One Game at a Time: You’re Only Here for the Pasties
Boing Boing Baggies (A) October 21st
One of the things we are having to get used to in the exalted level we now cling to is the fact that we get to enjoy international breaks. Fortunately, the latest one has coincided with some other sports having their four yearly shindigs, providing some much-needed entertainment (in the case of the Rugby World Cup) and despair (Buttler's Bottlers amongst other tabloid headlines) as Afghanistan put our only sporting World Champion team to the sword (or should that be pulwar)?
The other thing these enforced breaks give us is a chance to reflect on recent form, current position and potential, and immediate prospects. They are in the classic words of the famous Punch cartoon, “The Curates Egg”, good in parts.
I think the majority of Argyle fans will be feeling we are roughly where we deserve to be as well as about where we expected to be. The frustration is that with a few breaks going our way, things could be a lot better, and until the second half of the Swansea game, we had only been seriously outplayed once and that when fielding more of a second-string side at Bristol City.
The pessimists however will point to a run of one win in six, and two home defeats on the bounce, at our previous stronghold. The other key factor being we have yet to win away from home, and whilst the defeats have been narrow barring Brizzle, they are, none the less, defeats.
You can find all those opinions amply represented in the visit of the Swans in what seems an age ago. Argyle played pleasing football and took a deserved lead after a great ball from Whittaker led to a Hardie cross and a Cundle goal from the rebound. The lesser celebrated of the Swansea exes to enjoy a subdued celebration. And in a tale of the season so far, it could have been better as Hardies snapshot was brilliantly saved to prevent a two-goal cushion.
Sadly, rather than Celebrations it was Argyle’s soft centre that left a bitter taste with yet another close to capacity crowd. As at Hull, Gillespheys failure to deal with a ball on the dead ball line resulted in a couldn’t (and didn't) miss chance for Yates. Then Oli Cooper was granted the freedom of the midfield as our marking disappeared more rapidly than a New Age school homework session, and he advanced to fire a good long ranger past Hazard. The icing on the Welsh cake was another possible breakaway goal that could have been brought back for a foul on Joe 90, although this one was less clear than the Millwall assault on KKH.
Eleven games and eleven points, three from the drop zone (four with our goal difference) and sitting above four teams we would have hoped to and two we would not have expected to, in Stoke and Watford. The deep dive stats say we score enough but concede to many good chances....there are three worse teams than us defensively, but now Boro have rediscovered how to win it is only three....so we need to rediscover how to win as wel
The other side of the international break also reared its head as the managerial dice rolls began. Or in the case of the Wendies, our next visitors to HP, the dice Roehl. Bringing in effectively their third manager of the season, the ex-Southampton, Bayern and German National coach will be asked by owner Chanseri to get a tuna out of his discordant Owls. John Eustace was also, some might feel harshly, disposed of to make way for the managerial colossus that might be Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City. The Brady Bunch have plumped for a man whose managerial career so far is Soccer Aid 2020 (lost), Derby County (avoided relegation on final day of the season but managed it the following one) and finally Washington (missed the play-offs and terminated by mutual consent). Still, Jamie Vardy will be looking forward to seeing his old mucker again.
Argyle resume with one of their shorter trips, to the Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion, with only our twentieth trip to a ground,swhose rarefied atmosphere on balance seems to suit the Greens as it sits in the top half of away grounds for results. Rarefied, as the Hawthorns is the highest above sea level of all Football League and EPL grounds, despite the vegetable fuelled claims of Forest Green, whose fans can point to the New Lawn s OS Map height being shown as higher than that from just outside the Hawthorns. This does give FGR a unique combination of potentially the highest lowest carbon footprint, but as it is FGR and they are a) moving anyway, b) quite possibly exiting the League at the end of the season and c) well Forest Green we are sticking with the Hawthorns being the highest. If FGR do get relegated it become moot, as Buxton has the highest football ground in England at over a thousand feet above sea level. The lowest of the low? Grimsby Town of course. In so many ways.
