The Diary

03 March 2007: Announced Today - A Welcome Bargain-Basement Season Ticket Initiative From Our Club

Well, no surprises tonight, then, with Colchester, beaten out of sight at Pride Park by a rampant Derby County. I had hoped that The Rams? recent run of mediocre form would continue apace, but it ain?t gonna be like that, it would seem. Have they finally managed to resolve all those strength-sapping contractual spats they?ve been having with their longer-established performers, I wonder? If so, it could well turn out to be pretty bad news for everyone else in there pitchin? at the top: let?s hope that reports of their recent renaissance prove somewhat premature, eh?

And while we?re on the subject of races for the promotion places, as we near the end of the season, and just about everything we do somewhat redolent of a frantic dash for those last three lifeboats to be launched from a rapidly-sinking ship, it seems that all of a sudden Sky want a little piece of our action for the night-time delectation of their viewers. I suppose we?d already guessed Murdoch?s lot would poke their manky fingers into the pie sooner or later ? but Burnley? Formerly Saturday, now on a Monday night, and with but a couple of games still left to play? Eeeek.

And our home commitments haven?t escaped, either: a big warm welcome, well in advance, for Sheffield Wednesday, who pay us a visit just seven days before our (particularly-fraught, given the time of year, and the sheer importance of that game to our future status) trip to Turf Moor. Yep ? that one will hit your TV screens also, but on a Friday night, this time. Oh, what unbridled joy.

Enjoy your game tomorrow, because it?s going to be our last Saturday afternoon commitment of the current season, I reckon. No problem for kids currently cutting their supporting teeth on the multifarious treasures and pleasures to be had watching football played the Mowbray way, but a tad annoying for dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists like this column. Perhaps I should just grab a gun and shoot myself, leaving Albion?s kids to inherit the earth? Naw, too messy by half: having just painted it, my other half would go absolutely spare should I end up splattering bits of brain all over our nice new bathroom door.

Mind you, that?s not the big story of the day by any means. The Baggies, I mean, not my brains. You could have knocked me over with a feather late this afternoon, when my other half told me of Albion?s astonishing announcement earlier today regarding season ticket sales for our next campaign: check out the club?s blurb on the subject for yourselves, but abridged, this is the scoop. Amazingly, they?re going to reduce prices by an average of 25%, right across the board, and not only that ? and this is the bit that really reeks of a complete and utter sea-change, folks, so hang on to your hollyhocks ? it?s going to happen irrespective of whichever division we find ourselves in next season.

There are a few ?ifs? and ?buts?, though, but not particularly onerous ones. You have until the 31st of May to get one, and season tickets go on sale from March the 15th. The only shred of ambiguity I see in this is Albion saying: ?After this date, season-ticket prices will be subject to a further review?. Do they mean after the May cut-off date, or after March the 15th? The text doesn?t make it at all clear, but I am adopting my ?they really do mean well? stance on this, given that the adverse publicity would be truly horrendous, were they to try and pull a crafty marketing flanker on this one.

Details? Adult prices reduced by between 13 and 17 per cent, junior prices for both the Brummie and Smethwick start from ?49, provided it?s coupled with the purchase of an adult ticket also, but get in quick ? the juniors offer is limited to the first 1,500 supporters to apply. The remaining under 16 prices will be knocked down to ?99, which represents a reduction of between ?50 and ?100. And good news for people like young Carly, who wouldn?t have qualified at all under the old rules: a new student rate has now been brought in, for those under 21 and in full-time education. And not before time, too: when we ran the fanzine, we received a not-inconsiderable number of gripes from academically-inclined Baggies aggrieved at dipping out on such concessions. Trying to make ends meet out of a student loan isn?t the easiest of tasks, believe you me, so once more, well done, Albion.

So what?s brought on this completely unexpected burst of altruism and philanthropy ? not to mention a strong whiff of social conscience, albeit an embryonic one - on the part of our favourite football club, then? Well, reading between the lines of Jeremy Peace?s statement to the newshounds, just like a goodly number of football clubs up and down the country of late, including some in the Prem, it looks very much to me as though both football and Albion have finally woken up and smelt the coffee, at long last.

