August 2009 Archives

WBAFC Training Ground. Please note under no circumstances will players be allowed to stop to sign autographs. This is not their decision. Thank you for your co-operation.

So there it is, the new sign outside the main gate at the training ground.

The club may well have very valid reasons for this sign but I can't imagine what it gains from such a gesture.

We're told the players have not had any part in this - after all what more have well-paid footballers got to do with their day after a two-hour training session? It takes, what, about two seconds to sign a piece of paper?

I've seen the look of disappointment on fans' faces when they've seen a car travelling up the drive only to discover it's a non-playing member of the club's staff leaving for a lunch break or otherwise. Clearly it's important to them.

Supporters give up their time, kids spend their school breaks watching their heroes in action on the training field and trying to grab a moment for a quick 'hello' or autograph as they leave afterwards. Playing devil's advocate, perhaps some of these autographs are finding their way onto ebay? In which case advise the players to personalise any messages. It'll only add an extra five seconds onto their time.

Sadly, whatever the reasons, it puts further distance between club and its fanbase.

That may not be regarded as a pressing issue for Albion these days, but there may come a day when the club will be desperate for fans. And while there are those who will always stick by the club, there are others who will remember this latest message of intent and use it as one of the reasons to stay away.

The new sign merely contributes to the general erosion of the relationship between the club and the supporters it should be serving.

AND so the day has finally arrived - Jonathan Greening is leaving.

It's been some time since an Albion player left with such dignity and, it has to be said, so much support from Baggies fans. There will be no booing if Jonno returns to The Hawthorns.

He made 224 appearances for the Baggies, scoring eight goals.

So what made Greening such a popular man and captain?

Gary Megson, the man who signed him back in 2004 - I recall he arrived in the same week as Zoltan Gera and Kanu, imagine that now... - spoke of his joy after convincing Greening to join his newly-promoted Albion. He was, said Megson, "a proven Premiership player who will be a big player for this club." How right you were Gary.

Bryan Robson rated him highly but the man who got the best out of Jonno was Tony Mowbray. Shifting him from the left wing into the centre of midfield, Mowbray was to eventually make him captain - a strange decision it seemed initially, yet I've known few players to command as much respect from managers, coaches and players at the club. Mowbray once described him as the most important player at the club. And it showed.

One contact, who has been close to the club for 40-odd years, recently told me that Greening was one of the best captains the club had in terms of his ambassadorial qualities and the respect he commanded by all around him.

Roberto Di Matteo also spoke in glowing terms about the cultured midfielder. You'd expect him to, given his own playing career. He was one of those players who often frustrated during games but wasn't half missed when he was absent - Albion could have done with him during the second half at Peterborough when the game needed slowing down.

Yet, next summer, Albion will start collecting in excess of £4.5million for a player who turns 31 next birthday. Even if the Baggies had taken the fee now, it would have still been paid in installments, as most deals are. This way, Albion will no doubt get a loan fee and the full amount in the future.

Off the field, Jonno was a gentleman but utterly bonkers at the same time.

Few of us who dealt with him will ever forget those Jonnoisms which kept us entertained.

At times he was pure Gold.

There was the time Jonno was asked by journalists about Steve McClaren a few days before his Middlesbrough were due to visit the Hawthorns. When a journalist mentioned McClaren's credentials as a possible future England boss, Greening replied: "England boss? He's not good enough. Look at the signings he's made at Boro and some of the lads don't even like him." Albion's press officer simply put his head in his hands. But Greening was spot on.

Another time he famously offered his thoughts on the music industry, asking: "How can there be any more songs to write when surely they've used up all the notes by now..."

Greening clearly had a liking for other kinds of music. I once went Christmas shopping to Sutton Coldfield and spotted a group of carol singers being watched by shoppers, mainly senior citizens. But there was one figure who stood out as being somewhat younger - Jonno, Christmas shopping. Songs about Jesus, a long-haired bearded man stood watching, with people around him bearing gifts. This was getting surreal and somewhat biblical.

There was a time Jonno used to turn up to training in a brightly-coloured Mini. He claimed it belonged to his wife. Goodness knows what Mrs Greening must have thought when, on one occasion, her husband drove home completely oblivious to the fact that several dead mice - the kind you buy for pet snakes - had been Sellotaped to his parcel shelf and aerial. Andy Johnson, Albion's prankster-in-chief, was clearly bored that day.

