Well when i heard the news this morning i was shocked but happy. I didn;t think Peace would act so quickly. It's for the best though before an air of negativity really sets into the club - something we have tried to shrug off the last few years. It's good management by Peace to act so decisively. Robson didn't have much of a clue when it came to tactics - proven by Saturday. By playing Ellington and Phillips up front, it meant that we couldn't play long ball which we seem to be fond of when Hartson is playing. Therefore, with two frontmen who aren't going to hold the ball, we needed to play through the midfield, thus requiring a ballplayer so why did he pick Wallwork and Quashie in the middle? Koumas should have been given the 1st hour if he wasn't fully fit but the game could have been won in that hour. To round it off, when Duke got injured he replaced him with Koumas - a striker for a midfielder - a negative change. Why didn't he bring Hartson and tell him to hold the ball up and defend from the front? We were 1-0 up at home to a team pointless away from home this season and he acted so negatively! This of course is only the tip of the iceberg with Robsob, he continuosly made poor decisions regarding tactics and team selection, he got us relegated and we haven't played in a very long time. He had to go and i congratulate Peace but we must remember that it was Peace who appointed him and should shoulder some of the blame. He can make it up though by replacing Robson with Alan Curbishley.
Re: Robson goes YES YES YES. I was considering starting a "robson out!" thread after the Southend match. Peace, being the smart businessman, realised that the malaise which has infected Albion fans can be traced back to the inability of Robson to get the most out of his players. Appoint the right man, and we will bounce back up. The crowds will be back, and excited, at the Hawthorns. Curbs seems like the man Albion fans are clamouring for - the best man without a job at the moment. I'll wait and see, however, who other potential manager applicants might be.
Re: Robson goes BBC and other sources have reported that Curbishley is not interested in the Albion job. That is unfortunate news as he was likely the best man amongst currently unemployed managers. I wonder who the other possible candidates will be.
Re: Robson goes Just saw on Teamtalk some of the odds (per bet365) on who our new manager will be. Some interesting names, to say the least: Steve Cotterill (Burnley) 9/2 Nigel Pearson 5/1 Alan Curbishley 11/2 Dave Jones(?!) (Cardiff) 16/1
Re: Robson goes Ladbrokes have 6/4 Steve Cotterill 6 Mike Newell 7 Nigel Pearson 8 Alan Curbishley 8 Alex McLeish 10 Lawrie Sanchez 14 David O'Leary 14 David Platt 14 Graeme Souness 16 Peter Reid 20 Brian Kerr 20 Glenn Hoddle 20 Kevin Keegan 20 M Wadsworth 33 Alan Shearer 33 Claudio Ranieri 33 Mark McGhee 50 Gary Megson 50 George Graham 50 J Ward 50 Jamie Redknapp 100 Sven Goran Eriksson
Re: Robson goes Much more comprehensive list, and no mention of that prat Dave Jones. Of that list, I don't want Pearson, I don't want Megs back, and I don't want anyone who's had recent unsuccessful spells at our Midlands rivals (Hoddle & O'Bleary).
Re: Robson goes According to the ever-reliable Sun, the Albion were to meet with Hibernian manager Tony Mowbray Tuesday for our managerial opening. Swindon's Dennis Wise might also be one of our targets apparently.
Re: Robson goes The BBC reported today that Coventry have turned down our approach to try to hire Micky Adams away from the Sky Blues to fill our open managerial position. Furthermore Hibs boss Tony Mowbray has denied any contact regarding the Albion job. It's a bit frustrating to see various rumours rejected by the various parties involved. Could it have something to do with the bad reputation of our club? Possibly the reputation of our chairman? I'm sure Mr Peace doesn't believe that.
Re: Robson goes / Albion's new manager Bet 365 have Dave Jones and Steve Cotterill as top two favourites to be named Albion manager. To be honest, however, I'm not sure why those two men would consider leaving their current jobs just at the moment. Why would Jones could leave the club that is pulling ahead of the pack at the top of the Championship? Furthermore, I'm not sure how Cotterill could leave Burnley either, given their position at the moment. The Clarets are playing very well, and he might relish the challenge of taking them up instead of us.
Well Steve Tilson is the favourite apparently. Maybe he could bring Freddie Eastwood with him in the transfer window?
According to Teamtalk, Norwich City have been denied permission to talk to Tilson for their managerial opening. I think it would be the same for us if we'd made an approach as well. Our problem - and possibly a problem for Leeds and Norwich as well - seems to be that the moment a rumour surfaces about our seeking someone already employed at another club, that the club and the man in question move quickly to quash the rumour. It's happened these past two weeks with Mowbray, Cotterill, Jones and now Tilson.
I watched the local news today and they are claiming that Tony Mowbray is a done deal. For a t.v station to say so takes some guts as it hasn't been confirmed so i guess we have our new man! All i've heard of Hibs is that they play good football - and Albion have a tradition of footballing sides - except for the last few years!
I've only read that we've approached Hibs seeking permission, but if the local news there is willing to confirm, perhaps it should be close. Still, he has to be our primary candidate at the moment. It would be great to bring him in before we play Ipswich Saturday.
It seems likely Mowbray will be the new man at WBA. He has had Hibs playing some great football, but he runs them very much like a youth team, performance over results at times it seems. Hibs have been good, but very inconsistant. They can win big games against the old firm and Hearts, but can't beat Inverness. I don't know how he'll handle a Premiership chasing side.
Our lack of results can be tied to poor performances, so if Mowbray is the man - as it appears is the case - then perhaps he might be the man to do the job at Albion. In the Championship, about half the league has the potential to finish top six so there are more than a few big games for us - beyond just the two West Midlands derbies. It sounds like Mowbray's willing to face this challenge.
As we all know by now it's been made official... Mowbray is in. And while he will have left Hibs just days before the Edinburgh derby, it appears his first official match as Albion boss will be the Black Country derby a week Sunday. (So obviously Pearson will still be selecting the team at Ipswich and Palace.) In fact, as I indicated in the Ipswich match thread, Mowbray's first three matches will be home to W***es, home to Arsenal in the Carling Cup and then Blues at St. Andrews. Baptism of fire, to say the least.
It appears Mark Venus will be leaving Hibs to join Mowbray as one of his assistants. A few Albion fans on some of the other message boards appear not to be too happy about this, given that Venus spent most of his footballing career wearing gold & black for a certain club. Personally, while I would hate to see someone like Keith Curle becoming an assistant or coach at Albion, I don't necessarily see what's wrong with Venus coming in to do the job. Then again, I'd only begun following Albion after Venus had left the Wolves, so I've no idea of the history we have with him.