Zarate 14, Stancu 88) Scunthorpe United 1 (Goodwin 26) Attendance: 28,859 Another international break beckons giving us another 15 days before our next game and again I’ve got to hope it doesn’t affect our morale or any of our players get injured while away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 English Championship – Bristol City vs West Bromwich Albion – Ashton Gate – 21st October 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Cesar, Clement, Pander; Teixeria, Greening, Brunt; Johnson, Miller; Zarate Playing Bristol City for the second time in four weeks, this time in the league made me hope that they wouldn’t have learned too much from our previous encounter and would have found a way to stop us. Four changes from the game against Scunthorpe with Cesar, Pander, Teixeria and Brunt earning recalls to the side. My fears were sort of confirmed as for the first half hour Bristol matched us and probably looked most likely to score, with Trundle and Showunmi both testing Boruc, then on the half hour against the run of the play we took the lead, Clement heading Brunt’s corner back across goal and Teixeria beating Fontaine to the ball to head home. Brunt and Greening then combined to set up Miller but his shot was deflected wide as the first half came to a close. On the hour mark Bristol deservedly equalised, Trundle racing clear after timing his run to perfection and rounding Boruc before firing home. As the minutes ticked away even the introduction of Stancu for Miller couldn’t grab us the lead. That was until the final minute when our late pressure paid dividends, Brunt firing in another excellent free-kick past Basso. Bristol’s pushing forward cost them three minutes into injury time as we broke 3 on 2 and Johnson found Teixeria at the back post and he fired in his second and our third. Final score – Bristol City 1 (Trundle 60) West Bromwich Albion 3 (Teixeria 29, 90, Brunt 90) Attendance: 19,481 So after 11 games we had the only 100% record in the country but it didn’t know how much longer the record would last. Bragging rights would be on the line as well as points as rivals Wolves were the next visitors. English Championship – West Bromwich Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers – The Hawthorns – 23rd October 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Cesar, Clement, Pander; Teixeria, Greening, Brunt; Johnson, Stancu; Zarate I wasn’t happy with us playing two games in three days as our game against Bristol was pushed back a day for TV coverage. Stancu was the only change as his introduction was telling in our game against Bristol. There were a few meaty challenges going in early on as both sides were trying to prove their dominance. That was proved after 30 minutes as Brunt powered a header past Hennessy from Greening’s centre. When the goal went in the players decided to sort of shut up shop and be content with the one nil and because of this Wolves started to get back into the game as the second half wore on and with just three minutes left I was off the bench fuming as Cesar and Clement allowed Stephen Elliott to get a free header and he made no mistake to level the match. I kicked a water bottle up into the air and had a ticking off from the fourth official because of this. My annoyance turned to jubilance a minute into injury time as Ignashevich was found by Morrison on the overlap and his cross was acrobatically volleyed home by Zarate. I ran down the touchline and was met with a hurl of abuse from the away fans behind the goal. I simply pointed out the score to them and they seemed to think I was making a rude gesture. This caused the referee to come over and send me to the stands, much to the joy of the Wolves fans. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 2 (Brunt 31, Zarate 90) Wolves 1 (Elliott 87) Attendance: 28,839 Despite my appeal against my sending off I was handed a three game touchline ban so Mark Venus would take charge of those games. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Here are the results while he was in charge: English Championship - Sheffield United 0 West Bromwich Albion 0 – 27th October 2007 League Cup Fourth Round - Watford 0 West Bromwich Albion 1 (Stancu) – 31st October 2007 English Championship - West Bromwich Albion 2 (Zarate, Johnson) Ipswich Town 0 – 3rd November 2007 I was very disappointed with the Sheffield result as it ended our 100% record but watching from the stands it was just one of those games and to top things off Morrison (broken leg) and Brunt (torn groin) were both injured in the match. Nick Worth reported that Brunt would be out for 3-4 months and Morrison would be sidelined for at least 6 months. I was however delighted with the three clean sheets that Boruc picked up. I was ready to make my return to the touchline as we entertained Preston at the Hawthorns. English Championship – West Bromwich Albion vs Preston North End – The Hawthorns – 7th November 2007 Boruc; Hoefkens, Cesar, Samba, Pander; Teixeria, Koren, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate With the injuries picked up Teixeria and Gera were recalled while Samba, Hoefkens, Koren and Miller also came back into the side. We dominated from start to finish and Preston had no real answer to us once we took the lead after twenty minutes, Koren and Teixeria combining to set up Zarate and he finished coolly. Ten minutes later Zarate had his thirteenth goal of the season from the penalty spot after Gera’s shot was handled in the box. Preston did have a good chance in the second half to reduce the arrears but ex Baggie Darren Carter fired over from the edge of the box. That miss was punished with three minutes left as sub Stancu chipped the onrushing Lonergan to send our fans home very happy. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 3 (Zarate 21, 32, Stancu 87) Preston North End 0 Attendance: 28,846 Next up were Plymouth who at that time were bottom of the Championship and winless in the previous five games, Barnsley had spanked them 5-1 in their last game so I was expecting another win English Championship – Plymouth Argyle vs West Bromwich Albion – Home Park – 10th November 2007 Boruc; Hoefkens, Clement, Samba, Pander; Greening, Banega, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate I was glad to welcome back Banega after his one month injury turned into an almost three month absence and also Clement at centre back in place of Cesar. Again similarly to the Preson game our dominance was evident early on but it wasn’t rewarded with a goal until first half injury time as Johnson bagged his sixth goal of the season with a fine solo effort beating three defenders and then the goalkeeper with a fine curling shot into the top corner. In the second half we played keep ball and grabbed a deserved second as sub Teixeria rounded off a fine passing move with a low shot across the goalkeeper. As we left the pitch at the end of the match, the impending possibility of promotion seemed to be dawning on me with every moment that was going by. Final score – Plymouth Argyle 0 West Bromwich Albion 2 (Johnson 45, Teixeria 67) Attendance: 19,739 I was very impressed that we claimed our 11th clean sheet in only 16 games and that we seemed to be running away with the league at this point. However I emphasised to the fans and players that there was still a long way to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Another international break beckoned (these were really p*****g me off, seemed like they were every other week) so a couple of weeks until our next game, however with most of the boys not being called up I told them to report to training in the next couple of days, I didn’t push the guys too hard as I didn’t want to pick up any injuries. As we pulled into the car park at the Ricoh Arena I suddenly had the sense of a banana skin against Coventry, I didn’t feel that they would simply lie down and roll over for us. English Championship – Coventry City vs West Bromwich Albion – Ricoh Arena – 24th November 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Cesar, Samba, Pander; Greening, Koren, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate My fears of a potential banana skin looked like being proven correct in the first half as Coventry completed dominated, Mifsud time and time again leaving our defence at sixes and sevens however we managed to survive thanks to the brilliance of Boruc making at least three world class saves to deny the Maltese striker. His best however came in the 53rd minute as Mifsud skinned Samba and was brought down by Pander just inside the box, giving the ref no alternative but to point to the spot. Mifsud placed the ball down but his penalty was matched by Boruc, diving full stretch to his left and tipping the ball round the post. I leaped off the bench giving my congratulations to the Pole and urging the team to push forward as I felt it was one of our days. Ten minutes later that belief was confirmed as our jack in the box stiker Zarate smashed home no 15 of the season, keeping his balance after rounding the keeper to fire home past the retreating defender. With twelve minutes left Zarate gift wrapped us another three points with his second from Greening’s deep corner which was headed across goal by Cesar into the Argentinian’s path. Final score – Coventry City 0 West Bromwich Albion 2 (Zarate 64, 78) Attendance: 33,326 No matter what the press were saying I knew our next game would be tough even though we were the home side against Crystal Palace who are fourth in the table. English Championship – West Bromwich Albion vs Crystal Palace – The Hawthorns – 27th November 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Cesar, Samba, Pander; Greening, Koren, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate I was actually thanking the gods that I was able to name the same side for the first time in who knows how long and this continuity seemed to put us in good stead as I led the team out to face Palace. Our first attack of the game bought us the opening goal and some of the fans almost missed it, it was that early. Continuing his fine form of late and the season in general Zarate chased down a backpass and forced Scott Flinders into hammering his clearance into the striker and the ball rolled into the net for possibly the most bizarre goal of the season so far. We continued to create chances and Flinders had to make amends for his early error by denying both Koren and then Gera from added to the opener. As we left the field at half-time I was quite content with our first half performance but I felt we needed a second goal to settle any nerves we may have. Those nerves were settled just after the hour mark as Johnson beat the offside trap and shrugged off the challenge from Leon Cort to fire past Flinders. We huffed and puffed but were unable to find a third and it became squeaky bum time late on as Carl Fletcher’s deflected free-kick deceived Boruc and reduced the deficit. We managed to hold out as Boruc denied Clinton Morrison at the death. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 2 (Zarate 3, Johnson 63) Crystal Palace 1 (Fletcher 89) Attendance: 28,855 I was a little disappointed after the game as our run of clean sheets came to an end but at the end of the day a win is a win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Finally caught up with my story!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jart Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 A fine start to your story, mackman. I'll be following the Baggies with you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 ================================================ Look who's back!!!! ================================================ English Championship – Burnley vs West Bromwich Albion – Turf Moor – 1st December 2007 Boruc; Hodgkiss, Cesar, Samba, Pander; Teixeria, Koren, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate Couple of changes from the Palace game as Teixeria replaces Greening and Hodgkiss earns his first start of the season after impressing me in training. The first half is a pretty even affair as both sides look to grab the opening goal, we almost do within the first ten minutes, Gera’s fourth minute cross finds Miller but he heads straight at the keeper. However 90 seconds later we do have the lead as Johnson’s run into the box and shot is blocked by Caldwell but Zarate reacts first and pokes the ball past the keeper into the corner of the net. Our fans go wild and I too am off my seat in the dug-out but only to tell the players to keep their calm and not get too carried away. That proves to be case a few minutes later as Andy Gray brings down a long ball on his chest and finds Wade Elliott. Elliott cuts inside and fires in a low shot that Boruc tips round the post. I’m barking orders again to keep it tight at the back and we manage to get the break still a goal up. The second half is a case of attack versus defence as we look to grab goal number two and it takes inspired defending and goalkeeping to keep us out until the 75th minute as Samba heads in Gera’s corner at the near post and the points are sealed. Final score – Burnley 0 West Bromwich Albion 2 (Zarate 6, Samba 75) Attendance: 22,486 After 19 games we sit proudly at the top of the league and only a major capitulation can stop us running away with the league: <a href="http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee58/craigymack990/?action=view¤t=albiontable.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee58/craigymack990/albiontable.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> We now take a break from the league campaign as my first real test comes in the shape of the League Cup quarter final as we travel to Fratton Park to play Portsmouth (art imitating life maybe???) Before the quarter final though I travel down to Soho Square for the FA Cup third round draw and breathe a sigh of relief when we are drawn to play at home against Southampton, once again we have managed to avoid any of the big boys. League Cup Quarter Final – Portsmouth vs West Bromwich Albion – Fratton Park – 4th December 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Cesar, Samba, Pander; Teixeria, Koren, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate Ignashevich returns to the side to give us some experience at the back but otherwise the team stays the same. Pompey try to overpower us in the first twenty minutes and for the most part it works so the boys do what they do best: play football and I’d go so far as to say that in the first half we dominate and only a over-zealous linesman’s flag denies us a goal as Samba’s header is ruled out for an adjudged “foul†on Distin. We tire a bit in the second half so Greening, Phillips and Stancu replace Gera, Johnson and Zarate (who picked up a slight knock) and the substitutes combine with eight minutes to go as Greening releases Phillips down the line and he holds off Distin for long enough to allow a cross into the box and Ishmael Miller gets to the ball ahead of James to head into an empty net. I leap off the bench with my arms in the air and I’m immediately grabbed by the coaching staff who are screaming in my ear “We’re going to Wembley bossâ€. I lose most of the fingernails in the last five minutes especially in injury time when an under-strength backpass from Cesar is latched onto by Kanu but Boruc races from his goal to deny our former striker an equaliser. The roar at the final whistle is like nothing I have ever heard before and the celebrations go on late into the night. Final score – Portsmouth 0 West Bromwich Albion 1 (Miller 82) Attendance: 20,575 The three other semi-finalists are confirmed the next night as Middlesbrough produce the shock of the round beating Arsenal 2-1, Liverpool scrape past Everton 1-0 and Man United easily beat Stoke 3-0. We would be lucky to draw Middlesbrough but we’ll more than likely draw one of the big two. As we are preparing before our match against Watford, i get a call from Mark Venus who has travelled to Soho Square in my absence to witness the League Cup Semi-final draw, I’m placed on loud-speaker and hear the draw being made. West Bromwich Albion to play..... Middlesbrough!!! The boys are ecstatic as this gives us a very good chance of getting to Wembley but I tell them we need to focus on the game at Vicarage Road. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 Sorry the image didnt work, try either of these: http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee58/craigymack990/albiontable.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackman Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 English Championship – Watford vs West Bromwich Albion – Vicarage Road – 8th December 2007 Boruc; Ignashevich, Clement, Samba, Pander; Teixeria, Banega, Gera; Phillips, Miller; Zarate I welcome back a few of the boys for the trip to Watford with Banega and Phillips making only their 5th appearances of the season. The first half hour like in many of our recent games is a tight affair with Zarate and Miller both testing Lee in the Watford goal and Marlon King forcing Boruc into a fine save on a couple of occasions. Then three minutes before the break a long ball from Boruc is headed on by Miller and Zoltan Gera breaks into the box and nudges the ball past the onrushing Lee to give us the lead. As the half time whistle blows the boys are cheered off with a chorus of Boing Boing. The cheering starts again 90 seconds after the break as a fine through ball from Gera finds Zarate and although Lee blocks his initial shot the ball rebounds off the Argentinian and he gets to the ball first as its rolling towards the net and applies the touch to put us two up. Watford come back into the game in the last twenty minutes and only Boruc’s tip round the post and Clement heading off the line stops Watford pulling a goal back. Final score – Watford 0 West Bromwich Albion 2 (Gera 42, Zarate 47) Attendance: 19,490 The aftermath of the battle is that Phillips will be out for a week and Banega’s injury troubles continue as he will miss another three weeks. The praise continues as Watford boss Ady Boothroyd tips us for promotion and i respond by telling the reporters that promotion is my main priority for the season and I would be disappointed if we were not playing Premiership football next season. My other aim is to build a side capable of not only surviving in the Premiership but also establishing ourselves and possibly within three or four years challenging for the title. With that in mind I place a couple of bids, £7m for Hatem Ben Arfa of Lyon and £14m for Sergio Aguero of Athletico Madrid. I await the responses from the clubs. Queens Park Rangers are the next visitors to the Hawthorns in a game that I really expect us to win. English Championship – West Bromwich Albion vs Queens Park Rangers – The Hawthorns – 12th December 2007 Boruc; Hodgkiss, Clement, Samba, Pander; Teixeria, Koren, Gera; Johnson, Miller; Zarate Hodgkiss, Koren and Johnson return to the side and we should have enough quality to see QPR off. However in the first half you wouldn’t know which team was running away at the top and which team was sitting in mid-table as we really struggled to get a hold on the match and we paid for it just before the half hour as Nardiello’s cross to the back post is volleyed home acrobatically by Ben Sahar. Im off the bench and the water bottles go flying! As we enter the dressing room at half time I slam the door and lay into the team, telling them that they don’t deserve to wear the shirts and if they want me to I’ll replace all of them. The message must get through because three minutes after the break we are level as Koren releases Miller down the left and he beats the right back for pace then the keeper with a fierce drive into the roof of the net. However my joy is taken away four minutes later when Nardiello tries to turn Clement and is chopped down. The ref has no hesitation in pulling out the red card and I am furious, letting the fourth official get my wrath. I replace Johnson with Cesar to try and shore up at the back, leaving Miller and Zarate to lead the line. We continue to press forward and it looks like QPR are going to hold out for a draw, until... with nine minutes left the ball falls to Koren on the edge of the box and he dribbles past Cullip and curls the ball past Camp in the Rangers goal. As the ball hits the net, im down the touchline sliding on my knees, causing my tailor to have a heart attack. My relief at the final whistle is apparent for all to see and its results like these that are the difference between promotion and disappointment. Final score – West Bromwich Albion 2 (Miller 48, Koren 81) QPR 1 (Sahar 26) Attendance: 28,867 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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