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Tag: West Brom

  • Patel takes over West Brom as new chairman

    Patel takes over West Brom as new chairman

    Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father have completed a deal to take control of West Brom.

    The takeover of the Championship club, worth a reported £60m, to acquire Guochuan Lai’s 87.8 per cent majority shareholding was approved by the EFL earlier in February.

    A statement from West Brom read: “Bilkul Football WBA, LLC – a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran C. Patel – has acquired an 87.8 per cent shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club.

    “The takeover, which received EFL approval earlier this month, completed on Wednesday afternoon.”

    Shilen Patel, who has owned a minority shareholding in Serie A club Bologna since 2014, has been named as the new Baggies chairman.

    Read Also: West Brom prepare for Semi Ajayi’s absence over AFCON

    He said: “I am delighted and humbled to become the new custodian of West Bromwich Albion Football Club.

    “Today marks the beginning of an exciting project for the club to regain its standing as a consistent Premier League presence.

    “Success does not occur overnight, but it is my ambition to build on the club’s current and historical strengths and surround West Bromwich Albion with high quality stakeholders at home and globally.

    “I am also fortunate to be inheriting and continuing the great work of The Albion Foundation at home and abroad.

    “I am in awe of the opportunity to help write the next chapter in Baggies history and am committed to being a responsible, respectful, and effective steward of the club.”

    West Brom sit fifth in the Sky Bet Championship table with 12 games to play.

  • Ajayi, Etebo shine as West Brom, Stoke City seal victories

     

    Super Eagles duo of Semi Ajayi and Oghenekaro Etebo were not on target on Saturday, but the two Nigerians who were in 90 minutes action for their English Championship sides, West Brom and Stoke City, contributed in no small measure as the clubs won in style.

    While Ajayi’s West Brom went on a goal rampage flooring Cardiff 4-2, Etebo’s Stoke ran away with a 2-1   victory over Swansea City playing away notwithstanding.

    But for Danny Ward who grabbed consolation  brace for visiting  Cardiff, West Brom were on the verge of stepping off the pitch with four goals and three points in the kitty.

    Although  Stoke got baptism of fire conceding in the first minute of the match thanks to Ghana international André Ayew,  Etebo and  his teammates rather than getting demoralised by the early goal, saw it as a challenge battling their hosts all the way.

    Stoke City ace Oghenakaro Etebo

    The fight to the finish approached paid off in the 22nd and 90th minutes respectively as Sam Clucas and Scott Hogan found the net.

    West Brom will next take on Middleborough while Stock Welcome Fulham. Interestingly Ajayi and Etebo will be missing those matches billed for next Saturday, having been named in super Eagles squad to face Samba Boys of Brazil in faraway Singapore on October 13.

  • Semi Ajayi Savours 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers

     

    Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi sang victory song on Saturday as West Brom beat homers Queens Park Rangers 0-2 in the English Championship.

    The Nigeria international was in action for full 90 minutes doing the clearing job to ensure that Park Rangers never recovered playing at home in front of their vociferous fans notwithstanding.

    Homeboy and fellow defender Nathan Ferguson shot West Brom into the lead in the 53rd minute of the match with Matheus Pereira doubling the lead just with six minutes to the end of the match. The victory takes West Brom’s unbeaten run to nine in a row.

    West Brom goal scorer against QPR Nathan Ferguson

    On duty for Queens Park Rangers were two players of Nigerian origin Ebere Eze and Bright Osayi-Samuel who played for 70 and 20 minutes respectively and put in their best which unfortunately could not stop Ajayi and teammates from running away with vital away win.

    Ajayi has been named in Coach Gernot Rohr’s team to face the Samba Boys of Brazil in an international friendly October 10.

  • Craziest transfer deadline dramas: Odemwingie 2013 re-echoes

     

    With less than 24 hours to the close of transfer window in England, analysts and stakeholders have intensified permutations, while some have gone memory lane to compare and contrast.

    Interestingly former Super Eagles striker Peter Odemwingie’s ill-fated transfer to Queens Park Rangers from West Brom in 2013 topped what has been dubbed craziest deadline day dramas. The Nigerian international who quit the game early this year after last featuring for Indonesian side Madura United, had gotten fed up with delays over his much talked about January 31 2013 exit from West Brom, said his good byes and drove straight to QPR but was dramatically stopped from entering the club as both teams could not reach agreement before the curtain was drawn.