Whilst we are putting geographical facts to bed, there is no East Bromwich. There is a Castle Bromwich and the name originally derived from Bromwicham, so the West defines the locale from Castle Bromwich. Politically however, there is, just to add to the confusion a West Bromwich East and a West Bromwich West…but no North or South. I am beginning to wonder if the sat-navs will work in this part of the Midlands, so maybe pack a compass and theodolite just in case. Or take a Boy Scout.
The club itself was not always Albion, however. Initially, formed by a group of workers from George Salters Spring Works (and no somewhat surprisingly, that isn’t where the boing boing comes from) they were known as West Bromwich Strollers. Having had to borrow a ball for their first game, the players went to nearby Wednesbury for their matches where they could purchase a ball, and played on a triangular patch where three other local sides also played. Therefore, transporting a portable goal they stayed as the Strollers until 1880 when they adopted the name Albion, after a local district where several players resided. Appropriately enough given this weekend’s game, Albion was in an area also known as Greets Green. How welcoming.
Having joined the Birmingham & District League, and then won the Staffordshire Cup, the club became founder members of the Football League in 1888. By then they had already reached three FA Cup Finals, finally winning at the third attempt in 1888 when they beat the much-fancied Preston North End. By doing so they then competed in a World Championship match, which they lost to Scottish side Renton. The Scottish club, which folded in 1922 after failing to turn up for a Scottish Cup tie, won the match 4-1 and the trophy, the de facto World Championship given how localised organised football was at that time, is on display at the Hampden Park football museum.
Albion became one of the twelve founder members of the league but were quite speedily relegated at the end of 1901 by which time the club had located to its permanent home of The Hawthorns. It is from this naming of the ground, after discovering it was a site of the plant originally when the club took the lease, that led to the adoption of the clubs nickname of the Throstles.
Although today the club by and large uses the Baggies as its nickname the club has always been associated with the Throstle, or song thrush, with the bird frequently featuring on its crest. Argyle will be hoping in the light of recent opponents that the threat level is diminishing having played Terriers, Hornets, Eagles, Tigers, Lions and Swans (and even the Rovers we played claimed to Wild). To be fair, the idea of a Swan breaking your arm is something of a myth, but as we saw last game second half, they can break your hearts. Given the downward trending threat level of opponents I am sure Argyle were hoping for their midweek fixture next week to be the Miami Dolphins rather than night-time hunters, the Owls.
The idea of the Baggies as a nickname has multiple potential sources, none of which have been proven conclusively. So it either came from the existence of “bagmen” who collected the admission pennies from the crowds at early games ( the preferred option of renowned club historian and as proprietor of Sports Programmes, the late Tony Matthews, a man who received more than his fair share of my student grant), from the loose or baggy clothing worn by the ironworkers from the local factories, or from the moleskin trousers worn by workers with a belt rather than braces, which tended to be at half mast, and prompted a Villa wag to call out “here come the Baggies of Bromwich” as they arrived for a fixture. Finally, local workers used a material called duck, which was snow white for their work trousers, and as they discoloured and tore, the repairs resembled bags of flour, and hence, once again, the Baggies.
So, Throstles at least has the advantage of being official and logical. After the Eagles and the Swans lets hope we can avoid a three bird roast.
Albion, having appeared in ten FA Cup finals, winning five, have a strong cup tradition but have only ever been League Champions once, in 1920, although in 1931 they did achieve the yet to be repeated double of promotion to the topflight and FA Cup winners. So that's something to aim for.
Post War, Albions most successful periods was around the early 1950’s where the club finished runners up to local rivals Wolves in 53/4, and, having been christened the somewhat hyperbolic “Team of the Century” for their near double winning season, one paper suggested the entire team represent England at the 1954 World Cup! I wonder how far down the League pyramid you would have to go to find a squad that would allow you to make the same suggestion today.
