Well done Tony...Mowbray, not Pulis
Good to see Tony Mowbray named as manager of the year for the Championship.
And rightly so in my view.
The Baggies boss was forced to rebuild a team following last summer's big money exits and brought in a mixture of raw (Barnett, Miller), bargain (Teixeira), experienced (Hoefkens) and blossoming talent (Brunt, Morrison) to replace the likes of Koumas, Kamara and co. And at a fraction of a price.
The fact those players blended into an excellent footballing side so quickly is to Mowbray's credit. Yes too many goals were conceded from set-pieces and yes there were some shocking results (Barnsley away, Leicester at home). But they closed the deal.
They won the title, reached an FA Cup semi-final, scored more than 100 goals - for the second year running - and, unlike the Championship runners-up, didn't bore to tears in the process.
It would have been a travesty had Stoke City's Tony Pulis won the award. Their 'style' - and do I use that word in the loosest sense - of football is effective in the Championship, but utterly unappealing.
They'll soon be finding out how effective that system is in the top flight and how hard it is to attract players, not least as word reaches me today that one Stoke player has been desperate to leave for some time having realised what he'd let himself in for following his move to the Potteries.
Which is why we should celebrate Mowbray's award even more. Albion did it with style.
Honourable mention to Gary Johnson too. Promotion or not, Bristol City have been outstanding this season and, like Albion, tried to win games the correct way.
Phil Brown too has done a commendable job at Hull City following last season's first year at that level.
But there's only one Tony worthy of claiming the top gong. And it certainly isn't Pulis.
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Chris Lepkowski - Mail man Chris Lepkowski’s view of what’s going on at West Bromwich Albion FC.
Spot on Chris, nice to see some sense in the press these days and not someone just going for headlines and sensationalism. Well done Sir ToMo and the boys for this season lets move on to bigger and better things next year, JP get the cheque book out and keep us in the prem....you know you want to.
Boing Boing
Two words:- Six Points!
You really are a bitter, twisted fool. Can't you handle the fact that a supposed lesser team only finished 2 points behind the Brazilians or that we took 4 points of you? How can this be if you're so great? Load of cobblers of an article. You ought to be reported for crimes against journalism. See you in the prem boys. Good luck both of us will need it!
West Brom fans seem to conveniently forget that this whole bandwagon was started by promotion to the Premiership under Gary Megson on the back of some pretty dire football and a ridiculous number of boring 1-0 wins.
To ridicule a manager who has operated on a fraction of the budget that Tony Mobray has enjoyed, yet finished only two points behind (and taken 4 points off West Brom in the process) seems very petty at best.
See you all again next season.
fao jamie leese
your club ought to be reported for crimes about football. A person from stoke lecturing someone on their use of prose?! whatever next!!!
What a piece of utter rubbish. Tony Mowbray has had a good season with West Brom, no one can deny that. However to be so arrogant as not to concede that Tony Pulis has done wonders with Stoke City is arrogance of the highest order. As a sport reporter I am assuming that you have been to the majority of championship games this season involving the local clubs? So you were there to witness recardo fullers brilliant hat trick at the Britannia this season?
"not least as word reaches me today that one Stoke player has been desperate to leave for some time having realised what he'd let himself in for following his move to the Potteries."
Name names, Chris Liarowski
Chris Liarowski....What a load of dross you write yet again, Are you on the magic mushrooms or something because everything you write is so pathetic. The Baggies undoubtedly are a half decent side but so are Stoke which you completely fail to see...If Stoke are to fail so miserably next season then why not WBA, after all we did take four points off a supposidly far superior side as well as losing less games over the course of the season. You my friend are a complete prat.
Chris Liarowski....What a load of dross you write yet again, Are you on the magic mushrooms or something because everything you write is so pathetic. The Baggies undoubtedly are a half decent side but so are Stoke which you completely fail to see...If Stoke are to fail so miserably next season then why not WBA, after all we did take four points off a supposidly far superior side as well as losing less games over the course of the season. You my friend are a complete prat.
Interesting that all the stoke fans need to descend to abuse to make a point.
Chris is spot on. Stoke will be an embarassment to the premiership next year. We may not stop up either but we will give it a go, unlike stoke who by all accounts will be shortening the pitch.
Also funny seeing all these stoke fans lauding Pulis. that;ll be the same pulis they tried to get sacked at the start of the season.
What a disgrace they are
What an appalling, lazy piece of so-calle "journalism" Your manager had £14 million to spend thanks to the parachute payments, Tony Pulis had the support of his Chairman, the finances just don't compare hence the WBA higher wagebill. I have a lot of time for the Baggies and their supporters, having spent nearly 20 years living in the Black Country. This qualifies me to to say that the author's views are very much in the minority. Your comments re: Stoke are beneath contempt, 2 points above us you finish, Stoke are second to WBA in terms of goals scored so you can understand why Stoke fans get a little annoyed at this continual attack on our playing style. If you'd bothered to watch us this season for example at home to WBA, you'dve noticed that Stoke won 3-1 and played WBA off the pitch.
I'd strongly recommend that you check facts and do your research before posting such atagonistic nonsense against Stoke City.
This article is laughable. Can you not remember that Stoke beat West Brom 3-1 in December? Can you not remember that West Brom failed to win against Stoke at The Hawthorns?
What is the correct way to play football?
Surely the correct way to play football is to play to your strengths, to a system that works for your team and to play fairly?
This constant criticism of Stoke in the press is becoming tiresome now. Can you reporters not think of anything else to write about?
The points you attempted to make in the above article are flawed in a number of ways. Just face the facts. Stoke won promotion to the Premiership on merit. We played fairly. Evidence of this was that Stoke got 2 red cards all season compared to WBA's 3. One of ours was overturned because of a ridiculous decision by referee Andy D'Urso.
Jon: How will Stoke be an embarassment to the Premiership?
I fail to see how playing a direct style will be an embarassment. Teams like Bolton have remained in the Premiership for a number of years playing with a similar style. The press and other supporters don't see it necessary to constantly ridicule their style of play and manager, so why do people do the same to Stoke.
Finally, if West Brom play in the same style that they have all season, then they aren't going to get many points. The teams who play the same passing style have much better players, so WBA will get outplayed every week. Evidently WBA cannot handle teams with physical power - as they got played off the park at the Britannia Stadium in December - so don't really have much hope unless they go out and sign a team of world class players.
FAO Joe
you must have been watching a diferent game to the one i watched at your place. you won because one of your strikers had a good day and our's had a bad one. bednar missed 3 sitters i seem to recall.
You certainly didnt over power us in any way shape or form. only one team has done that to us this season and it certainly wasnt you. for once we werent bullied by your animals
And your team will be an embarrasment because you will be relegated. thats not opinion, thats fact.
You are going to have a job spending twice as much as everyone else in this league like you did last season.. Keep digging though, it will just make it all the more amusing when Tony 'the boy who couldn't smile' Mowbray is booted out by Christmas.
The team spirit is second to none at Stoke City and the manager is adored by the players.
YOU ARE A LIAR LEPKOWSKI.
So nice to put a face to such a numpty journalist from a stinking hole. God I wish we were located further from West Brazil and the Yam Yams! What happened Chris does it do ya head in you can't beat Stoke! So bloody funny you moron.
Can't believe these Stokies giving it the big one.
The way they've treated Pulis he could have been the only manager forced out of a club whilst taking them to the Premier League.