    In what has now become an infamous scene whenever transfers are talked about, the former Lokomotiv Moscow ace was forced to sit outside Loftus Road in the car park because he was refused permission to enter until a deal was done.

    With the whole football world watching, the deal fell apart and images of Odemwingie sitting out in the dark and cold was beamed around the world.

    Odemwingie was fined £75,000 for arriving at Loftus Road without permission and remained at the Hawthorns.

    That was however not the end of the story as the former Stoke City ace had to stomach a little bit of mockery.

    David de Gea’s collapsed swap deal on deadline day in August 2015 also featured prominently.  Keen on a move to Real Madrid, it seemed as though the Spanish stopper had finally got what he wanted as the day went on.

    Keylor Navas was on the way to Old Trafford as part of a £29m deal but Real failed to register De Gea in time for the deadline.

    Madrid issued a 10-point statement alleging that United instigated negotiations to end the long-running transfer saga and were at fault for holding up the deal.

    United hit back with an official statement of their own, insisting that Madrid made the first move with an opening offer believed to be in the region of £11m plus Navas, and were to blame for registering De Gea too late.

  • Three lessons from Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over West Brom

    Aston Villa gave themselves a crucial advantage heading into their second-leg match against West Brom, as they ran out 2-1 winners at Villa Park over the weekend.

    Dean Smith’s side surprisingly fell behind in the first-half of this one though as Dwight Gayle capitalised on a mistake from Villa’s Glenn Whelan.

    But the hosts responded as Conor Hourihane stepped off the substitutes bench to fire home an equaliser in clinical fashion, before Tammy Abraham netted the winner from the penalty spot.

    West Brom striker, Dwight Gayle was dismissed late on, and will leave a sizeable void up-front for James Shan’s side, especially with Hal Robson-Kanu also out of the second-leg through suspension.

    It’s certainly going to be a closely-fought encounter between the two sides when they meet again on Tuesday, and Aston Villa will be hoping they can ease those nerves with an early goal at The Hawthorns.

    But what have we learnt about Aston Villa after this latest win over the Baggies?

    1.      The on-loan Chelsea man continued his impressive run of form, as he scored his () goal of the season from the penalty spot, in what proved to be the winner on the day.

    If Aston Villa are to win promotion back into the Premier League this season, then you can almost guarantee that Abraham will play a crucial role in the success of the Villans this year.

    2.      He’ll be keen to get on the score sheet in the second-leg, that’s for sure.

    There was some surprise when Hourihane was named amongst the substitutes for Villa on the day, with Glenn Whelan starting ahead of him.

    But he couldn’t have asked for a better performance coming off the bench as he netted the equaliser with a stunning strike from distance on the day.

    3.      He will certainly have provided Dean Smith with a selection headache for the second-leg.

    They head into the second-leg with an important goal advantage, but Villa will know that their opponents will be without one of their key men for this crucial clash.

    Dwight Gayle was sent off late into first-leg, and it’ll certainly mean that the Villa defence will be in for a quieter game in the second-leg, with Jay Rodriguez the only recognised striker available for the Baggies.

    (footballleagueworld.co.uk)

  • Odemwingie returns to West Brom for Richard Eades

     

    Former super Eagles forward Osaze Odemwingie will re-appear in West Brom jersey on Sunday as he partakes in a charity match in honour of late long time staff and Baggies mascot Richard Eades.

    Eades who died suddenly just before boxing day last year was much loved by management, staff and fans of  West Brom and his sudden demise at 42 shocked many. Odemwingie is among former players participating in the Charity match billed for Sunday The Grove, Halesowen in his honour.

    The Nigerian international who is apparently looking forward to the event urged friends from far and near to joining in honouring a jolly good fellow.

    “Join us this Sunday. Remember a good friend we lost and good times we had as we support the family off Eadesy. #24 WBA” he dished out on his twitter handle Friday.

    Odemwingie who currently plays for Indonesian club Madura United, has signed up for an Albion Legends XI for the which  April 29 tie.

    He had earlier revealed that he is looking forward to donning the Blue and white stripes of the Baggies once more.

    “I’m looking forward to putting on the blue and white stripes in the charity game in memory of Eadesy.“I hope I will see many of you there.”

    Andy Johnson, Kevin Donovan, Darren Moore, Sean Gregan and Geoff Horsfield are among the other former Baggies favourites set to feature in the match.

