BAGGIE SHORTS BAGGIE WEST BROMWICH ALBION SHORTS BAGGIE LONDON SUPPORTERS CLUB ISSUE 16 And so another season in the Champi- to fill our 16-seater minibus. In a similar onship it is then…although this time I vein, normal branch meetings are now want to talk about us! sparsely attended so I will be discussing how we might develop new models of contents As a branch we now have nearly 150 connecting and meeting up (perhaps members. I raise this because we have using technology) at the forthcoming seen other supporters’ clubs in decline: AGM on the 24th July at the Horseshoe Stoke City’s prominent London Branch Pub in Farringdon. has recently folded, and other geo- graphically-based Albion supporters’ We have responded by changing our clubs are witnessing declining numbers focus onto special events involving for- 03 14 coupled with ageing memberships. mer players and Albion icons. Only last Whilst we have bucked this trend month we had a wonderful evening with we should not rest on our laurels as I the great Laurie Rampling reminiscing View from the 10 An Evening with believe we can still reach a wider and about his times as photographer at the Chair Laurie Rampling younger group of Albion fans in the Albion. We’ve also had recent visits Steve Watts Aidan Rose region and involve them in our branch. from Dean Kiely and Brendon Batson. FA Youth Cup Semi To complement these events we have 04 Final Match Report 18 Patrick Fahey view from the chair Letter from the Hull City Editors 11 Match Report I reflected on why we have managed also launched the Albion banner in the Aidan Rose Chris Douglas to increase our numbers in this chal- East Stand and have produced our own A Plate, a Promotion, lenging environment. I believe that London Baggies’ Oyster card/credit 06 and a Cup Final 22 as a group we have always attempted card holders to publicise the branch Lana Moseby to stay in tune with what people want and to create that sense of belonging and have always attempted to give to something special. I believe all of Youth Cup 69 Q&A with Dave our members leeway to use their skills this has been noticed by Albion (the Jon Want Statham and bring fresh and new ideas to the club) and our current profile is giving us Aidan Rose branch. My thanks to everyone who is better access and status. (or has been) involved in delivering our success. I’m sure I’ve missed many other things to be proud of but not least we have this When the London Baggies was resur- wonderful and beautifully produced E-mail us at: [email protected] rected under Paul Mason many years magazine for the London Baggies, @LondonBaggies ago, the focus was on group travel in which we make available to the wider We always appreciate submissions, from match relatively large numbers (certainly com- Albion fan base. My final message it reports and photos to op-eds and think pieces. @LondonBaggies pared to nowadays). With the ending that we have moved with the times and of group travel discounts this became we will need to continue to do so to re- The Baggie Shorts Team: West Bromwich Albion much more problematical, and how main relevant and vibrant as a branch. Aidan Rose Paul Probyn Supporters Club London branch travel has changed is exem- Glenn Hess Anoushka Probyn Branch plified by the disappointing numbers COYB taking up the minibus option for the Photographs by Laurie Rampling W londonbaggies.com Steve Watts, Chairman, London Baggies Artwork by Dan Brammal and Tim Spiridonov Derby game – we simply weren’t going 03 performance from a threadbare youngsters who did so well in team. Thanks, Albion, for the 1969 and produced several of flags. Such a nice gesture, just our greats. Patrick Fahey reports a letter like the generic scarves at Palace on the great achievement of this and the summer temperature year’s youth team who put up Carlsberg. a fine fight against new money up the road on the M6. We are from the editors The British establishment cer- delighted that Lana Moseby tainly knows how to protect its highlights the massive achieve- own interests and future-proof ments of the women’s side. This First of all as we go to press, we For the last game of the league itself. Albion’s defeat to the part of the Albion is massively at Baggie Shorts Towers extend season we hired a minibus to take Villa is a case in point. In most under-reported and we want to a very warm welcome to new us to Derby for the early kick-off. tournaments a two-legged 2-2 redress that. head coach, Slaven Bilić, and his The wonderful Antonio took us draw would be decided on away assistants, Dean and Danilo. to the away bus park where we goals