WBA fans football forum on radio tonight

[stargazer_1962]

Came across this by chance as I went through the radio dial though available on BBC sounds

Need to be logged in beforehand I think

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002dnc9

Took place at Yeltz bar in Halesowen on Thurs night.
If I'd known I would have gone, ah well.

It was on from 6pm to 7pm on WM radio.

Interesting what some of the fans of the Smethwick end stated in 2nd half of programme.
Panel consisted of Sneekes and 2 WM presenters.
Lasts 1 hr

[Omegstrat6]

Thanks for the link, an interesting listen👍

My take outs inc:

1) Atmosphere in ground (Safe standing and more engagement from players with fans may help but it is desire and performances on the pitch which is biggest driver. In his open letter, Shilen Patel also raised the aim of improving the match day experience as well as developing non match day attractions)

2) Attitude of players (Some old hands too comfortable-e.g. Furlong who raised his game under Corberan to become a key player but needs challenging and Bartley. Discipline also an issue last season. Mentioned that Nat Phillips has a reputation for leadership skills so this likely part of the reason we went for him)

3) Dike (Apparently a nice bloke who works hard though whilst many hope he gets his chance after horrendous injuries, one of the panel thought that he may still not fit in with the style of play Mason wants)

4) Shilen Patel (panel made clear that Albion were very very close to being no more before his take over. Not exceptionally wealthy but still pumps millions of his own money into the club. He is pragmatic but his realistic and honest approach appreciated by many fans. Hard truth is that we are still under severe financial constraints that will almost inevitably see us having to sell players e.g. Fellows, Price? in order to improve in other areas. Good recruitment will be critical. He has ambition but knows the reality is that this will take time and has a 3 year plan).

5) Aims for this season. (Mason has talked about a top 10 finish rather than play offs but this is also part self protection to relieve pressure of expectation as much as realism. Majority of audience still felt playoffs achievable. Championship always hard with those coming down from Premiership but this year harder still as both Wrexham and Blues coming up, both of whom are free of P&S pressure and both of whom have money)

6) Management Style. (Corberan very intense whereas Mowbray more relaxed. Ultimately, while too many draws under him, performances better under Carlos. Consensus is we need something in between. Mason has 7 years coaching experience Inc Spurs but, obviously, being the boss brings a lot more pressure so a bit of an unknown as to his reaction to this. On the other hand, panel say that his appointment was no quick one and that the club had done its homework first)

7) James Morrison (Some expressed surprise he has been retained given he is an old hand but the last few games under his tenure we began to show improvement and even scored some goals-plus, the panel pointed out, he made a clear decision not to involve Mowbray favourite Jon Swift whose contract is up in July. An indication that he has something to offer still in addition to knowing the players?)

8) Difficulty getting to and from ground due to traffic. (Acknowledged as being an issue -and leading to some leaving games early to avoid congestion-and club said to be speaking to local authorities but nothing concrete to report yet by way of any solutions to help alleviate this)

9) Renaming the East Stand the Tony "Bomber" Brown Stand. (Lots of support for this proposal from both audience and panel. Tony is 80 in October and this would be a fitting tribute to his loyalty and contribution to the club. Too many clubs name stands posthumously, much better to do so to coincide with his 80th birthday year).

[stargazer_1962]

The other thing I recall from it was a guy saying him and his mates used to stand at the back of the Smethwick but the lack of any atmosphere was so bad they now go to Halesowen instead. Sneekes made the comment that it was about prices and the guy refuted this and then Sneekes re-iterated what he said earlier which was that the football needs to be exciting and not this knock it around the back waiting for an opening and then repeating it over. I concur that the football needs to be more exciting to liven up the crowd.

[Omegstrat6]

The other thing I recall from it was a guy saying him and his mates used to stand at the back of the Smethwick but the lack of any atmosphere was so bad they now go to Halesowen instead. Sneekes made the comment that it was about prices and the guy refuted this and then Sneekes re-iterated what he said earlier which was that the football needs to be exciting and not this knock it around the back waiting for an opening and then repeating it over. I concur that the football needs to be more exciting to liven up the crowd.

Agree. Mick and others have commented in the past as to why they often get more enjoyment out of non/lower league football. Prices aside, and the fact that supporting a smaller local club is not a bad thing, one of the main reasons is that the fans can feel much more a part of the club. As a member of the panel termed it, supporters can have a "third half" and mix with the teams players, manager and often chairman after the game for a drink and chat.