    Odemwingie scored 31 goals during a three-year stay with the Baggies between 2010 and 2013, though his time at the club turned sour when a proposed move to QPR spectacularly collapsed on transfer deadline day.

    The charity day kicks off with a nine-a-side tournament at 11am before mascots from all over the country descend for a special comedy match.

    The showpiece event sees Boing FC, the Albion supporters’ team which Eades was involved with for over 10 years; take on the Albion Legends XI at around 4.30pm with tickets put at £8 adults and £5 respectively

    Richard Eades put in 30 years’ service at the Club as a 14-year-old – working as a member of the ground staff and then coaching staff. But he will be most fondly remembered for his role as mascot ‘Albi’, donning the famous costume since 2007.He left behind two children Lily-Mae, 8, and Archie, 3.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Pardew exits relegation bound West Brom

     

    Journey man Alan Pardew has parted ways with West Brom on mutual consent the club announced Monday with the Premier league side 10 points adrift of safety.

    Pardew’s departure was confirmed on following a 2-1 defeat at Burnley two days earlier, goals from Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood sinking the Baggies.

    The Englishman was appointed as the replacement for Tony Pulis in November, but was unable to turn around the club’s fortunes.

    During Pardew’s four-month reign, West Brom won a single Premier League game, a 2-0 success at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.

    A run of eight successive league losses proved enough for West Brom to part Company with the former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace manager.

    The 56-year-old also oversaw an embarrassing episode for the club, with senior players including Jonny Evans, Gareth Barry and England midfielder Jake Livermore apologising following an alleged incident involving a taxi during a training camp in Barcelona.Pardew leaves with just six games left of the season

    John Carver, Pardew’s assistant, has also departed and first-team coach Darren Moore has been placed in charge on an interim basis.

    Pardew’s exit leaves some form of premier league record as the 2017-18 season has seen more permanent bosses leave their post than any other time.

    Frank De Boer lost his job at Crystal Palace just four games into the Premier League season, while Craig Shakespeare (Leicester City), Ronald Koeman (Everton), Slaven Bilic (West Ham), Tony Pulis (West Brom) and Paul Clement (Swansea City) all left their clubs before the end of December.

    Pardew joins Mark Hughes (Stoke City), Marco Silva (Watford) and Mauricio Pellegrino (Southampton) in being relieved of their positions since the turn of the year.

  • Pardew retains job as West Brom sacks CEO

    Pardew retains job as West Brom sacks CEO

     

    West Brom owner Guochuan Lai appears tired of counting losses and has taken the drastic decision to sack Chairman John Williams and chief executive Martin Goodman in response to the club’s woeful Premier League campaign.

    Monday’s 3-0 defeat at Chelsea was their third successive loss in the league and leaves them rooted to the bottom of the table seven points from safety.

    The Baggies have won just three of their 27 league games this term and Tony Pulis paid the price for their poor start to the season by losing his job in November.

    But his replacement Alan Pardew has made little impact, only managing to preside over one win in his 13 top-flight matches in charge.

    Nevertheless, Pardew’s job is safe at least for the time being, with the club instead directing their ire at Williams and Goodman, who were dismissed on Tuesday.

    Mark Jenkins, a director of West Brom’s controlling company WBA Holdings, returns to the club as CEO having previously held the position for 14 years, and he highlighted the importance of results in the Premier League following his appointment.

    He told the club’s official website: “There is much to do but for now the focus must solely be on the remaining games of this season.”

    West Brom host Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday before a Premier League meeting with Huddersfield on February 24 as they bid to avoid relegation to the Championship.

  • FULL-TIME: West Brom 1, Man Utd 2-‘HARD SLOG FOR UNITED’

    FULL-TIME: West Brom 1, Man Utd 2-‘HARD SLOG FOR UNITED’

    FULL-TIME

    West Brom 1-2 Man Utd

    Manchester United fans were left biting their fingernails towards the end, but their side claim a narrow victory over West Brom.

    • West Brom 1-2 Man Utd
    • Lukaku heads opener (27)
    • Lingard doubles lead (35)
    • Barry pulls one back (77)
    • Pardew brings in Burke
    • Young, Herrera, Rashford return.

    See Post Match Interview With Jose Mourinho

    United manager Jose Mourinho speaking to Sky Sports: “I think we deserved the win. We were the best team. I knew and the players knew that West Brom is very dangerous on set-pieces.

