West Brom – You’ve Got To Laugh
Just a quick one here; as you may know from my previous articles, I like West Brom about as much as I do getting caught with diarrhoea five miles from a toilet. Normally, all the drivel you get from them about their superior quality of football and Stoke’s root one style makes me angry, but I’ve just come across one quote, and I simply laughed. Well worth a blog post on.
“Ours is brave football, heroic football, football that gives people entertainment, ignites dreams and offers value for money, an absolute moral imperative. Albion football is football with principles, a belief system, a style you can be proud of, win, lose or draw.”
Fantastic isn’t it. What’s heroic about slumping to pathetic defeat after pathetic defeat and once again looking condemned to relegation from the Premier League? Where’s the entertainment value when half the home fans left the game fifteen minutes early on Saturday? What’s to be proud of when the fans boo their “heroic” players off the pitch?
Which inspires more pride?
Now flip the situation to look at what Stoke have achieved this year. Yes it’s heroic to fight back from 2-0 down with three minutes to go to gain a crucial point away at Aston Villa. Yes it’s very entertaining to see Stoke beating the likes of Arsenal. Yes it represents value for money to watch Stoke play, and compete with some of the best Premier League clubs at prices cheaper than those at many Championship clubs. Finally, while our style is admittedly, somewhat rugged, week in, week out, we see a level of commitment and endeavour from the Stoke players that we can be proud of whatever the score, be it Stoke City 1-0 West Brom, or West Brom 0-2 Stoke City.
I hope the fans at London Road, Peterborough and the Stadium MK enjoy West Brom’s absolute moral imperative football, as that’s where it’s heading.
Just an average matchday at the Hawthorns
Amen to that. I used to count the Baggies and their fans as amongst my favourite opposition until this myth of their beautiful football began to spread after Mowbray took over.
To be fair, they were the most attractive side in the Championship last season by a big margin but the fact that they only won the league by two points from us should have set alarm bells ringing at the Hawthornes – but didn’t. Many Stokies (including me) said that Stoke’s more “robust” approach would be better suited to the Prem than the tip tap football espoused by Mowbray. Unless, of course, he managed against all the odds, to bring in some REAL quality at knock down prices last summer. I am delighted we have been proved right and Saturday’s game pretty much summed up the gulf in philosphy and achievement between the two managers. The game was a triumph of substance over style!
lol !!!!!!!
We will see in a couple of years when Stoke end up like all those other Ex prem teams, look at the bottom of the Championship and even near the top of Div 1, yep littered with teams who paid too much in wages (Beattie for example) and played your type of football. After all big blokes who work hard and a long throw in (probably the worse player in the prem, what else does he do??)will never prosper fpr long and deep down you all know it, although your probably as we speak trawling the leagues for someone else to throw it. they dont need any ability, just throw it
Southampton, Norwich, Charlton, Watford, Sheff Wed, Notts Forest,Derby, QPR, Wimbledon aka MK Dons, Leeds, Leicester, Barnsley and Bradford.
Fair play this season you have done enough to stay up but the clock is ticking. Actually us neutrals are time and time again appauled by the same old tactics used by promoted teams, its a pity about WBA, they are a better side than their position. But as for you others it the same fate as the others awaits!!!!!
Dealp “the worst player in the Prem”, Dave, you have to be joking Shirley! The guy is the engine room of the Stoke team and we usually play better with him in the side. His goal at Stamford Bridge was a smashing one where he kept his nerve and slotted the ball home under close attention from the Chelsea defence.
It is a myth that he is in the side just for his throws, in fact we have only scored one goal since Christmas from his long throw (Shawcross against Boro) but you will not find many Stokies calling for him to be dropped – he anchors the midfield and Whelan looks ten times the player when Delap is sharing the central midfield duties.
As for your comments about “Ex Prem teams” we’ll have to wait until that happens and that might be a long time! Bolton have a direct style and they have stayed in the top flight for a good few years.
i support the albion for my sins, and i totally agree, mowbray is useless and so are the team and so is the chairman.enough said
Very, very harsh VJ, but very, very true. That sums it up really.
P.S.
“I like West Brom about as much as I do getting caught with diarrhoea five miles from a toilet.”