Clearly the game has changed and gone are the days when players lived on the same estates as fans or drank in the same pubs for example as the money now earnt has put an end to that and player/fan engagement is also obviously a lot harder to do at Championship level than at non/lower league due to the far higher number of fans. Nonetheless, that still doesn't invalidate some of the points made by the audience. One lady, who watches from the Smethick End, decried the lack of atmosphere but also pointed out that whilst players often make the effort after a match to applaud the fans, those in the Smethick are too often neglected. She remembers one instance when Diangana did engage with them and how much that was appreciated and how it boosted the atmosphere in the stand.

Certainly seems like players could-should- do more in terms of engagement. As one of the panel then quipped- he hoped the club were listening!

Despite all the above, Sneekes is right-playing more attractive and attacking football with desire and passion is the single biggest driver in improving the atmosphere. Let's hope the club were listening to that too!

[baggieal]

Agree. Mick and others have commented in the past as to why they often get more enjoyment out of non/lower league football. Prices aside, and the fact that supporting a smaller local club is not a bad thing, one of the main reasons is that the fans can feel much more a part of the club. As a member of the panel termed it, supporters can have a "third half" and mix with the teams players, manager and often chairman after the game for a drink and chat.

Clearly the game has changed and gone are the days when players lived on the same estates as fans or drank in the same pubs for example as the money now earnt has put an end to that and player/fan engagement is also obviously a lot harder to do at Championship level than at non/lower league due to the far higher number of fans. Nonetheless, that still doesn't invalidate some of the points made by the audience. One lady, who watches from the Smethick End, decried the lack of atmosphere but also pointed out that whilst players often make the effort after a match to applaud the fans, those in the Smethick are too often neglected. She remembers one instance when Diangana did engage with them and how much that was appreciated and how it boosted the atmosphere in the stand.

Certainly seems like players could-should- do more in terms of engagement. As one of the panel then quipped- he hoped the club were listening!

Despite all the above, Sneekes is right-playing more attractive and attacking football with desire and passion is the single biggest driver in improving the atmosphere. Let's hope the club were listening to that too!

Good point Omeg. I have been to a few Scarborough/Harrogate games and the reason why?
1. Community feel and you feel valued
2. Club is completely fan owned ie Boro
3. Makes me vomit that players like Wallace are on 25K a week and over the hill. Some non league players are not on ?500 a week but they run and run until they drop unlike some of our lot!
4. Fans and manager engage with the supporters by walking around the pitch at the final whistle win or lose. Greening often chats to the fans and great guy!
5. Better banter and cheaper drink prices
7. Got to say it too - CC did a great job with poor players but apart from first eight games etc the football was boring and dull. Non league it?s very attack minded and they try to win more as opposed not to lose which was CC?s party piece.
8. Less selection of favourite players seem to be selected and more youngsters given a go. Why the hell for example did Morrison play Grady in the game v Luton when he was leaving? Crazy decision!

[Omegstrat6]

Hi Al, hope you are well. Can easily see all the positives you mention in supporting such clubs but it's obviously much more difficult to replicate that sort of engagement in the Championship. That said, I think there is still more the club could do and, bottom line, fans pay good money so they should surely expect desire and commitment from (very well paid) players at the very least. Entertaining football might be nice too!😁

We need to give Ryan a chance but let's just hope he can give us more of this and less of the tippy-tappy , always play out from the back stuff.

[boingy]

Thanks for the link, an interesting listen👍

My take outs inc:

1) Atmosphere in ground (Safe standing and more engagement from players with fans may help but it is desire and performances on the pitch which is biggest driver. In his open letter, Shilen Patel also raised the aim of improving the match day experience as well as developing non match day attractions)

2) Attitude of players (Some old hands too comfortable-e.g. Furlong who raised his game under Corberan to become a key player but needs challenging and Bartley. Discipline also an issue last season. Mentioned that Nat Phillips has a reputation for leadership skills so this likely part of the reason we went for him)

3) Dike (Apparently a nice bloke who works hard though whilst many hope he gets his chance after horrendous injuries, one of the panel thought that he may still not fit in with the style of play Mason wants)

4) Shilen Patel (panel made clear that Albion were very very close to being no more before his take over. Not exceptionally wealthy but still pumps millions of his own money into the club. He is pragmatic but his realistic and honest approach appreciated by many fans. Hard truth is that we are still under severe financial constraints that will almost inevitably see us having to sell players e.g. Fellows, Price? in order to improve in other areas. Good recruitment will be critical. He has ambition but knows the reality is that this will take time and has a 3 year plan).