And speaking of driving, Kevin Phillips wasn't amused to be kept waiting by Greening when the Albion skipper had promised him a lift to training. Phillips waited and waited and waited, before getting a phone call from a weary Jonno explaining that the journey was taking longer than he had expected.

It turns out Greening had typed 'Uttoxeter' into his satnav, rather than 'Uttoxeter Road', which was where Phillips was living at the time. Greening was practically in Uttoxeter when he realised his error. The two finally arrived somewhat late, well after training had started, but I'm sure Tony Mowbray sees the funny side of it these days.

All of this, and plenty of other footballing reasons, are why Jonno will be missed by all close to the club. He was liked by pretty much everyone at the club.

Good luck Jonathan.

Simon Cox, Reuben Reid, Joe Mattock and, who knows, maybe even Jerome Thomas.

Notice a common link?

UK passports all around. No language barriers.

Yesterday, a friend told me he was unsure of the players being brought in by the new regime.

It was a genuine and understandable concern.

But consider the following: MacDonald, Tininho, Slusarski and Cesar. Those were the alternatives checking into the Hawthorns the last time Albion found themselves preparing for a promotion assault.

Tininho had one decent game, in a friendly, against Northampton. Slusarski failed miserably (not necessarily his fault), Cesar was a mixed bag and MacDonald's only claim to fame was becoming known as 'Natural Assets', simply because that was the stock answer given by Tony Mowbray when we asked him to describe Sherjil's attributes. "I would suggest Sherjill has great natural assets..." Those assets were never fully explained.

However, we mustn't knock that side of 2008 or Mowbray's achievements. Albion were promoted with distinction. But what happened next?

And the answer to that may be why Albion have shifted their emphasis over the recruitment policy of new players.

There has been a marked change this summer. Overseas players are being less sought after - there are one or two exceptions like Jara - with more emphasis on British quality and, to some degree, players who know this division.

Albion made a mistake the last time they were sailing these waters. They signed too many players who, while good enough to get them out of the Championship, were too difficult to move on once the team got promoted when it was quickly discovered they were not good enough for the top flight. Albion were lumbered with players who were draining the club's coffers, while having little value to potential English suitors who might have been strengthening for lower leagues. After all, could you see many other clubs in the Championship going for the likes of Kim or Pele? Exactly.

British players may cost more but there has to be a balance on both sides. Too many foreign players create chasms within the inner sanctum of dressing rooms. Teams lose their souls and identities with a core of players that hail from all areas of the world (18 nationalities I counted at one point last year). Cliques develop, cracks in team spirit can become obvious. I've seen it happen and it's not helpful. You get a scenario where players are mixing among themselves and only speaking their own common language. It creates paranoia.

Being bilingual, I've seen the effect of speaking to relatives in Polish while non-Polish speaking friends look on wondering if they're being praised, criticised or, indeed, wondering whether we may be talking about the price of fish or tomorrow's weather forecast. Now take this principle into a work place where so many nationalities are mixing, with pockets of two or three players often sharing a common language, whether it's French, Spanish or one of the eastern European languages, many of which are so similar - it cannot be helpful in an environment where togetherness is so important.

Take the squad of 2002/3. Gregan, McInnes, Taylor, Johnson, Moore, Gilchrist, Roberts, Dichio, Clement, Hoult, Koumas. It also included Balis, Sigurdsson and a few other overseas' players.

So much character, so much personality, so much presence within that squad which, let's be honest, was often lacking in overall ability.

Now look at the squad Albion came down with from the Premier League last season - it was perhaps more talented, more cultured. But charisma on and off the field should never be underestimated. And there was little of it last year. There were no leaders. No jokers. No ball-breakers. No Welsh internationals buying sheep as pets for their children or attaching dead mice to the cars of team-mates. These things are important.

Personality is the one thing Albion's squads have lacked over the last few years. It made this pre-season a low-key affair in terms of banter. Some of that was down to a change of management - players, traditionally, hate change and no doubt all were trying to impress the new coaching staff during the pre-season trip to Slovenia.
But it also underlined the character and soul of the team. Or lack of it.

Albion's rebuilding programme may be a break from the norm but it's an intriguing project.

Perhaps the club are returning to the basic requirements which first got them into the top flight all those years ago.

Pace has been another area of concern for Di Matteo. Who, since 'Joe' Kamara, has torn sides apart with explosive acceleration? Exactly.

Reid might. Thomas, if he signs, might.

These are key issues.

Blend character with pace and ability, and Di Matteo and his scouting colleagues may well hit upon a winning formula.