WBA then followed this with a period of cup success in the mid to late 1960’s, winning the last ever two-legged League Cup Final in 1966, losing somewhat surprisingly to the third tier QPR at Wembley the following year and then in 1968 beating Everton 1-0 with a Jeff Astle goal in extra time to win the FA Cup for the final time (to date).
Astle, whose heading prowess was to cost him in later life with the onset of dementia, and the superb awareness campaign engendered by his family that has led to the link between heading and the preponderance of early onset dementia in footballers being properly acknowledged, and adjustments made to the use of heading in junior football, was unlucky to play in a time of an abundance of English striking talent (and Joe Royle), limiting his caps to just five, with no goals.
If Albion were not to hit the high spots with trophies from the seventies onwards, they made waves in other ways. Under Ron Atkinson the club was at the forefront of bringing players of colour into the top of the game. With Cyrille Regis, the late great Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson, later a stalwart of the PFA, Albion had ”the Three Degrees” and the club were at the forefront of anti racism campaigning.
Musically speaking there is one song that Argyle fans won’t hear on Saturday, and one they will hope not to hear.
The reggae hit The Liquidator by Harry J and the All Stars was a firm favourite at the Hawthorns, as well as rivals Wolves, and, in all probability the first to adopt it, Chelsea. Albion eventually dispensed with the song due to the use of offensive lyrics by some fans.
The song Argyle will want to avoid hearing is the somewhat unusual Lord is My Shepherd Psalm 23, which, rather like Captain Pugwash at Fleetwood, is the fans choice for celebrating a goal at the Hawthorns. It was thought at one point to have begun at a Sunday match in the seventies at Everton, but more recently a version of the psalm which was sung in celebration of Johnny Giles, then player manager has gained some credence as its source.
Giles was also the manager, returning for a second spell in charge, in one game that cannot be overlooked previewing any Argyle visit to the Hawthorns. Along with Norman “Bite yer Legs” Hunter and brother-in-law Nobby Stiles, Giles was brought in in 1984 to turn around struggling Division One aside Albion. Their first game was a fifth-round tie against little fancied Argyle, of Division 3. Argyle, on their way to their historic semi-final appearance deservedly won 1-0, a Tynan goal the difference. Giles and his cohort were referred to in the preamble as "The A Team" by local press coverage. Shut up, fool. I love it when a plan comes together.
Giles stabilised the club, but they were relegated the following season and Giles departed.
There are relatively few player connections between the clubs, although Wilf Carter, Trigger and Gordon Nisbet are standouts from the past, along with Hughie Reed, scorer of the most photogenic diving header in Argyle history.
Managerially Albion have fond memories of Gary Megson until his falling out with the then chairman, and less fond memories of Tony Pulis and his functional footballing style. We hear you, Baggies.
In today’s squads, Alex Palmer continues a long tradition of shared good goalies, with the list also including Geoff Barnsley, Paul Barron and Alan Miller (I suppose we could include Nissie in that list too, but I don’t think he would thank me for it). Albion also was the stomping ground of inevitable Argyle thwarter, Wrexham All Stars Circus XI's, Ben Foster for a number of seasons.
On the Argyle teamsheet, Finn Azaz started his career at Albion before following his coach to the Villa Academy set up, so let’s hope the immutable law of the ex holds up.
Albion also have the problem that they have an overseas Chinese owner who seems more interested in taking money out of the club in loans than putting it in, and as a result financially hamstrung Carlos Corboran is the only manager in the EFL who might look wistfully back at Hillsborough and think ….maybe….just maybe. Rumours of takeover plans swirl but their last transfer window was all about getting money in and wage bills down.
So, we hope that Argyle finally hit the heights at the highest ground they visit this season. We await news as to whether Gibson and Cooper are fit enough to play a part, and just maybe we can leave the boing boing baggies with a spring in our step.
