The parade is off

06 May 2008

It seems that there will be no victory parade and civic reception to celebrate Albion's promotion and first League title for over 80 years. Despite pressure from the Mayor of Sandwell and high profile supporters, the Club has declined on the grounds that it has been a long, hard, testing season for the players, and they needed to get away to spend time with their families and relax.

Good job we didn't have to go through the playoffs again, isn't it?

According to the Council, the offer is still open if the Club change their minds, but as most of the players have probably disappeared for the summer now it would seem unlikely.

Well done lads on promotion, BRILLIANT.... but you have kicked the supporters in the teeth yet again by not having an open top bus to celebrate with the fans, it's the fans that pay your wages, give a little back guys?

 - P Blakeway

Let me put a hypothetical question to you. You are back at work, you have put in a long hard `year' for your employers, who have told you at the beginning of the year that your holidays start on 5th of may so you are booked in to some swish hotel in Dubai or flights to see your family in Korea from that date. What do you do? Go on the long planned and arranged break. Or hang around on the off chance you might have to do a tour round West Bromwich in an open topped bus? I'm with the club and players on this one. The season is done and dusted, the trophy should already be in the trophy cabinet if anyone wants to see it, and lets move on and start looking forward not back. Its highly probable said bus would only be half full!

 - Frank

I think its an awful decision. Not all the baggie fans who have supported the lads all year could get to the last game, also theres the fans who cant get to games at all, so when do we get to see the lads with the cup - surely it would be a fitting tribute by the players/manager/directors to the fans to take half a day out of their busy schedule to have some kind of civic reception. Yes i agree they have had a long hard season, but most of us have long hard weeks at work every week and then pay top money to see the Albion's matches. At the last home game you could hardly see the players because of the clowns running onto the pitch. If thats not enough Stoke are all over the TV tonight at their civic reception. The broadcasting and overall press for us going up has been absoutley disgracefel. I'm very very disappointed - bloody awful.

And the official WBA Statement is a load of bol&%x!!! Ought to be ashamed of themselves.

 - Ellen

I'm glad there's no celebration. We've done that "got to the Prem isn't it great" thing. As far as I'm concerned, and I'm sure the club is of the same mind, this will only be a successful promotion if we stay in the Premiership. If we're relegated next year then effectively we've not learned the lessons from 2 former promotions and 4 seasons in the Prem.

 - zfc

I do agree that a civic reception wasn't too much to ask after our first championship title in 88 years. On that basis, there won't be too many occasions when Albion are able to parade silverware through the town, so I think today's decision is a very poor one.

 - Spooky

Whilst appreciating the view that we haven't won anything of any significance, and this is only a stepping stone, it is still (in my opinion) an incorrect decision. 34K people made the unsuccessful journey to Wembley (twice in two years!), and the club have gained a lot goodwill from supporters with initiatives such as the price reductions for the final 2 games. This is the first 'real' trophy that we have won in 40 years and the first Championship for 88 years, bloody hell we should have a parade, what better advert for the club, and you can bet the people who will be really upset will all be under 12, exactly the people we ought to be encouraging. My daughter thinks the players cant be bothered.

 - Keith

Well thanks for nothing to jeremy peace, best and most exiting season for years ending with our first league trophy for 88 years but do we get the chance to celebrate properly? Do we eck. They knew we were promoted after the southampton game so they have had enough time to arrange parade which could have been held tonight [6th may tuesday] as the players break up today what difference would a couple of hours on a bus have made. Still goin to look forward to next season i think we will do well under mogga [just dont expect him to get big pot of money to spend or you will be dissapointed]

 - anthony gilbert

Have read all of the arguments for and against a celebration and can only conclude it is a pr disaster of major proportions by the club (though I suspect their hands were tied by the manager and players).

1. I wouldn't have gone, have never been to any of the Meggo ones and have absolutely no interest in such stuff personally. Never went to the FA Cup one in 1968 as a lad. Prefer to see it all unfold live and leave it at that. But I appreciate there are many thousands who can't ever go even if the last game had been at home but are into a celebration of what is an historic local event and good luck to them. Especially the smiling faces of the kids, a point well made by Keith.
2. I know we don't live in the prettiest part of the world but that's exactly the point - in one of the most socially deprived areas in the country economically, educationally, culturally and in so many other ways what on earth is wrong with something to celebrate. As Frank Zappa so aptly put it, whatever happened to all the fun in the world?
3. The club's mealy mouthed statement has been aptly summed up by Ellen - it's after the storm cover up rubbish that Brown and Blair would be proud of. These blokes are paid fantastic sums of money compared to the rest of us and has so rightly been pointed out would have fully expected to stay hard at work until the end of May if we had ended up in the play offs.
4. It's such a stupid decision, surely unprecedneted in the history of football (any stattos help?), that I suspect there may be more to it than meets the eye. Did the club feel snubbed by the council because nothing had been prearranged to either celebrate promotion again or better still the trophy if we won it? Bank Holiday Monday was a no brainer for either and don't tell me the players flew out from Heathrow Sunday night - Mowbray wouldn't allow it let alone Peace whatever happened against QPR. does the club secretly resent the council's inaction prior to the big day. If so taking out on the entire community, not just the fans, is a disastrous snub when we've just sold 21000 season tickets.
5. Is this the gulf now so widened between "us and them" from the days of Cyrille Regis on the B87 bus with me going to Brum for a night out let alone Ray Barlow with his boots in a shopping bag on the same bus in my dad's day that we that only the "wonderful, marvellous" mugs in the ground for every game get a pr lie about how "great" we are and the rest outside can get stuffed? And, in reality, the one's inside can get stuffed too but we can't say that in the press cos Sky would go bonkers?
6. I repeat I wouldn't have gone and I'm two miles from Oldbury. It's just not my bag. But for all those who manage to follow the team at matches or not, for the whole area, for the wider diaspora I am stunned. Especially the little kids who watched us on the telly all season, made scrap books from the local and national papers all season and thought they were going to an event they would genuinely remember all their lives. Disgraceful.

 - smethwickbatman

Baggies reject victory parade.... What a crock of crap from the WBA. This would have gave us not only a god day out but would have been televised across the globe!!! We have to concentrate on the premier league. How can they turn down a Victory parade. We need to be able to savour the momment and get the team going by having a parade. I think its crazy that they would not want to celebrate. Like they can not take a time out and share a day with the fans. I'm in the USA but I think its disgraceful. Give the players a day to remember and the fans as we worked hard all season to win the championship and the prem logistics can be put on hold for a few days.... Anyway apart from that BOING BOING TO MAN UTD next season and on the telly over here almost every week Yessssss...

 - Gareth in California

What a crap reason for not having an open top bus celebration - anybody would think we become Champions frequently. 80 odd years - bloody hell we should have a national holiday never mind a bus celebration. The club piss on their own fire / pop their own bubble... what a naff excuse. A great achievement for the Albion and should be celebrated properly.

 - Tipton BaggieBhoy

I actually believe that not having an open top celebration is a sign of the maturity of the club, so Stoke got all the attention, so what? We achieved our goal of getting promotion, now lets move on and be competitive in the Premier League, lets leave the showmanship to Stoke and who ever comes up from the Playoffs, we are beyond that now, as we did all that in 02 and 04, and look where it got us! Well done to the management for a brave decision. Bring on next season.

 - kevin

Previous Stories:

  09 April 2008:  Black and white stripes? Us?

  07 April 2008:  WBASC Main Branch - Important Notice

  03 April 2008:  Where to see the game on TV? (With thanks!)

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