Look back to some of my previous comments on this self-same subject, as far back as the very first time we graced the Premiership with our presence, even, and you?ll see me raising the very same concerns this initiative is designed to address. Insofar as it?s enabled us all to see the very best of the world?s players at venues such as Old Trafford, the old Highbury, Anfield and Stamford Bridge, then The Premiership has been a positive force in the domestic game, but there?s also been a price to pay, both literally and metaphorically. To pay the astronomical wages these talented performers expected as of right, almost, admission prices rapidly soared stratospherically, and to the point where the people who provide the real atmosphere at games, the working class, simply said ?Sod it?, and took up watching on the box instead. That left the field open to the Tristram and Jemima-clones, whose replica-shirted and scarved bodies rushed in with indecent haste to fill the resultant vacuum left by the somewhat disillusioned departure of those of more plebeian origins.

Looking at Albion?s situation in the light of supporting trends elsewhere, I can certainly vouch for the fact that formerly loyal Baggies have been priced out of it: The Noise, a factory worker with a wife, two teenage kids and a mortgage to maintain, is a perfect example of how social exclusion, intentional or otherwise, can alienate someone from our club. In years gone by, The Noise would have rather have had someone cut his arm off than miss a single away game: these days, it?s too damned expensive, so his support is now confined to home games only. That, in itself, represents a considerable financial sacrifice, because he just happens to live 50 miles away, in Stoke, and petrol doesn?t come cheap.

And not only that, it?s the sheer quality ? or otherwise! - of the fare put in front of us every week that has exerted a considerable impact upon most people?s attending habits over the course of recent seasons. It?s pretty difficult to enthuse over a side, any side, never mind Albion, when:

a) Your favourites are stuck fast near the bottom of a division where, in the absence of a ?sugar daddy? like Abramovic, the most you can realistically hope for is mid-table mediocrity, and the invariable outcome of all League and Cup competitions being that the top four grab all the prizes.

b) Although paying top whack to watch away from home, you know darned well that your hard-earned cash is propping up a side that worships at the feet of a god called ?Playing safe, constantly defence-minded, afraid to take risks of any sort, therefore unattractive to watch, goal-shy, and all the time, riven through and through with fear of failure?.

Yes, I readily understand why that might be so, but it?s poor consolation for going, say, all the way down the M1 to Chelsea, then ending up on the wrong end of a four-or-five goal dicking, and that allied with an apparent reluctance on the part of management to use some initiative, try and take the game to them for a change, strive to be entertaining, for just the once. OK, you?ll still lose, and by a similar margin, I daresay, but at least you?ve thought of something other than trying to cover your back by packing your defence, then failing miserably. And in the very process of doing so, actually putting a smile back on people?s faces.

Having been in a pretty good position to know by name or face lots of such splendid Albion stalwarts, I know for a fact that a hell of a lot of them, bloody loyal Baggies all, stopped going during our most recent Premiership incarnation, and for the very same reasons I?ve just outlined. Only since the arrival of Tony Mowbray on the scene have I seen the return of any such ?prodigals? to the fold: for me, that speaks volumes about what?s gone on before. Or, more pertinently, not.

Like it or not, those ?refuseniks? were the very same people that used to give both Brummie and Smethwick its wonderful atmosphere and character, and with their disappearance from the Hawthorns scene over the course of the last couple of seasons, the transformation has been startling. When was the last really decent chant you heard emanating from that former ?wall of noise? popularly known as the Brummie?

It?s picked up of late, of course: hardly surprising, given our recent meteoric ascent to the table?s pinnacle, with a bitsy piece of Cup success chucked in for good measure, but how much louder could the Smethwick be, given the presence of but a few more fanatical bodies in there? And one other thing I do know. You can encourage corporate involvement on matchdays until you?re blue in the face, and make lots of lovely but filthy lucre for your coffers along the way, but how prepared would all those executive-boxed captains of industry and commerce be to move to a seat behind the goals instead, and sing their way to laryngitis, complete and utter, for the Baggies cause? Or sit in a freezing open end at, say, Swindon, during a wintry downpour of monsoon proportions, with a howling gale thrown in, then find a diagnosis of hypothermia their sole ?reward? for such unstinting loyalty?