COYG….and let’s do it for Ponty!!!!
Boing Boing Baggies (A) October 21st
One of the things we are having to get used to in the exalted level we now cling to is the fact that we get to enjoy international breaks. Fortunately, the latest one has coincided with some other sports having their four yearly shindigs, providing some much-needed entertainment (in the case of the Rugby World Cup) and despair (Buttler's Bottlers amongst other tabloid headlines) as Afghanistan put our only sporting World Champion team to the sword (or should that be pulwar)?
The other thing these enforced breaks give us is a chance to reflect on recent form, current position and potential, and immediate prospects. They are in the classic words of the famous Punch cartoon, “The Curates Egg”, good in parts.
I think the majority of Argyle fans will be feeling we are roughly where we deserve to be as well as about where we expected to be. The frustration is that with a few breaks going our way, things could be a lot better, and until the second half of the Swansea game, we had only been seriously outplayed once and that when fielding more of a second-string side at Bristol City.
The pessimists however will point to a run of one win in six, and two home defeats on the bounce, at our previous stronghold. The other key factor being we have yet to win away from home, and whilst the defeats have been narrow barring Brizzle, they are, none the less, defeats.
You can find all those opinions amply represented in the visit of the Swans in what seems an age ago. Argyle played pleasing football and took a deserved lead after a great ball from Whittaker led to a Hardie cross and a Cundle goal from the rebound. The lesser celebrated of the Swansea exes to enjoy a subdued celebration. And in a tale of the season so far, it could have been better as Hardies snapshot was brilliantly saved to prevent a two-goal cushion.
Sadly, rather than Celebrations it was Argyle’s soft centre that left a bitter taste with yet another close to capacity crowd. As at Hull, Gillespheys failure to deal with a ball on the dead ball line resulted in a couldn’t (and didn't) miss chance for Yates. Then Oli Cooper was granted the freedom of the midfield as our marking disappeared more rapidly than a New Age school homework session, and he advanced to fire a good long ranger past Hazard. The icing on the Welsh cake was another possible breakaway goal that could have been brought back for a foul on Joe 90, although this one was less clear than the Millwall assault on KKH.
Eleven games and eleven points, three from the drop zone (four with our goal difference) and sitting above four teams we would have hoped to and two we would not have expected to, in Stoke and Watford. The deep dive stats say we score enough but concede to many good chances....there are three worse teams than us defensively, but now Boro have rediscovered how to win it is only three....so we need to rediscover how to win as wel
The other side of the international break also reared its head as the managerial dice rolls began. Or in the case of the Wendies, our next visitors to HP, the dice Roehl. Bringing in effectively their third manager of the season, the ex-Southampton, Bayern and German National coach will be asked by owner Chanseri to get a tuna out of his discordant Owls. John Eustace was also, some might feel harshly, disposed of to make way for the managerial colossus that might be Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City. The Brady Bunch have plumped for a man whose managerial career so far is Soccer Aid 2020 (lost), Derby County (avoided relegation on final day of the season but managed it the following one) and finally Washington (missed the play-offs and terminated by mutual consent). Still, Jamie Vardy will be looking forward to seeing his old mucker again.
Argyle resume with one of their shorter trips, to the Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion, with only our twentieth trip to a ground,swhose rarefied atmosphere on balance seems to suit the Greens as it sits in the top half of away grounds for results. Rarefied, as the Hawthorns is the highest above sea level of all Football League and EPL grounds, despite the vegetable fuelled claims of Forest Green, whose fans can point to the New Lawn s OS Map height being shown as higher than that from just outside the Hawthorns. This does give FGR a unique combination of potentially the highest lowest carbon footprint, but as it is FGR and they are a) moving anyway, b) quite possibly exiting the League at the end of the season and c) well Forest Green we are sticking with the Hawthorns being the highest. If FGR do get relegated it become moot, as Buxton has the highest football ground in England at over a thousand feet above sea level. The lowest of the low? Grimsby Town of course. In so many ways.
