December 1976

[Albionmad]

Johnny Giles got us promated at Oldham 1976 but you know that talkSAFT.
The game before Oldham was Leyton Orient night match 5000 Baggies were there including myself.
Laurie Cunningham was amazing that night he hit the bar for Orient, if that would ahve gone in we would not have been promoted.

Signed for us 1977 after Giles leftl so it would have been Allen who signed him.
I stiil wonder if Ronnie Allen had not gone to Saudi Arabia, if one of the best teams we have had would have won some titles.

Laurie was sensational that night. He ran us ragged. The only question mark was his lack of consistency. As has so often been the case we monitered and monitered and amazingly still signed him.

The other player we monitered was Paul Marriner. We were neck and neck with Ipswich and talks went on for weeks but in the end we balked at paying an extra £20000. He went to Ipswich for £220000 and was part of the team that thumped us 7 nil.

[BaggiefromStafford]

Laurie was sensational that night. He ran us ragged. The only question mark was his lack of consistency. As has so often been the case we monitered and monitered and amazingly still signed him.

The other player we monitered was Paul Marriner. We were neck and neck with Ipswich and talks went on for weeks but in the end we balked at paying an extra £20000. He went to Ipswich for £220000 and was part of the team that thumped us 7 nil.

Yeah I went to Ipswich on that cold October day, great night out on the way back in Cambridge made it not a waste of time going all that way.

We did beat them 4.0 at the Hawthorns, Byran Robson got a hat-trick.

Ipswich seemed to be a boggy team in the late seventies, went to Highbury full of hope and lost in the simi final.

[holmleighchris]

Yes, it was Atkinson. I didn't pay much attention to the date.
He bought him to replace the rather ineffective Ally Brown. What happened was Ali suddenly turned it around and became a very important player for the next few seasons. Ally made a total of 255 appearances for us, 76 goals.

[Albionic68]

As an attacking midfielder I always thought David Mills was brought in to compete with and eventually replace Tony Brown as opposed to Ally Brown. Still, I was only eleven at the time so concede that I may have been wrong all along.

[holmleighchris]

As an attacking midfielder I always thought David Mills was brought in to compete with and eventually replace Tony Brown as opposed to Ally Brown. Still, I was only eleven at the time so concede that I may have been wrong all along.

He was a forward at Middlesbrough. We converted him into a non entity of a midfield player.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mills_(footballer)

[Albionic68]

He was a forward at Middlesbrough. We converted him into a non entity of a midfield player.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mills_(footballer)

Yes chap.

Remembered he was a forward at Boro and that Atkinson tried to convert him unsuccessfully to an attacking midfielder, which was why I'd always thought he'd arrived as competition/long term replacement for Tony Brown as opposed Ally Brown.

[holmleighchris]

Yes chap.

Remembered he was a forward at Boro and that Atkinson tried to convert him unsuccessfully to an attacking midfielder, which was why I'd always thought he'd arrived as competition/long term replacement for Tony Brown as opposed Ally Brown.

Maybe you are right Danny.
The one certain fact is that it didn't work out.

[soulman101]

Yes, it was Atkinson. I didn't pay much attention to the date.
He bought him to replace the rather ineffective Ally Brown. What happened was Ali suddenly turned it around and became a very important player for the next few seasons. Ally made a total of 255 appearances for us, 76 goals.

I spoke to someone who plays golf with Ally Brown,who told me he is suffering with earlry dementia.

[Q165]

Big Fat Ron bought him. It must have been 79, perhaps late 78, as I recall what I was doing then.

[Johnny on the spot 1]

Johnny Giles got us promated at Oldham 1976 but you know that talkSAFT.
The game before Oldham was Leyton Orient night match 5000 Baggies were there including myself.
Laurie Cunningham was amazing that night he hit the bar for Orient, if that would ahve gone in we would not have been promoted.

Signed for us 1977 after Giles leftl so it would have been Allen who signed him.
I stiil wonder if Ronnie Allen had not gone to Saudi Arabia, if one of the best teams we have had would have won some titles

Remember the orient game so well Stafford I was one of the many who were their .