Mogga - two years on
AMERICAN football fans will have to forgive me but I didn't really know too much about Vince Lombardi two years ago.
Google quickly became a close confidante.
When Tony Mowbray walked into the Hawthorns for his first press conference, on October 18 2006, he brought with him a 'bag of humility' (his words) and spent long periods of the afternoon commenting on how he was influenced by the Green Bay Packers coach Lombardi. The 'philosopher-coach' (again, his words) went onto quote Muhammed Ali, Abraham Lincoln and spoke about the need to spend 'seven hours sharpening the axe' if you're going to spend 'eight hours chopping down trees'.
It was all stirring stuff really. Joe Kinnear he clearly wasn't.
Not all agreed. A few cynics walked out of that press conference sneering at the new Albion boss and his unorthodox comments. How wrong they were. They no longer mock.
Mowbray checked into B71 to be told that promotion was his to lose. He was managing the 'best team in the Championship'. He was also replacing Bryan Robson - much less a favourite of the fans, more of the national and broadcasting media who could bleed him dry by asking him about Manchester United and England when the need arose. Which was usually every week. How on earth were they going to make Tony Mowbray, ex-Hibs manager and Middlesbrough captain, sound interesting?
Worse still, for them, Mowbray doesn't do cliches, he doesn't care much for predictable answers or angry outbursts of neanderthal nature. If he has a problem with a journalist then he just allows it to simmer. His private thoughts never come to the fore.
I spent the 22 minutes of a recent half-hour pre-match press conference listening to a couple of reporters desperately trying every method to get the answer they wanted about Scott Carson and his England prospects. In the end they simply gave up. They never did get the quote they wanted. The same day Mowbray was bemoaning the fact he'd been asked about Spurs and Newcastle by the broadcasters - despite the face Albion were facing Fulham that weekend. He's only interested in Albion. Not even Fabio Capello's goalkeeping conundrum or the St James' saga could draw a public comment.
As someone who speaks to him several times a week, I've noticed a huge change in his demeanour when dealing with the press. He's more confident, articulate and even created his own jargon, I would suggest. His muffled, uncomfortable whispering, apparent when he first took over, has bubbled over into full-blown banter at some media conferences. He even started singing on one occasion. Honesty doesn't always work. He was a little too blunt - some would say reckless - when commenting about Roy Keane's Sunderland a few years back, but that was pretty much a one-off.
Football is a results-driven industry. Pleasing-on-the-eye football will win you friends, success with earn you much more. In two years, Mowbray has taken Albion back to the Premier League, an FA Cup semi-final, a play-off final and watched his side score more than 100 goals last season. He doesn't need accolades - witness the way he brushed aside talk about an open-top bus tour back in May, claiming that the club had not really achieved anything yet. A decision that many disagreed with but a statement which also carried a certain degree of logic and humility (that word again) about it. It also underplayed, rather than over-stated, Albion's relative success. His argument was whether promotion should be deemed as success for a club's of Albion's status...
His record currently stands at 90 League and Play-off games, of which 44 have been won and 19 have been drawn. Just 27 have ended in defeat.
So how highly do supporters rate him?
A recent poll on fans' website wbafansonline suggested that Mowbray was by far and away the best Baggies manager of the last 40 years (on that particular forum at least), taking nearly twice as many votes as Ron Atkinson, with Johnny Giles and Gary Megson some way behind.
Two years ago Tony Mowbray promised to bring back attacking football. Preferably in the Premier League.
He's achieved that. But clearly wants so much more.
In the meantime, as a result of his side's confidence and brand of football, there will be many Albion fans actually looking forward to - rather than dreading - this Saturday's game at Old Trafford.
And when was the last time that happened?
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Chris Lepkowski - Mail man Chris Lepkowski’s view of what’s going on at West Bromwich Albion FC.
Pah. I would suggest.
Best manager we have had in my lifetime. Would love to have the opportunity to meet him and thank him for bringing us a style of football that i never thought i would see.
I have seen some dross, at The Hawthorns Chris. In the mid 90's under Buckley? Where was ALbion going? Nowhere.
But Mowbray instils a brand of football that is respected and admired by not only Albion fans but neutrals. Thanks for restoring the pride. I know you must talk to him on a regular basis..please pass our comments. I hope Mowbray leats usto yet more success.
leads us to yet nore success^^
TM has been the best manager for some time at the Baggies but I would probably still put Ron Atkinson ahead of him for now.
Having said that RA took over a pretty good side - I loved the days of Bryan Robson, John Wile, Cyrille Rdgis, Laurie Cunningham to name but a few - god we were good then believe me.
I feel give the time and support TM will probably surpass what RA did for us but I love TM's attitude of attacking football and he has at last learnt how to defend 1-0 leads.
"Build it and they will Come"
Boing, Boing...........
Hello Chris. Huge fan of yours. Love reading your articles.
So how highly do supporters rate him?