ALBION fans are remembering supporter and Baggie Barge pioneer Richard Healey, who died recently.

WBAunofficial.com have raised more than £600 in donations and will sponsor the kit of Youssouf Mulumbu, with the message "In memory of Richard Healey from your friends at WBAunofficial.com" appearing in the matchday programme and on the big screen, next to the player's picture.

Supporters or friends wishing to make a donation can click here.

*FANS are reminded of our exclusive 12-page Albion season-preview, free in Saturday's Birmingham Mail.

WANT to know what Roberto Di Matteo thinks about Albion's chances or why Robert Koren won't be leaving B71 any time soon?

Perhaps you're more interested in finding out who Albion's record-breaker is or the best way to silence 20-odd footballers.

You'll find it all in the exclusive print-only Albion 12-page pre-season supplement, with comment, analysis and latest interviews with the people who matter at The Hawthorns. It's free with Saturday's Birmingham Mail.

And before then I'll be doing a live web chat on Albion between (12.30-1.30) on Friday at www.birminghammail.net/live

There should be plenty to talk about...

ROBERTO Di Matteo has one of those whiteboards behind his desk.

The kind you stick magnets on and can draw squiggly lines on. But not with a permanent marker.

Earlier this week the Albion head coach had split his magnets into categories. There were injured/suspended players, youth players and those out on loan. Goalkeepers (there were two), defenders (several, nearly all centre-halves), midfielders (mainly ballplayers) and strikers (just one more than goalkeepers).

Which is why we shouldn't complain too much about Albion's decision to drop Gonzalo Jara.

Sure, it was all a little clumsy, but Colo Colo get to keep their man, he earns enough anyway so feel no sympathy for him and the centre-half-cum-man-for-every-position got to visit the West Midlands for the day and Albion may yet return for him anyway. Don't rule this one out just yet. A couple of defensive departures before August (my money is on Meite) could open the door for a renewed bid for the Chilean.

In the meantime Albion have other pressing issues. Marek Cech isn't really convincing anyone at left-back (how poor was he at Walsall?), nor is opposite full-back Zuiverloon. Jara, though capable of playing at full-back, wasn't adept in that role. Cech and Zuiverloon have much more to offer and clearly have potential.

But what if one or both gets injured? Then what? Makes you wonder whether Albion dropped their interest in Jara for a reason - remember how they suddenly failed to agree terms with Ariza Makakula only for Marc-Antoine Fortune to turn up a few days later?

Even so, don't expect anything this side of Saturday.

And up front, there are issues. Albion didn't look like scoring last week against Chievo.

Luke Moore has looked reasonable in pre-season but was struggling to get on Albion's bench towards the end of last season, Craig Beattie was even lower down the pecking order and Simon Cox isn't fully fit. Chris Wood, talented though he is, still needs ID if he wishes to buy fireworks.

So what of Jermaine Beckford? Contrary to reports today, Albion HAVEN'T made a bid.

They did, however, ask about him a few weeks ago. Leeds laughed and sent back a piece of paper with far too many numbers on it, preceded by a pound sign. And, given that Leeds have just sold Fabian Delph to the 2009 Peace Cup winners (and won't we know about it for the next 25 years...), there is little chance of Leeds accepting the kind of money Albion are willing to offer. For Beckford, see Greening. For Albion, try Fulham. If it happens, it won't be happening now and only if Leeds drop their demands, or if he jumps up and down in a rage.

And what of Joe Mattock, he of Leicester? Well, as with Beckford of Leeds, Albion put the question to Leicester. And that's as far as it's got. The selling club's asking price is too high at this stage.

So Albion keep on looking on all fronts. But then August is young, the transfer window still has weeks to run and it would be a dull August 31 without Sky's Andy Burton, his many phones and those 'I'm just keeping Arsene on hold, while I tell you of exciting news at Eastlands' comments.

As for Di Matteo - at least he puts his white board to good use. One of his predecessors joyfully wrote down his transfer targets and, even more joyfully, forgot to remove them before his press briefing (imagine if Albion really had signed Eduardo or Danny Shittu), while Phil Brown has a giant portrait of himself behind his desk - although it could be a mirror - and Lord only knows what Joe Kinnear did to his desk during one of those many Newcastle rages.

The football season is almost back.

Bring it on.

If you can't wait till Saturday, join me for a livechat this Friday between 12.30-1.30pm at www.birminghammail.net/live