Not many, I?ll wager. And if you should think my last example a trifle unlikely, then I?ve got some news for you, sunshine. It actually happened. Not recently, I?ll concede that much, but around the third week of October 1998, the final score being a rain-soaked and windswept 2-2. Just ask the Baggie I know whose artificial leg actually warped in the extreme cold and damp. Ditto the hypothermia. He certainly didn?t imagine it. And neither did all those wonderful first-aid people rushed off their feet treating such cases in that cursed away end.

But enough, enough. If you want to know more, Albion have produced helpful little tables on their website showing how you might benefit next time round. If you haven?t already, check it out: you?ll very likely discover your football to be far more affordable next season, Premiership or otherwise. And, as I intimated earlier, we?re not the only ones going down that particular route: already, a number of clubs currently in the Greed League have announced similar deals for next term.

At long last football, at both our level, and above, has belatedly realised that there?s far more to the game than becoming, in effect, an adjunct of showbiz. Football clubs are a community asset, with reciprocal responsibility towards the well-being of that community: as far as I?m concerned, ?business? aspects should take a relative back seat, first time, every time. There?s far more to such organisations than double-entry bookkeeping, sharp suits, telephone-number salaries, and so-called ?corporate image?. Football clubs have a soul, and it?s very much up to people like us to keep such places alive. At long last, it?s looking very much as though the nation?s bigger clubs have finally cottoned on to what is, after all, a childishly-simple concept. Supporter Power Rules OK? Yeah, bring it on.

And, talking of ?bring it on?, tomorrow there?s the daunting prospect of facing our upwardly-mobile chums from Wearside in League action, and what an almighty ding-dong that?s shaping up to be. Just one of many significant top-of-the-table clashes taking place this weekend, our game. With things being so tight in our neck of the woods, and sides taking points off each other, left, right and centre, whoever gets to grab the entire Hawthorns pot come five to five might well end up grabbing one of the two automatic promotion places, come the conclusion of the current season. It really is fast becoming a somewhat nerve jangling conclusion to our season, so Valiums all round, chaps, what?

That?s why the elongation of our midweek FA Cup battle with Boro to extra time and penalties was something we could have really done without. I hadn?t realised until afterwards, but apparently, Sunderland gaffer Roy Keane was in the VIP area on Tuesday night, no doubt braying his bloody head off at the sight of us lumbering through extra-time like drunken sailors with a big hangover looming large. True, we did prematurely remove a couple of our prime performers from the scene of the action, and one in particular not even getting as far as a trip to The Shrine, but that still leaves a considerable remainder having no real option but to just grit their teeth and get on with it. Having said all that, I honestly can?t remember any of our finest getting cramp at any time, despite the awful conditions. Hopefully, it?s fitness that will carry them through, come three o?clock.

Kev Phillips, supporters of both clubs know about, which was presumably why Mogga had him sit out last Tuesday?s replay. Looks very much as though he?s expected to play a pivotal role in tomorrow?s game. Given what?s at stake, we?ll need all the expertise and experience he?s got going for him. Interesting, by the way, to read about the sharp contrast between the splendid way our away contingent acknowledged a couple of our ?exes?, at Leicester (Andy Johnson and Geoff Horsfield: despite a pretty creditable attempt on the part of the latter to smear poor Paul McShane?s nose over a large proportion of his face for him, using only an elbow as an aid, I?ll still reserve a small portion of my heart for him!), compared with the sheer nastiness those home-end Mackems meted out to Our Kev at the Stadium Of Light, his former stamping-ground, earlier this season. Although located around thirty or so miles distant (upwind?) from the chemically-choked environs of Middlesbrough, they would seem to have acquired very short memories indeed, up there, of late.

