Action for Albion

I saw my first game at the Hawthorns on an October day in the late1950s. I wasnt very old,
or very tall, and I stood on a box behind a barrier where the ast !tand now is, "#st #nder an
advertising sign that $roclaimed %&oo 'loom ( )y *ailor.+ *he smell of !t 'r#no $i$e tobacco
mingled with the aroma of ba,ing bread wafting over from 'radfords 'a,ery on 'irmingham
-oad. In those days there always seemed a light mist hanging over the gro#nd and in the
bac,gro#nd, the d#ll th#d of a local dro$ forge. ./000 fans were in the gro#nd ( it wasnt f#ll.
*hey had $aid no more than 012 3104$5 to stand ( it was the wor,ing mans game, the
!at#rday rest from a wee, in the local fo#ndry, forge, tool ma,ers, engineers etc, that made
the 'lac, 6o#ntry great. 7lbion were *H 'lac, 6o#nty team ( the s#$$orters were 'lac,
6o#nty $eo$le ( they were one.
7t 0.55$m m#sic $layed over the lo#d s$ea,ers ( I later learned it was !tars 8 !tri$es (
always $layed before a game, since 7lbion were stars in !*-I9!. *he team came o#t and I
was transfixed as the crowd roared and I saw these men in :avy 'l#e 8 ;hite !tri$ed !hirts
and ;hite !horts ( I loved the ,it and I was hoo,ed ( that moment defined the image that I
will always have of who the 'aggies are for me. It is the cl#bs identity. I thin, we drew <=<.
*he team that day incl#ded several s#rvivors from the >5. 6#$ winning team ( 7llen, 'arlow,
?ennedy, @riffin ( $l#s some #$ and coming yo#ngsters li,e Howe and ?evan. IAve been
$rivileged to see so many great $layers over the years, many of whom are "#st names in cl#b
history for so many fans who werent born then. 'obby -obson, 7stle, 'rown, 6lar,, ;ile,
!tatham, Bohnston, 6antello, @iles, 'ryan -obson, 6#nningham, -egis ( the list is almost
endless. IAve witnessed so many good times ( < C7 and &eag#e 6#$ finals in . years
between 22 8 D0, #ro$ean nights, to$ 2 finishes. Cor nearly all of the 20s 7lbion were
indis$#tably the to$ team in the )idlands ( a $eriod when 'l#es and ;olves s$ent many
years in the 0
nd
Eivision and Filla even s#n, to the <
rd
( almost going ban,r#$t in the $rocess.
IAve also ex$erienced the dar,er days ( I was a 'ath on that fatef#l day and, who, that was
there, can ever forget a winter night at Hartle$ool with a gale blowing off the :orth !ea and a
0=0 defeatG *he team didnt %t#rn #$+ that nightH EI"J v#G *hen there was 9a#l ;illiams (
>n#ff saidH
*he $#r$ose of all this isnt to give yo# a history lesson in matters abo#t which yo# are, no
do#bt, aware. '#t to offer bac,gro#nd to why I am so disheartened and disill#sioned abo#t
what is now ha$$ening at %o#r+ cl#b. ;hatever the c#rrent, transient, owner and his
colleag#es believe, they are "#st the c#stodians of %o#r+ great cl#b which owes its existence to
the 'assetts and 'issa,ers who, along with other lads from !alters, %strolled+ from ;est
'romwich to ;ednesb#ry to b#y a football so this cl#b co#ld be fo#nded 1<2 years ago. It is
their heritage and that of the h#ndreds of tho#sands of local $eo$le who have attended the
Hawthorns and cheered the famo#s :avy 'l#e 8 ;hite !tri$es over those years who %own+
this cl#b and it is for them that we m#st fight to $rotect its history and heritage.
I co#ld set o#t now a series of $ro$osals, ideas, s#ggestions, etc, abo#t how we form#late a
$rogramme of action to achieve what we want for ;'7 from the cl#b hierarchy. '#t I dont
want to be $rescri$tive and start a debate before we establish a clear set of ob"ectives. ;e
,now the 6hairman isnt a fool, far from it, b#t he hasnt shown himself willing to engage with
the s#$$orters so far. 6hanging that, and ma,ing headway, wont be easily achieved. '#t I
am a %can do+ $erson and negativity from those who say %Ko# wont ma,e any difference+ is
not on the agenda. !o what I am s#ggesting here is abo#t $rocess, not abo#t s$ecifics.
I s#ggest arranging a $#blic meeting, at which we agree a str#ct#re and $#r$ose. I wo#ld
ho$e the next stage wo#ld be to $rod#ce a %vision+ of what we, as s#$$orters, want for o#r
cl#b. ;e will need a web site for any 7lbion fan to contrib#te their tho#ghts, wishes,
observations, to aid in that $rocess. 7bo#t 000 of yo# have contacted me so far. '#t the cl#b
wont ta,e m#ch notice of 000 o#t of 05000, so o#r %vision+ m#st be re$resentative. It m#st be
rational and ob"ective and s#ggest sol#tions. 7 negative, whinging, diatribe against the cl#b
will wrec, o#r credibility before we start.
;e will need f#nding. ;e will need coverage from the media, both local and national. ;e
co#ld #se a high $rofile or two, s#$$orter. I am already $#rs#ing one $ossible o$tion ( b#t we
need more wor, on that.
I have said I am willing to facilitate this ( it is not my intention to be $rescri$tive and we will go
forward by consens#s ( b#t I am going to need some hel$. If anyone 3or several5 has the
desire or time to "oin me in basic organisation before a $#blic meeting, then let me ,now and
well meet #$ for a chat.
On timing ( now the season is over, this is a good time to get this off the gro#nd. It will not
deflect from what might ha$$en on the $itch if it was in the season and we have a s#mmer to
$lan = and watch what the cl#b does in the meantime. '#t we need to start to act now. *here
is so m#ch more I wo#ld li,e to say b#t this is eno#gh for now. Boin me in this and we will try
to regain the cl#b we love and are slowly losing.
Onward 8 L$ward
Howard )artin.
9 )ay 001.