But he may need a whole lot Moore
TONY HAS LUKE ON HIS SIDE
by AIDAN MAGEE
TONY MOWBRAY knows West Brom have been up and down between the top two divisions like a loose woman's underwear in the last few years.
On two occasions earlier in the decade the Baggies became perhaps the ultimate yo-yo club as they fought their way out of the Championship only to soon find themselves back there.
They have spent years fighting to gain a footing in the big time and illustrate more graphically just what has to be done to settle in the Premier League.
Even when they survived the first season of their second attempt they went down the following year as Bryan Robson quickly ran out of ideas.
West Brom were — and still are — a well-run club who at times seemed like they belonged in a separate league somewhere between the top two divisions. Sure, their fans believe their team is in a league of its own but that is not exactly what chairman Jeremy Peace has in mind.
Mowbray delivered automatic promotion this time round after undeservedly losing out to Derby in last year’s Wembley play-off final.
The difference now is that the former Celtic defender is prepared to virtually start again with a blank canvas as he tries to finally lay some top flight roots for Albion.
A criticism of previous managers was that they placed too much faith in the players who got them up. They were seen as having the right qualities to get them to the top level, but were clearly not good enough to keep them there.
In years gone by much was expected of players like Jason Roberts, Lee Hughes and Darren Moore but they all left the Hawthorns with their top league ambitions unfulfilled.
Even Robson went all soppy when his side pulled off an incredible escape act in 2005 and retained limited performers like Thomas Gaardsoe and Geoff Horsfield.
Mowbray, however, looks to be learning lessons from his predecessors. Out have gone two stalwarts of previous spells in the Premier League — Zoltan Gera and Martin Albrechtsen. They weren’t quite good enough last time, so why would anything have changed?
The Baggies have also said thank you and good night to top scorer Kevin Phillips, which was unpopular among many punters who had marvelled at his ability to find the net.
The signing of Scott Carson, meanwhile, suggests Dean Kiely’s role next season will be restricted despite his many years of experience in the big time with Charlton.
Another fact not lost on supporters was that the club seemed reluctant to spend big on previous forays into the Premier League.
Perhaps the example of financial meltdown at Bradford City, Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday at the time had emphasised the value of good housekeeping.
However, it did not solve their problem of going up and then coming straight back down again.
This time though, Albion have splashed the cash afforded them by the latest TV deal by spending nearly £6million bringing in Luke Moore (above) from Aston Villa and Kim Do-Heon from South Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
They have also made Roman Bednar’s loan move from Hearts permanent and spent £3.2m in recruiting Gianni Zuiverloon from Dutch side Heerenveen.
It is often said that managers of smaller clubs get together with their backroom staff at the start of each season and try to work out where they are going to get 10 wins from.
As such, the Midlands club are starting at same level and with the same problems to solve as when they first came up from the Championship in 2002.
In fact, it’s even harder. They still have to find a way of bridging the gulf in class between the divisions, except now the gap is wider than it ever was.
It might just be that the slick football developed under Mowbray might be enough for them to pass their way around many of the teams at the lower end of the Premier League.
These changes are no guarantee of survival and they still have an incredible battle on their hands, but West Brom and Mowbray are least giving it a go.
The Baggies have been tentatively linked with a foreign takeover and if a well managed club can add Premier League football to their list of attributes then they will be attractive to speculators.
As with most sides, their fate depends on how well they fair in the mini-league near the bottom of the table.
KEY TRANSFERS
IN: Scott Carson (Liverpool, right) £3.25m; Gianni Zuiverloon (Heerenveen) est. £3.2m; Luke Moore (Aston Villa) £3m; Roman Bednar (Hearts) £2.3m; Marek Cech (Porto) £1.4m.
OUT: Kevin Phillips (Birmingham) free; Zoltan Gera (Fulham) free.
SCORE PREDICTION: 18th
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