    “We controlled the game for a long, long time, then manager Alan Pardew reacts. We had a few chances to kill the game but I knew they would react.”

    Did United’s levels drop in the second half?

    “I think less ambition after the break. The intensity in the first half maybe we didn’t have in the second half. West Brom are really powerful in the air. But after their goal we controlled the game again. We brought the ball into the opposition half.”

    Why didn’t Lukaku celebrate his goal?

    “I didn’t celebrate too. Nobody was happier than me. Fifteen years ago I look at myself celebrating goals. With maturity you go into levels that you control your emotions better.

    “Romelu was a happy kid at West Brom (on loan during the 2012-13 season) – maybe at the back of the mind it was his love for the club.”

    •     It’s all over at The Hawthorns! United withstand a late West Brom rally to register their sixth win in their last seven Premier League games.
    • First-half strikes from Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard see the visitors close the gap to Manchester City to 11 points, but, in the end, relief is the overriding emotion for Jose Mourinho’s men as Gareth Barry’s strike fails to inspire a comeback for the hosts.
    • ‘HARD SLOG FOR UNITED’Speaking in the Nissan Super Sunday studio, Graeme Sounessdidn’t mince his words when asked for his assessment of United’s performance…“That was a real, hard slog for United. If you’re a United supporter, you expect them to be better than that against a team that are huffing and puffing. They made hard work of it, it wasn’t a great watch by any means.”
    • Alan Pardew has now collected just 28 points from a possible 120 in his last 40 @premierleague games (P40 W6 D10 L24).
    • Jamie Redknapp‘s believes West Brom’s second-half display will have pleased manager Alan Pardew…“From a United perspective it was hard to watch. There wasn’t a lot of joy in United’s play. In the second half, once West Brom made it 2-1, anything could have happened. You could see United were under the cosh. Alan Pardew will be pleased with his side’s performance in the second half. Oliver Burke did well, Gareth Barry helped pass better and control the game – there were certainly pleasing elements.” 

      POST-MATCH FACTS

      • Man Utd have won their last three away Premier League games, one more than they managed in their previous 10 on the road (2).
      • West Brom are now winless in 16 consecutive league games – the longest run in their entire league history (D8 L8).
      • Romelu Lukaku has been involved in eight goals in his last eight Premier League games against former club West Brom (five goals, three assists).
      • Lukaku has scored 10 goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances at the Hawthorns, a run which spans games with West Brom, Everton and Man Utd.
      • Gareth Barry’s goal was his first as a substitute in the Premier League since April 1999 (for Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest), a gap of 6,812 days.
      • Barry was making his 36th Premier League appearance against Man Utd, with only Ryan Giggs (38 v Liverpool) appearing more often against a single opponent in Premier League history.
  • Excited Alan Pardew lands West Brom job

    Excited Alan Pardew lands West Brom job

     

    Alan Pardew has been appointed as West Brom’s new manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

    The Baggies dismissed Tony Pulis earlier this month after taking just 10 points from their opening 12 games of the Premier League season, with Gary Megson stepping in for last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham and Tuesday’s 2-2 stalemate with Newcastle United.

    Pardew quickly emerged as the favourite to take over at The Hawthorns and stated on Sunday that the job was an “attractive” one.

    And West Brom have now confirmed the appointment, with Pardew penning a deal until 2020.

    John Carver, who worked with Pardew during his time at Newcastle, will join his backroom team, while Megson has left the club.

    “I’m thrilled with the opportunity Albion have provided and looking forward to getting to work with what I consider to be a talented group of players,” Pardew told West Brom’s official website.

    “The immediate challenge will be to get the results we need to pull ourselves up the table. But I’m aware that while I’m joining one of the great, traditional clubs of English football, it is one determined to go forward in the Premier League.

    “It’s an exciting opportunity to play a part in that ambition.”

    West Brom chairman John Williams added: “Alan brings the experience of more than 300 Premier League games and the kind of dynamic leadership from which our club can benefit.

    “We were impressed with what he had to say and what he has to offer and we are looking forward to an exciting new era under his charge.”

    Pardew has been out of work since being dismissed as Crystal Palace boss last December, but played with and managed West Brom technical director Nick Hammond at Reading.

    The 56-year-old has also had spells as manager of Southampton, West Ham as well as Newcastle.