Posts: 4,271
Threads: 432
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
22
Had an interesting conversation earlier on about the honouring of former players; obviously I think it's great and absolutely fitting that Bomber and Jeff Astle are both now immortalised outside the ground, and we're soon to see the Three Degrees commemorated in the town centre too, but are there other legends being missed out in the process, and how do we decide who should be officially honoured at the ground?
Does Ronnie Allen deserve some kind of permanent memorial?
If the Halfords were to be redone and then renamed, who should it be named after? Or should it just remain the West Stand?
Are there other old heroes you'd want to see honoured, or is it best being reserved for those exceptional servants of the club?
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley
Posts: 1,176
Threads: 91
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
2
(06-11-2014, 19:50)meandbrenarebaggies Wrote: Absolutely chuffed to Naffi breaks with the statue. Have just watched all four parts of the Tony Brown story on Youtube. He is my football history... simple as that. Laconic, understated brilliance. This is what real football is about not all this money-centric *****cks that surrounds us today. COYB.
Watched all four parts too.....................
I also agree when he said that the 60's side was so exciting to watch and I for one, was privileged to be a regular at the Hawthorns in that era. We had so many heroes in that late 60's side.
Chippy Clarke, Bobby Hope, Graham Williams, Dougie Fraser, John Kaye, John Talbut ...could go on and on!
Some days I'm top dog, most days I'm just the lamp post.
Posts: 2,839
Threads: 82
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
7
Good point Ska'd.
IMO to be commemorated like this the player needs to have had not just a long career with us but shown that little bit more of a commitment - don't really know how 'it' could be measured exactly but maybe it's someone who really epitomised the club and what it stands for......also maybe beyond their playing years too.
Bobby Hope and John Wile both spring to mind with these qualities to me
Posts: 2,210
Threads: 156
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
2
07-11-2014, 16:50
(This post was last modified: 07-11-2014, 16:51 by Salopbaggie.)
Does this pose look familiar?
[attachment=55]
Click to enlarge
Posts: 4,271
Threads: 432
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
22
I'd initially thought the statue was based on the volley against Valencia in December '78, but looking at that picture, the opponents in the background are wearing white (as opposed to Valencia's yellow and red stripes). Is it the record-breaking goal he scored against Leeds earlier that season?
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley
Posts: 341
Threads: 2
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
1
We were lucky enough to get tickets for this event and stood outside in the biting wind looking forward to the occasion. I was disappointed by the lack of thought by West Brom towards their fans.
- There could have been far more tickets available because there was loads of room - people without tickets were allowed in because of this.
- The positioning of the barriers could have been far better thought through – space for the Press blocked the view of fans.
- Adrian Chiles and others, stood behind the rows of official chairs, totally blocking the view of the fans in our area as Bomber delivered his speech. The problem was obvious as Chiles indicated such but nobody moved to one side, presumably because they’d been told to stand there! Surely, it doesn’t take a genius to organise something as simple as positioning barriers so people can see the person they’ve come to thank.
Bomber truly deserves to have a statue in his honour - it's a brilliant piece of art that is fitting for such a fantastic player. Bomber being Bomber, acknowledged the fans and his love for the Albion in such a sincere way, and regardless of the above, it was a privilege to say, 'I was there'.
Posts: 2,210
Threads: 156
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
2
(07-11-2014, 17:22)Ska Wrote: I'd initially thought the statue was based on the volley against Valencia in December '78, but looking at that picture, the opponents in the background are wearing white (as opposed to Valencia's yellow and red stripes). Is it the record-breaking goal he scored against Leeds earlier that season?
Don't worry Ska, you are quite right the game was against Valencia. The white you can see is just a trick of the light and was actually the white strip on the inside of the arm of a West Brom player, Bryan Robson I think.
Posts: 4,271
Threads: 432
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
22
Ah, I've looked at it again and you can definitely see yellow and red on the shirt of the player on the right-hand side. Yep, Valencia it is! I notice they opted not to recreate Bomber's famous tongue-twisting on the statue, though!
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley
Posts: 2,839
Threads: 82
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
7
(07-11-2014, 18:18)Ska Wrote: Ah, I've looked at it again and you can definitely see yellow and red on the shirt of the player on the right-hand side. Yep, Valencia it is! I notice they opted not to recreate Bomber's famous tongue-twisting on the statue, though!
...yeh - it's not really Bomber without that famous tongue swerve is it?!! 
Posts: 115
Threads: 11
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
2
I agree with acknowledging great Players of the past,but we shouldn't forget the influence of people like Sir Bert Millichip who contributed just as much off the field as the Players on it!
"Sir Frederick Albert "Bert" Millichip (5 August 1914 – 18 December 2002) was an English association footballer best known for his sometimes controversial contributions to the administration of the game.
Raised in the West Midlands and educated at Solihull School in Solihull, Millichip played for the third team of West Bromwich Albion in the years before World War II. During the war, he served in North Africa, Canada, Sicily and Italy, rising from an enlisted man to the rank of captain.
On demobilisation in 1945, he returned to his solicitor's practice and became a director of West Bromwich Albion. He took on the role of chairman in 1974 when the club was failing to make progress in the Second Division under manager Don Howe. Under Millichip's chairmanship, the club re-established itself in the First Division and recruited talented and energetic manager Ron Atkinson, building a team that was among the most exciting in English football circa 1980. It was during this time that West Bromwich Albion were the first club to field simultaneously three black players. The young talented three, Brendon Batson, Laurie Cunningham and Cyrille Regis, made a huge impression and became known as the Three Degrees, in comparison to the vocal trio of the same name.
In 1981, Millichip was elected chairman of The Football Association at the start of a period during which the English game was to be rocked by a succession of crises including the Heysel Stadium disaster, the Hillsborough disaster, growing problems of hooliganism, the national team's repeated international failure and the founding of the Premier League. His vacillation over the appointment of Terry Venables as manager of the national team, when the latter was under investigation and criticism for his business dealings, led journalist Brian Glanville to dub him Bert the inert.
He retired from the FA in 1996 but maintained an active interest. In 1950 he married Joan Brown. They had a son and a daughter. His son, Peter Millichip, who also followed his father into law, was also an ardent fan of West Bromwich Albion. He was a close friend of Sir Bobby Robson, and as Sir Bobby entered his final years, they worked together to establish the Sir Bobby Robson Football Academy, in Birmingham".
|