“we can be proud of whatever the score, be it Stoke City 1-0 West Brom, or West Brom 0-2 Stoke City.”
Love it
The fact you type such drivel must mean it really riles you. Congratulations on your points but in terms of what’s better to watch, fook me there is no comparison
You’re negative, sit deep and hit it long – Stevie Wonder can see that FFS yet this season it’s worked for you and best of luck
We won the Championship last season, playing football scoring goals at will, something you will NEVER do playing like that. Polish off those runners up medals and we’ll be back, playing the proper way and passing you as your hoofball gets found out next season
If you pay to watch that every week good fookin’ luck to you!
Mate,
As a baggies fan I don’t think many Albion fans share the Mowbray propaganda anymore. And the truth is for this season we have mostly played sh*t football – I’d take the Pulis passion anyday!
Webbo
Hoofer, yes you won the Championship last season – and you may well win it next season. Hopefully we’ll continue to progress in the Premiership next season as we seem to have a squad and a manager better suited to that league.
I can see the theory behind West Brom’s ‘beautiful’ football. However it will only work in the Premiership if your players are, man for man, better than those of your opponents.
As we are not going to compete financially with the ‘big’ teams, at least for a few years, we cannot hope to have better technical players than them, as we cannot afford them.
So what do you do? Have a plan to be stronger in other ways i.e. commitment, teamwork, effort and passionate support or play nice football with inferior players and get stuffed every week?
As a City fan, it’s interesting to view these opinions, because from my perspective, we have beaten Stoke comfortably once this year, and got beaten once this year. As comment number 10, you have to play to your strengths, and for Stoke, this is their physicality and tenacity.
All that needs to be said is to look at the table. Where are West ‘Let’s Play Great Football’ Brom in comparison to Stoke???
Nuff said!
As a Baggies fan, i don’t think anyone is buying into the ‘we play good football’ argument anymore. Its been piss poor of late, that said i agree with some of the other comments, Stoke aren’t safe yet and even if you do survive I think you’ll suffer the second season syndrome.
I still wouldn’t pay to watch Stoke even if their results are better than ours, i’ve watched that style of ‘passionate’ football under the Megson/Robson era and while it can get you some sort of short term success, in the end it only gets you so far.
Best of luck for the rest of season, and don’t get so wound up by West Brom, you always beat us anyway.
I say play to your strenghts, and Stoke do that…i’ve still not figured out what West Brom are playing to though?
Sometimes it works (beating Manchester City at home) and sometimes it doesn’t (losing to Manchester City away from home)
I like this one-off article.
I believe every team in the Premier League plays to their strengths. Unfortunately for West Brazil other teams are better than they are at what they are good at. It also helps if you have clinical strikers, Stoke have a couple, WBA have none – fact.
I have to be honest, when WBA came to the Britannia it was a very dull game and they didn’t look that good at all, neither team did. Where was the final ball? Stoke are setup to defend and counter attack, so we kind of rely on the other team coming at us and catching them out. WBA never really did that at the Brit, it was taking them far too long to get from defence to attack. How has Mowbary not spotted this? Should he really be in charge?
I’m very happy we didn’t sign Scott Carson for £5m and got Tommy on a free. What a great deal and season we’ve had so far from him.
Well well well where did those 27,000 Stoke fans all come from ? What was it last year about 12,000 for a big game. You are so arrogant and although fair play your players have desire and passion you are also a poor team. However,Mr Coates has backed Pulis and allowed him to strengthen your squad with highly paid players such as Beattie who has kept you up. I like Mowbray but he hasn’t had the backing Pulis has. As a Midlander I hope you stay up, even though you are the arrogant ones !
Winning the Championship last season playing the style of football we did was sweet. However the gulf in class between the Championship and Premiership is immense and gets bigger by the year. Trying to play our way to 17th place this season was doommed to failure by the lack of quality additions in defence and midfield. We are now in possession of around a dozen midfielders who can pass the ball beautifully from side to side, but no ball winner, no penetrative Koumas / Gera type to run with the ball and wingers who rarely beat the first man. There is a fine line between sticking to your principles and being pig-headed which Mowbray has unfortunately crossed. That said, watching the Blues Wolves game from the Kop on Monday would suggest that we’d win the Championship at a canter next season.