I, like very many Albion fans rate him very very highly. In my time since i have been supporting Albion he is without a doubt the most articulate.( Im 19) The type of Footbal we play is exciting. Neutrals admire us. I mean i was watching the England v Belarus game, and Jon Champion the commentator said " Man Uuited are up against Tont Mowbray's attraticve Baggies this Saturday'. I mean come on Chris. Would that have ever happened under Megson or Robson. Answer No. I would pay to watch his press conferences. He doesnt deal with cliches. He is profound. A man of humility. He has build a team full of humble players albeit Bednar this week was slightly confident, (I'll forgive him as he has scored three prem goals). But my overall point being that he is a man of honour and integrity and not alot of people are in society today let alone football. He will build a dynasty, i believe so much in him. I would love to meet him one day and be able to thank him in person. Im trying my best to get tickets for the Banks forum that he will be doing with Tom Ross in November, i believe. Do you know how i go about this? Thanks in advance.
I'm 52 next week and, as a result of what Tony Mowbray has done with my club, I feel like the Baggies fan I was years ago. We all owe him our respect and loyalty. The bloke is one of my, very few, heroes. God Bless him.
I started going up the Baggies in 1975. Gilesy
had just taken over & for a while the comments
on the Brummie Road were of the 'this bloke hasn't got a clue' variety. By the end of the season, he'd got us promotion. Gilesy was a legend! True, it all went wrong when he came back
that second time, but really, i think he'd always
got the Irish job on his mind. Megson did a fantastic job with very little recources & i'll
always think highly of him, though i know through
people within the game that he made enemies very
easily. The Atkinson years were brilliant & i
enjoyed going & watching the most exciting team of that era. Big Ron got the best out of those boys, even if Ronnie Allen signed em (Cunningham,
Regis etc). But this guy Mowbray...YES, what a manager, what a man. He takes it for me!
This is 2 fingers to all those who are desperete for him to fail. he desserves every credit he gets. mind you they;ll all come out off wood work if we loose on saturday
Interesting insight from someone closer to TM than most.
"Mowbray's my shepherd, I shall not want...
My soul he doth restore again,
And me to walk doth make"
long may HE reign
I was fortunate to meet him the Saturday before the QPR game at the end of last season, as my daughter was given the opportunity to meet the Team for their last training session (it's a long story...)
Anyhow, the hype of the above article does truely come through - he is as articulate, humble and generally "nice" as the comments above imply. He had time to spend listening to our questions and giving us honest and detailed answers - we felt as though we had a real insight.
The group of players as a whole were just as accomodating - we do have a "Team" now, rather than individuals we have had before. Mowbray needs to be congratulated for what he has begun - we just need to ensure we keep him. The future is bright - it's blue and white!
Chris.
Simply THE most honest manager at the club since i starting following them way back in the 1940's.
Long may he remain at the Hawthorns continuing his exciting philosophy on how the Baggies should play the game.
Win, draw, or lose!
"Come on you Baggies"
A Legend in the making...that is a i can say. Would pay to meet the man. Hes an inspiration to most. Hes a credit to his family and upbringing. He is the MOST decent manager ALbion have ever had as a manager. Chris you are lucky that your most likely the closest to him then any reporter. Wish i had your job
Chris,
I have recently relocated to the North East in the last year. Prior to that I have been a Baggies fan for the best part of 20 years (I am 32). I actually work in Mogga's home town Middlesbrough.
I have supported and seen the Baggies through some tough times, home in the FA Cup against Wokingham, 4 - 1 I think it was, we lost. What a sorry day that was? It was my first WBA game, however, I fell in love with the club, the ground and the fans.
Now during that time there has only been one manager for me who tried to play with the style of Mogga and that was Ossie Ardiles. Albeit with not the same results as we are achieving now. Megson did not play the same style but he did put the foundations in place. Robson... well he was just Robson, never good enough as manager and never will be.
I love the free flowing football, the passing, keeping the ball, the stye of our current West Brom team. The individuals know their roles and due to the intelligence and charisma of Mogga, the players go out with belief and are motivated. You can see each one would run hrough a brick wall for his team mate. Robbo was massive for me, he clearly demonstrated the relationship between players and fans, when he pumped his fist to the away support at Middlesbrough. You can clearly see Mogga has moulded them into a "team". A team we can all be proud of.
What he has also achieved where others have failed, is managing to form a strong relationship with Jeremy Peace. The partnership they have formed benefits the club, the players and the fans. We are a family, we know where we want get to, we all know our constraints and we are all "building" gradually.
The Boro fans up here all think very highly of Mogga and so do I as a devout West Brom fan.In fact, they feel so strongly about the man they named their fanzine in honour to him - "Fly me to the moon". Although I am 250 miles from B71, I still regularly attend the games and would do whoever was in charge. However this team, the board, the manager just have "special" written all over them.
Mogga and JP, keep up the fantastic work, so proud to Baggie!!
Build it....
Just want to echo those comments above Chris. Mogga is building something special...he is as humble as they come. I would love to meet him and thank him in person for bringing back belief and respect to the team we love. THANK YOU MOGGA.
Well Chris you know how i feel about Mowbray. I could eulogise about him all day long. Got that word from the man we love! Tell him the Albion fans have never been happier and we will stick with him regardless what this season brings.
Just read this today. He is the man that will bring even better times..given time. Hope the lads get the defeat out the system. Our BIG game is the Hull one.