but not in the Champion- We also have a showcase of the were greeted by a copper who ship playoffs. The reason is that work of the finest photographer We will publish a couple of ex- looked so young he couldn’t be following Ipswich’s defeats on in football, Laurie Rampling, who tended features about Slaven charged with impersonating a the away goals rule in 1997 and came to tell great stories to Lon- and his new setup in the next police officer. He politely asked 1999 against teams that finished don Baggies in April. issue. The appointments have us to leave our pyrotechnics, below them in the league the been a long time coming but let’s alcohol and drugs on the bus. rule was changed. We have had several highly en- hope they can attract top players He took a closer look at us pre- tertaining evenings with reveal- to rebuild the squad, play some dominately old fogeys and said, The instigator was the Old Eto- ing stories this season so make half-decent football and maybe “I don’t know why I am bothering nian Ipswich chairman, David sure you come along to these win a trophy sometime soon. with you.” So, to brunch. Brexit Sheepshanks CBE, who used events in the future. Added to which his style of play Dave had the full English. Max his position as chairman of the is the antithesis of that forced on maxed on milkshake. Where was Football League to rescind the Our Tiger friend reports on his us by Pulis and Pardew. Nigel Farage when you wanted rule. This will have come as a visit to The Hawthorns and tells him? Bottles of Doombar were matter of delight to similarly us about the woes at the so- Fingers crossed for a new era, a frightening £9.99. The less self entitled Old Etonians, David called KCOM Stadium. The Q we can only hope that the top said about the rest of the day the Cameron and Prince William and A subject is one left-sided D management will give him the better. who, we guess, were nowhere to Statham who lives in Spain. No, support that he needs. Also, be seen at The Hawthorns. not that one. we say a fond farewell to Jimmy The second leg of the playoffs Shan. He was a loyal servant who was memorable for the fantastic Our final edition of the season Enjoy. served the club in many capaci- atmosphere, four renditions of looks beyond the first team to ties and we wish him well for the Liquidator (when will the Hal- our youth and women’s teams. Aidan Rose future. fords join in?) and a tremendous Jon Want looks back to the 04 05 as the regular right back in the appearance for Albion, making Don Howe years until he was his senior debut for Shrewsbury replaced by Paddy Mulligan Town in 1971 before moving to FA Youth Cup - and moved to Hull City in 1976. Manchester United a year later. What you may not know is that the nearly men of he started his football career as a He became a regular for a strug- goalkeeper and was between the gling United side but broke his sticks for Albion in the 1969 Youth leg in December 1974 and, after Cup Final. breaking it again playing for the reserves, he would never play for Sunderland were the opposition the Red Devils first team again. and, in the first leg at home, the He went on to play for Sunderland Baggies strolled to a 3-0 win and and Coventry and also had spells seemed to be on their way to the in the NASL with Miami Toros and trophy; but the Black Cats won Detroit Express. the second leg 6-0 to take the aggregate victory. Holton’s central defensive partner that day was a certain Alistair You might think that those six Robertson. Born in West Lothi- goals were the reason Nisbet con- an, Ally Rob signed for Albion in verted to full-back, but he actually 1968 and would go on to play Jon Want69 looks back at Albion’s star-studded youth team of 1969 made his debut for Albion in goal for the club more than 600 times, in August 1969 in a 3-1 defeat to forming a formidable partnership The youth set-up at the Hawthorns win over Wolverhampton Wan- Coventry City at Highfield Road. with John Wile. has come into the spotlight re- derers. cently, not only because of the He obviously didn’t impress and He made his first team debut in likes of Sam Field, Rekeem Harp- While that is the only time that the didn’t make his second appear- a 2-1 home win over Manchester er and Kyle Edwards beginning Baggies have lifted the trophy, it ance for another two years, when United in October 1969 but didn’t to get more time in the first team, was their third FA Youth Cup Final, he reappeared on the team sheet become a regular until the 1971- but also because of the Under 18 having also achieved that feat in at right-back in December 1971, 72 season.