5) Aims for this season. (Mason has talked about a top 10 finish rather than play offs but this is also part self protection to relieve pressure of expectation as much as realism. Majority of audience still felt playoffs achievable. Championship always hard with those coming down from Premiership but this year harder still as both Wrexham and Blues coming up, both of whom are free of P&S pressure and both of whom have money)

6) Management Style. (Corberan very intense whereas Mowbray more relaxed. Ultimately, while too many draws under him, performances better under Carlos. Consensus is we need something in between. Mason has 7 years coaching experience Inc Spurs but, obviously, being the boss brings a lot more pressure so a bit of an unknown as to his reaction to this. On the other hand, panel say that his appointment was no quick one and that the club had done its homework first)

7) James Morrison (Some expressed surprise he has been retained given he is an old hand but the last few games under his tenure we began to show improvement and even scored some goals-plus, the panel pointed out, he made a clear decision not to involve Mowbray favourite Jon Swift whose contract is up in July. An indication that he has something to offer still in addition to knowing the players?)

8) Difficulty getting to and from ground due to traffic. (Acknowledged as being an issue -and leading to some leaving games early to avoid congestion-and club said to be speaking to local authorities but nothing concrete to report yet by way of any solutions to help alleviate this)

9) Renaming the East Stand the Tony "Bomber" Brown Stand. (Lots of support for this proposal from both audience and panel. Tony is 80 in October and this would be a fitting tribute to his loyalty and contribution to the club. Too many clubs name stands posthumously, much better to do so to coincide with his 80th birthday year).

Good sum up 👍

[baggieal]

Hi Al, hope you are well. Can easily see all the positives you mention in supporting such clubs but it's obviously much more difficult to replicate that sort of engagement in the Championship. That said, I think there is still more the club could do and, bottom line, fans pay good money so they should surely expect desire and commitment from (very well paid) players at the very least. Entertaining football might be nice too!😁

We need to give Ryan a chance but let's just hope he can give us more of this and less of the tippy-tappy , always play out from the back stuff.

Good thanks Omeg. It?s not just the club but the EFL/Sky ruining the games. Pointless looking at the fixture list and planning games ie London etc for an away game only for the match day to be switched. Disgusting how there is no money cap for visiting supporters like the Premier League. How can greedy kunts like Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday to name but two clubs charge sky rocket charges then we charge their supporters much lower in comparison. Disgusting!

After witnessing the Albion fan die in front of me at Sheffield Weds due to the incompetence of the paramedics on duty and the whitewash that followed - I can honestly say I feel safer at many non league grounds than certain clubs in the championship.

Police and heavy handed stewards treat many supporters like cattle at championship games whereas at the non league/lower league games I have attended mostly both sets of supporters drink together and at some games stand together.

What do West Brom give back - where are the free coaches to an away game now? As Patel offered supporters a free scarf and drink like previous owners? Small I know but it?s the feeling of being valued!

The fan zone we have is an absolute embarrassment and thrown together on peanuts. A rickety old stage with crackling mic - was a large TV screen at one point but that went and kids games cobbled together which are worse than a village fete! Then ripped off in Greggs or beer vans! Some party atmosphere and absolute garbage!

Goes back to community and giving back. When supporters are not appreciated or given a good time/appreciation drink then you see players like Wallace etc on 25K a week you do think - f uck em! Some not even breaking a sweat and Bartley/Furlong being disrespectful to our own supporters - yes last season in a couple of incidents!

Money is tight everywhere and supporters want to be entertained even if we lose. You don?t watch TV to be bored or you switch it off!

[kettering_baggie]

Football theses days is too formulaic, all teams in the higher divisions work this way, the statistics define the playing style and it delivers boring football. All sports, though, use statistical analysis to develop tactics; so you can watch any team, they all play the same way, boring. That can be seen as a generalisation but I believe it to be largely true. Have any of you ever studied statistics as a subject? It is BORING, always!