December 2008 Archives

And no, I don't mean the 1-1 draw against Portsmouth.

It was the moment that Ishmael Miller decided to launch himself into a challenge on David James to try and win the ball.

Oh the irony. This, remember, a player criticised in some quarters as being a player who doesn't get stuck in. So much for that theory.

Miller's loss will be a huge blow. In the last few weeks Miller has started to make the arduous transition from Championship striker to a Premier League player.

He's by no means perfect. His right foot, though better than it was, still needs working on. Back in September he wasted two one-on-ones when he opted to shoot rather than pass the ball at the Riverside - it's easily forgotten that David Wheater and Robert Huth were unable to cope with his presence. Yesterday he played Chris Brunt into a goalscoring chance which should have been finished off.

Miller has taken on board the lessons, the criticisms, the quiet words and he's evolved into someone who will make an impact at this level. He's not yet a goalscorer, but then perhaps that won't be his strength.

So his injury could be the worst thing to happen to Albion so far this season - certainly since the decision to not replace Kevin Phillips. It leaves Tony Mowbray with Roman Bednar and Luke Moore.

Bednar has goals in him but is more of a player in the Geoff Horsfield mould, who is more willing to run the channels, hold up the ball and provide some aerial threat. Explosive he isn't.

And what of Moore? Well the ability is there. The application also looked more forthcoming when he came on. If Moore cannot grasp the opportunities he gets over the coming weeks then he never will. This could be the lifeline he needed to re-fire his Albion career. Somebody pass those jump-leads.

It was the mother of all phone calls. There I was asking a contact about Albion's next shirt sponsors when he dropped it into the conversation casually.

Albion...Kanu. Both in the same sentence.

This clearly couldn't be true.

The rest, of course, you know. He arrived, he stepped over the ball many times, dropped his shoulder, flicked the ball, scored nine goals, missed one sitter and lifted a ball boy up, twice.

Kanu should have been so much more for Albion. To this day it still beggars belief that Bryan Robson opted for Kevin Campbell as a lone striker when he had Kanu sat next to him on the bench and a more mobile, albeit troubled, Nathan Ellington.

It was madness.

Kanu was never prolific for Albion. Nine goals in 50-odd games is a fairly poor return. But that misses the point. The Nigerian, of somewhat dubious age, was a footballer who got fans off their seats. There are few better manipulators of the ball in the world, let alone the Premier League. His vision was incredible, his ability on the ball had to be seen to be believed. He also had incredible strength and power in his shot. As a bloke he was a gentleman, working away with his charity when he wasn't playing or training. He was quietly spoken and a consummate professional, who trained long after others had left for the day.

Sadly he lacked pace and wasn't cut out for Albion's more direct style. And his age? Well, nobody really knows. But he certainly wasn't born on August 1, 1976.

He remains the most celebrated Albion player in modern history. There can't be many Albion players who have won the European Cup, the Premier League, the FA Cup, the African Nations Cup and an Olympic Gold medal. All of that with a dodgy heart to boot.

You can't help wondering how Kanu would have prospered in a Tony Mowbray side...

LET me tell you a true story.

A few years ago a footballer was about to discuss personal terms with a club that he was about to join.

He was briefed by his agent beforehand and advised that they would ask for a minimum of £16,000-a-week.

Footballer walked into the boardroom with his representative, the club's chairman arrived and, before anyone else had a chance to speak, said: "Right this is our only offer - you can have £32,000-a-week. Take it or leave it."

Contract signed, the significantly wealthier player joined and duly went onto become of the most spectacular flops of all time.

His club, which I best not name, were (and maybe still are) paying him off, long after he'd gone.

Which is why Albion fans should be relieved that Jeremy Peace runs their club and not this particular chairman. Or indeed many others who have ruined clubs through such ham-fisted methods.

That illustrates the extreme.

I've been working on a piece for Tuesday's Birmingham Mail asking where Albion's rightful position is. Is it the Championship? Is it the Premier League?

Because try as they like, Albion just cannot get to grips with the top flight. They are being out-performed by rookies Stoke and Hull.

And while it's easy to blame the manager, point the finger at blundering players or claim that the Premier League is tailored towards the big clubs and, actually, not as exciting as Sky would have you believe, the fact is that Peace has been chairman now for each one of Albion's top flight campaigns during this decade.

While his name is above the door then there is some accountability on his part.

The club has made great strides. The training facilities have improved, the West Stand boasts some of the best facilities you'll see in the Premier League and the club remains on a sound monetary footing. Cosmetically, and financially, all is well.

But Albion struggle to compete in the Premier League.

And history shows that the salaries of clubs tend to correspond with the Premier League table come May, which is where Albion have a problem. They are bottom of both.

Albion might have spent a net sum in the region of £11million during the summer (taking the Davies money into account) but they are still keeping rigid to their wage structure - endorsed by Mowbray - and their insistence that every player takes a pay cut in the event of relegation. They've missed out on good players and lost others due to this.

The flex-down policy encourages sound book-keeping and financial viability, but is also shaping Albion's future as a perennial yo-yo club or worse.

Albion have bounced back twice from relegation. Next time they might struggle to. It's no doubt one of the reasons why Peace sought fresh investment during the summer.

This transfer window will be crucial in so many ways. Yes, affordable and available players are harder to find in January. Sure, it's not an easy market place to operate in given that few clubs want to release players. But some will be available.

As I speak, Albion are a two game swing away from 17th spot. Other clubs have problems too. West Ham will need to sell to fund Sheffield United's compensation demands, Blackburn are on the wane and Sunderland's form may force Roy Keane to spend more time walking his dog. Or at least grant him half an hour to have a shave.
And then there's Bolton, Stoke, Wigan, Boro and even Hull, all of whom could get dragged into bother before May has elapsed.

The Baggies aren't far away from survival. The money was there in summer as seen by the late bid for Thomson, the interest in Trejo and the loan moves for Frazier Campbell and Voronin. We're told the money won't be available in January, which is unfortunate. And what of the Credit Crunch. We're told that won't help either, across football.

This season has a long way to run and what happens in January will go a long way to deciding what happens next May.

But, right now, I can't decide whether Albion are an under-achieving Premier League club, an over-achieving Championship club or simply caught in the middle while they try to decide.

*ONE last thing - and on another note - there is absolutely no truth whatsoever in the speculation linking Albion with Brian Stock.