Unsurprisingly, we?ll be short of Duke Ellington, sent off in the second minute of extra time during that Boro defeat, of course. And I still maintain that tackle didn?t warrant a red card. Presumably, the Forgotten Man Of West Bromwich, alias John Hartson, will comprise our substitute cover instead, albeit a somewhat follicular-challenged one, it has to be said. According to one news report, Championship Player Of The Month Joe Kamara turned up at our training ground just to put in some extra shooting practice, the other day: if that?s the case, then he?s really fired up for this one. I bloody well hope so: the exertions of the last seven days must be having quite a deleterious effect on their overall stamina, by now.

As for The Mackems, it sure looks as though ex-clapper, stamper, and ball-balancing-on-nose merchant extraordinaire Dwight Yorke will be strutting his midfield stuff for them tomorrow. Please feel free to reserve your smelliest bits of gash cod for his delectation, won?t you? Or, even better still, what about your ripest pair of kippers, with the additional pre-match boost of a couple of malodorous hours profitably spent on top of a radiator going full-blast? Just make sure you?re nowhere near me when you come to chuck ?em, OK? I absolutely adore fish, but not that flamin? sort!

Stern John will also be featuring: being of both Blues and Coventry lineage, I?m not quite sure what might serve to put him off. In the absence of anything better, maybe just plain abuse might suffice. Other stuff indicates Dean Whitehead might be returning to the fold, but Anthony Stokes is looking doubtful for them, so the former Bluenose Mackem should be in striking cahoots with David Connolly come kick-off time.

And Finally?. One. Now for a bit of a departure from the norm. It?s all based upon the principle that if I have to suffer, so should you lot! Blame that nice Steve The Miser, who has kindly given me the fruits of his collective wisdom concerning all things both statistical and Albion, these past few nights. Just don?t say I didn?t warn you, OK?

Not many people know this! Penalty shoot outs: Albion have maintained their record of never winning a penalty shoot out at The Hawthorns! The previous ones were as follows: 7th August 1971 Watney Cup Final. Albion 4 Colchester United 4 (no extra time). Albion lost 3-4 on pens. 13th November 1985 Full Members Cup Southern Semi Final: Albion 2 Chelsea 2 (aet). Albion lost 4-5 on pens.

Extra time at The Hawthorns? The last time we had extra time at The Hawthorns was on 11th September 2001 in the League Cup 2nd Rd v Swindon Town, Albion won 2-0 (aet). The last time we had extra time in an FA Cup tie at The Hawthorns was 26th February 1979, in a 4th Round replay v Leeds United. Albion won 2-0 (aet).

And there?s more! Yerrst, I thought that would get you going. Did I hear some faint cries of ?Mercy!? out there, just now? 2006-07 will be the 6th season in which Albion have gone through a season without losing an FA Cup match. The previous occasions were 1887-88, 1891-92, 1930-31, 1953-54 & 1967-68 when we actually won the cup! This is thus the first time we've been knocked out of the F.A.Cup without losing a game.

So there you have it. An interesting choice to put to you all. A whole night spent in a tank crammed full of very hungry sharks, or an hour or so spent in the miserly company of one who glories greatly in the revelation of obscure Albion-related facts and figures? Even the Americans in Guantanamo Bay wouldn?t stoop as low as that: there are limits, you know!

Two. Just a quickie, this one. The other night, The Fart, ?Im Indoors and myself attended a Sutton Coldfield SC Branch meeting where Albion Chief Exec Doctor John Evans was the star speaker. And very forthcoming he was, too (although he kept the stuff about ticket prices pretty close to his chest, I have to say!) telling us this would be his last season in the job. Come the finish, he?ll be moseying off into the sunset, and a new incumbent, being trained at the moment, well and truly in post by then.

But that?s not the main reason why I?m giving him this mention in lights: it?s because of the fact that whenever he speaks, then gets really into his stride ? he?s a former teacher, and it doesn?t half show - his arms quickly develop a fascinating ability to flail around like a combination of the late Professor Magnus Pyke, and Prince Charles! Got me quite exhausted just watching the guy, he did!

 - Glynis Wright

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