Whilst we are putting geographical facts to bed, there is no East Bromwich. There is a Castle Bromwich and the name originally derived from Bromwicham, so the West defines the locale from Castle Bromwich. Politically however, there is, just to add to the confusion a West Bromwich East and a West Bromwich West…but no North or South. I am beginning to wonder if the sat-navs will work in this part of the Midlands, so maybe pack a compass and theodolite just in case. Or take a Boy Scout.
The club itself was not always Albion, however. Initially, formed by a group of workers from George Salters Spring Works (and no somewhat surprisingly, that isn’t where the boing boing comes from) they were known as West Bromwich Strollers. Having had to borrow a ball for their first game, the players went to nearby Wednesbury for their matches where they could purchase a ball, and played on a triangular patch where three other local sides also played. Therefore, transporting a portable goal they stayed as the Strollers until 1880 when they adopted the name Albion, after a local district where several players resided. Appropriately enough given this weekend’s game, Albion was in an area also known as Greets Green. How welcoming.
Having joined the Birmingham & District League, and then won the Staffordshire Cup, the club became founder members of the Football League in 1888. By then they had already reached three FA Cup Finals, finally winning at the third attempt in 1888 when they beat the much-fancied Preston North End. By doing so they then competed in a World Championship match, which they lost to Scottish side Renton. The Scottish club, which folded in 1922 after failing to turn up for a Scottish Cup tie, won the match 4-1 and the trophy, the de facto World Championship given how localised organised football was at that time, is on display at the Hampden Park football museum.
Albion became one of the twelve founder members of the league but were quite speedily relegated at the end of 1901 by which time the club had located to its permanent home of The Hawthorns. It is from this naming of the ground, after discovering it was a site of the plant originally when the club took the lease, that led to the adoption of the clubs nickname of the Throstles.
Although today the club by and large uses the Baggies as its nickname the club has always been associated with the Throstle, or song thrush, with the bird frequently featuring on its crest. Argyle will be hoping in the light of recent opponents that the threat level is diminishing having played Terriers, Hornets, Eagles, Tigers, Lions and Swans (and even the Rovers we played claimed to Wild). To be fair, the idea of a Swan breaking your arm is something of a myth, but as we saw last game second half, they can break your hearts. Given the downward trending threat level of opponents I am sure Argyle were hoping for their midweek fixture next week to be the Miami Dolphins rather than night-time hunters, the Owls.
The idea of the Baggies as a nickname has multiple potential sources, none of which have been proven conclusively. So it either came from the existence of “bagmen” who collected the admission pennies from the crowds at early games ( the preferred option of renowned club historian and as proprietor of Sports Programmes, the late Tony Matthews, a man who received more than his fair share of my student grant), from the loose or baggy clothing worn by the ironworkers from the local factories, or from the moleskin trousers worn by workers with a belt rather than braces, which tended to be at half mast, and prompted a Villa wag to call out “here come the Baggies of Bromwich” as they arrived for a fixture. Finally, local workers used a material called duck, which was snow white for their work trousers, and as they discoloured and tore, the repairs resembled bags of flour, and hence, once again, the Baggies.
So, Throstles at least has the advantage of being official and logical. After the Eagles and the Swans lets hope we can avoid a three bird roast.
Albion, having appeared in ten FA Cup finals, winning five, have a strong cup tradition but have only ever been League Champions once, in 1920, although in 1931 they did achieve the yet to be repeated double of promotion to the topflight and FA Cup winners. So that's something to aim for.
Post War, Albions most successful periods was around the early 1950’s where the club finished runners up to local rivals Wolves in 53/4, and, having been christened the somewhat hyperbolic “Team of the Century” for their near double winning season, one paper suggested the entire team represent England at the 1954 World Cup! I wonder how far down the League pyramid you would have to go to find a squad that would allow you to make the same suggestion today.
