Tim Joyner* is our second Baggie from WBAzone.com
He was also a Sunderland fan, but only for one afternoon…
Sunderland first came to my attention as an 11-year-old back in 1973 when I watched the FA Cup Final against Leeds. As a young lad and a fanatical football fan FA Cup Final day was always a big event and I’d always choose a team to support for the Final.
Having always had an affinity for the underdog, I became a Sunderland fan for the day and vividly recall the match even now, the goal by Porterfield, Montgomery’s unbelievable saves and Bob Stokoe running onto the pitch.
That apart I must admit to not having really followed Sunderland’s fortunes too closely, there are the links with Super Kev, Kilbane and of course Don Goodman who was a very popular player at The Hawthorns and who still appears at Albion supporters functions now and then, and even more recently our former defender Paul McShane, a popular player with Albion fans.
Off the pitch your former manager Denis Smith had a spell as Albion manager during the late 1990’s and actually did a reasonable job considering the lack of any real finance available for team building during his spell in charge.
And now your questions:
Q1: Were you surprised to go up, and are you surprised to be where you are now?
I don’t think any Albion supporters were surprised at our promotion last season, we came very close to achieving promotion the previous season, narrowly losing the Play Off Final at Wembley against Derby. While our defensive frailties were, and still are, a major concern to Albion supporters our attacking play was outstanding and we deservedly won the Championship title in what was a hugely enjoyable season in which we also got to the Semi-Final stage of the FA Cup.
As for this season, Yes I am surprised to see us 8 points adrift from safety. While very few Albion fans were expecting anything other than a very tough season back in the Premiership, hopes were high that the squad was capable of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship with most of us very confident of finishing ahead of both Hull and Stoke who came up with us last season. Until our home defeat by Newcastle on 7 February there was genuine hope and optimism that we might avoid relegation and we went into that game with high hopes of a home victory having only lost one of our previous five Premiership home matches (and that against Manchester United) and gained a point at Hull the previous week with a good performance.
Since the hugely disappointing Newcastle defeat we have gained 3 points from the 21 points available and, despite an encouraging performance at Fratton Park against Portsmouth in a 2-2 draw on Easter Saturday, we are all now reconciled to Championship football next season.
Understandably, there is currently a downbeat feel among our support with many supporters questioning both the Board and Team Management. However, even at this stage of the season, with relegation a virtual certainty, there has been no vociferous dissent at any of our matches against either the Chairman or Team Manager. Having said that there are now a number of Albion fans openly calling for the managers dismissal on various Albion fan sites, although they appear to still be in a minority.
From a personal perspective I think the progress and improvements in the clubs infrastructure undertaken by our Board of Directors over the past 10 years deserves applause and without the benefit of outside finance the club continues to be run on a sound business like basis. There is no evidence to suggest we are likely to suffer the financial difficulties incurred by numerous other clubs and for this Jeremy Peace our Chairman deserves credit in my opinion.
As for Tony Mowbray, while his “Messiah” like status has obviously taken a “hit” he retains my own support and if, as I suspect, he takes on board the errors made this season, then I expect him to guide the club to a top six finish next season if not automatic promotion.
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