[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Albion's youngsters, including Len Cantello, face defeat in the 1969 FA Youth Cup at Roker Park.

With another two-week break over, we again have the opportunity to push past the 40 point mark at Sunderland on Saturday; and again, there's a chance we'll exhibit all the dithering doziness we've been prone to against sides below us in the table. However, with the club laying on forty coaches to Wearside for the match, aficionados of our free travel awaydays down the years will rightly point out that the form book tends to go right out of the window for such games in favour of an astonishing Albion win ratio. While nothing is guaranteed, especially against a team in the drop zone and fighting for survival on the wrong side of Easter, there's perhaps reason to hope that we may not go down the road of settling for frustrating the opposition and everyone else who has the misfortune to be watching.

A good run of form could still see us move nicely up the table between now and May, so fingers crossed. We've got a win record to maintain.

[exteecee]

Love your match threads and, particularly, the photos. I can remember most of the players mentioned nearly everytime !

Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

Exteecee

[aries22]

The state of pitches in those days!

[Beefy 1965]

Is our win rate ratio for free away travel something like, won 7. drew 1, lost 0 ?
If so build fortress Hawthorns next year, lay on free away travel to every game,
Bingo !!!
We do a Leicester .......

[talkSAFT]

Len Cantello I recognise, of course and Hugh McLean's the very lean one on the right, and the Keeper's probably Gordon Nisbet (who went on to become a better Right-back!) But don't recognise the others, although I went to the 1st Leg at The Hawthorns.

Who knows the others?

[betterthanbaird]

I was expecting a loss until you mentioned it's the free travel game, we'll win 2-1 Saido and Rondon will get one each.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Len Cantello I recognise, of course and Hugh McLean's the very lean one on the right, and the Keeper's probably Gordon Nisbet (who went on to become a better Right-back!) But don't recognise the others, although I went to the 1st Leg at The Hawthorns.

Who knows the others?

Correct, correct & correct.  You're missing Sid Bell behind Cantello, Keith Morton the number 12, Lyndon Hughes crouching down, and hiding at the back wearing number 6 is Ally Robertson.

[talkSAFT]

Great stuff, Ska'd.
I don't remember Sid Bell, and only remember Morton's name; but Lyndon became a decent versatile player, and Ally became one of my all-time favourites - a year (ish) later, making his 1st team debut, marking George Best and keeping him very quiet.

The 60s Youth Team was a conveyor-belt, introducing a top quality player most seasons: Hartford, Cantello, Robertson, Holton, Nisbet, Merrick, Hughes, Minton, Wilson were all in the same Youth Team (following Hope, Brown, Williams, Collard, Lovett just a few years earlier). Either we have an Academy (topical word) or we don't. I suppose if we get £20m+ for Berahino the Academy is justified, but he's the only one for several years to come through.

[Beefy 1965]

West Brom head coach Tony Pulis has expressed his displeasure with midfielder Stéphane Sessègnon after he reported back late after international duty.

Sessègnon plays for Benin, and had featured in two African Cup of Nations qualifiers during the international break but failed to report back to training on Tuesday as he should have.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference , Pulis had this to say on the matter:

It’s disappointing that Sess hasn’t turned up, but I haven’t spoken to him yet.
The Englishman cited Saloman Rondon as a good example of what Pulis expects from his internationals. Rondon spent the international break away playing for Venezuela.

Salomon Rondon was back in and training on Tuesday and he’s come from the other side of the planet [Venezuela].

[brokenmanrepaired]

West Brom head coach Tony Pulis has expressed his displeasure with midfielder Stéphane Sessègnon after he reported back late after international duty.

Sessègnon plays for Benin, and had featured in two African Cup of Nations qualifiers during the international break but failed to report back to training on Tuesday as he should have.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference , Pulis had this to say on the matter:

It’s disappointing that Sess hasn’t turned up, but I haven’t spoken to him yet.
The Englishman cited Saloman Rondon as a good example of what Pulis expects from his internationals. Rondon spent the international break away playing for Venezuela.

Salomon Rondon was back in and training on Tuesday and he’s come from the other side of the planet [Venezuela].

I suppose TP will use this as an excuse not to play the only flair player we have tomorrow and justify the usual selection of seven centre halves when we play teams below us.