WBA then followed this with a period of cup success in the mid to late 1960’s, winning the last ever two-legged League Cup Final in 1966, losing somewhat surprisingly to the third tier QPR at Wembley the following year and then in 1968 beating Everton 1-0 with a Jeff Astle goal in extra time to win the FA Cup for the final time (to date).
Astle, whose heading prowess was to cost him in later life with the onset of dementia, and the superb awareness campaign engendered by his family that has led to the link between heading and the preponderance of early onset dementia in footballers being properly acknowledged, and adjustments made to the use of heading in junior football, was unlucky to play in a time of an abundance of English striking talent (and Joe Royle), limiting his caps to just five, with no goals.
If Albion were not to hit the high spots with trophies from the seventies onwards, they made waves in other ways. Under Ron Atkinson the club was at the forefront of bringing players of colour into the top of the game. With Cyrille Regis, the late great Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson, later a stalwart of the PFA, Albion had ”the Three Degrees” and the club were at the forefront of anti racism campaigning.
Musically speaking there is one song that Argyle fans won’t hear on Saturday, and one they will hope not to hear.
The reggae hit The Liquidator by Harry J and the All Stars was a firm favourite at the Hawthorns, as well as rivals Wolves, and, in all probability the first to adopt it, Chelsea. Albion eventually dispensed with the song due to the use of offensive lyrics by some fans.
The song Argyle will want to avoid hearing is the somewhat unusual Lord is My Shepherd Psalm 23, which, rather like Captain Pugwash at Fleetwood, is the fans choice for celebrating a goal at the Hawthorns. It was thought at one point to have begun at a Sunday match in the seventies at Everton, but more recently a version of the psalm which was sung in celebration of Johnny Giles, then player manager has gained some credence as its source.
Giles was also the manager, returning for a second spell in charge, in one game that cannot be overlooked previewing any Argyle visit to the Hawthorns. Along with Norman “Bite yer Legs” Hunter and brother-in-law Nobby Stiles, Giles was brought in in 1984 to turn around struggling Division One aside Albion. Their first game was a fifth-round tie against little fancied Argyle, of Division 3. Argyle, on their way to their historic semi-final appearance deservedly won 1-0, a Tynan goal the difference. Giles and his cohort were referred to in the preamble as "The A Team" by local press coverage. Shut up, fool. I love it when a plan comes together.
Giles stabilised the club, but they were relegated the following season and Giles departed.
There are relatively few player connections between the clubs, although Wilf Carter, Trigger and Gordon Nisbet are standouts from the past, along with Hughie Reed, scorer of the most photogenic diving header in Argyle history.
Managerially Albion have fond memories of Gary Megson until his falling out with the then chairman, and less fond memories of Tony Pulis and his functional footballing style. We hear you, Baggies.
In today’s squads, Alex Palmer continues a long tradition of shared good goalies, with the list also including Geoff Barnsley, Paul Barron and Alan Miller (I suppose we could include Nissie in that list too, but I don’t think he would thank me for it). Albion also was the stomping ground of inevitable Argyle thwarter, Wrexham All Stars Circus XI's, Ben Foster for a number of seasons.
On the Argyle teamsheet, Finn Azaz started his career at Albion before following his coach to the Villa Academy set up, so let’s hope the immutable law of the ex holds up.
Albion also have the problem that they have an overseas Chinese owner who seems more interested in taking money out of the club in loans than putting it in, and as a result financially hamstrung Carlos Corboran is the only manager in the EFL who might look wistfully back at Hillsborough and think ….maybe….just maybe. Rumours of takeover plans swirl but their last transfer window was all about getting money in and wage bills down.
So, we hope that Argyle finally hit the heights at the highest ground they visit this season. We await news as to whether Gibson and Cooper are fit enough to play a part, and just maybe we can leave the boing boing baggies with a spring in our step.
COYG….and let’s do it for Ponty!!!!
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