Simon, I think the number of supporters each club has is really irrelevant. I can’t work out if you’re trying to make it into a counter-argument to my original points or a personal jibe. If it’s the latter it misses completely, as I’ve been a season ticket holder since I was seven years old. Obviously, you’re going to see improved attendances for Premier League football, I just hope the support at Stoke stays as good in the next few seasons as it has been for this one. Our average attendance last season was just shy of 17,000, with attendances of over 24,000 for the big matches.
I take the point about the better backing we have received, but can you be sure that with a few more highly paid players things would have been different for you? Personally I feel that to successfully play the style of football Mowbray tries to at this level you need to have the very best players, those one step above your Beatties and Etheringtons.
Bigdavesafro, I think you’re spot on. I particularly agree with “There is a fine line between sticking to your principles and being pig-headed which Mowbray has unfortunately crossed.” I agree that with your current squad you’d probably win the championship, but how many of the better players can you expect to keep hold of? I fully expect the likes of Morrison and Brunt to leave you this summer.
If West Brom go down, it might not be as straightforward as you think to be promoted straight away. You only need to look at the examples of Charlton, Derby and even Leicester from recent years to prove that all is not as simple as one first thought.
You may well lose a number of your players, the likes of Brunt, Robinson, Fortuné (only on loan), Miller, Simpson (only on loan), Morrison, Kore and Greening.
I hope you do get relegated, which I’m sure you will do, but you may not find the Championship to your liking.
Replies to Steven Goran Erikkson – After Boro, Man City are the worst team I have seen this season and you have spent ridiculous amounts. I suppose you don’t like Albion because like Stoke are to us, you never beat us as we’re your bogey team.
ITPL – You make some goood points as does BigDavesAfro. However, my point is that Albion are and always will be a bigger club than you from a fan base and historical perspective.
Like West Ham we have always tried to play football, it just a shame you don’t as you did in the Hudson, Greenhoff, Conroy days. I do think that if Pulis can establish you in the Premiership then the style will improve. I like Mowbray but he has tried to run before he could walk.
If you are going to slag off other clubs then accept some criticism in return.
To be honest we could probably do with some of your good defensive players like Shawcross and Faye, and vice versa you could do with a couple of our ball players, please sign Brunt or Valero lol.
As I say i’d love to see you stay up and i think you will, but i’d like to see Man City go bust once the Arabs pull out; at least Stoke and Albion haven’t sold their soul to the highest bidder ! Well done to Peter Coates for rescuing Stoke from foreign owners.
Good luck to true Supporters
P.S. ITPL – Liked the photograph wish it was “an average matchday at the Hawthorns !”, Is that Steven Goran Eriksson in the corner though doing a Yasser Arafat impression ??????????
Thank you Simon, you make some good points there. I have to agree that Manchester City are the worst team that have come to Stoke this season, failing to create a chance all match despite playing against ten men for most of it. Then again, I went to the away match at Eastlands too, and they by far outplayed us that day.
Foreign ownership like theirs always seems unfair to me, which is why I was delighted they did not sign Kaka. I have a lot of time for Coates, as he’s been fantastic for us since his return, especially as he was so hated towards the end of his first period as Chairman. I feared the worst when Coates and Pulis returned in 2006, but I can gladly say my fears were unfounded.
I disagree about Pulis though. He’s never going to coach a side to play pretty football. He has his style and he sticks to it at all levels. That’s not a criticism of him. I have nothing but respect and appreciation for what he has done for our club.
True point there.
Yes West brom do play some nice football at times, but in the long run its getting them nowhere. I wish Newcastle have the grit and determination as stoke do then we might actually start picking up some vital points
I agree pretty football has got us nowhere this season especially after such a good previous season. I was hoping that Albion would do a Reading and stay up playing good football.
Credit though to Stoke, you have played to your strengths and bought well. Hopefully, once you get established you will be more entertaining. However I didn’t think you were as bad to watch as Albion’s inept resigned performance last Saturday, and fully deserved to win.
I wish we had a Chairman like Coates who truly cares about the club, and doesn’t just see it as an investment.How many clubs get to the Prem then reduce their capacity to put a few more executive boxes in ?
Think you will beat Newcastle tomorrow then you’ll be safe.Good luck.
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