Bye bye Pepe and co.!

Viva Pepe! Adios! Muchas gracias amigo! These are the sentiments of most fans at the parting of the ways between WBA and Pepe Mel.  Sad that a decent club like Albion should have brought in such a nice bloke, only to treat him so cursorily and unjustly.  But it is a decision that is understandable too.  A line had to be drawn under the 2013-4 debacle of a season and this meant letting go all those associated with Albion's misfortunes.  Along with Pepe we have lost Misters Ridgewell, Popov, Allan, Amilfatano, Reid, Gera, Thiemy, Jones, Vdry, Sinclair and Lugano.  One or two of these I think deserved to stay on but the changing room has been well and truly swept out so plenty of room for new signings and a new start.

So where to next?  Craig Gardner is in...a fairly low key signing of a solid, if unspectacular performer.  Obviously, the fact he was a free signing makes him a bonus for Albion.  A local lad too so hopefully he will know what the club means to the fans.  That is maybe a sign of things to come too...less imports and loans stars in exchange for players who owe something to the club and want to fight for the cause.  

For this reason I would be happy if Keith Downing stepped up to the plate and took on the manager's mantle.  Don't expect he will though.  After all, being assistant coach at WBA is a fairly safe number.  You work hard and support the head coach, who gets the plaudits when the team does well and the sack when it doesn't.  Meanwhile Keith continues unnoticed in the background...there is wisdom in such a low profile strategy.  But I think if Keith is too prudent to take the job then someone who knows what the club is all about must come in.  No foreign experiments please.  No short term appointments either or people who will move on as soon as Albion string two half-decent seasons together. I think David Moyes would fit this category.  Also, no bosses who offer nothing significantly better than what we have had before - yes Mr Hughton, that means you.  So, who is left?  Well, we know the names trotted out by the media - Misters Jol, McDermott and, most recently, Slade. Whoever it is is someone who needs to take back the dressing room and get a good buzz around The Hawthorns...oh, yes and speak intelligible English too.  Perhaps the return of Michael Appleton is on the cards?

West Brom in Pinstripes? Pah!

classic pinstripe...will Albions's new shirt be based on a similar look?

West Bromwich Albion's Jeremy Peace has decided, it seems, to go with a pinstripe design for next season's shirts.  If the media images can be relied on (and the official Adidas strip is yet to be publically unveiled) Albion will be playing predominantly in white shirts in 2014-15.  This decision to change our traditional (and famous) block stripe shirt, is not something I would have expected from Peace - a lifelong fan too from all reports.

If West Brom had just been taken over by some foreign conglomerate, say in the Far East or Saudi Arabia, it would have come as less of a surprise.  A financial Johnny Come Lately cannot be expected to understand a club's roots or the fan's love for traditions.  Look at Cardiff as an example of a club that has been changed to the point that fans hold aloft scarves of different colours from the ones their side now play in.  This is something no fans should have to endure!

The pay off for clubs like Southampton, who also ditched their block stripes quite recently, has been the improvements that foreign investment has made to their playing staff.  A small price to pay for onfield success?  That depends who you talk to.  But I think Albion fans are prouder of their tradition than that.  The players who wear our stripes are stars no matter how much they might be worth on the football market...the same attitude that makes us hard on those players who show disregard for the shirt too.  At the end of the day being a fan of WBA is about having an identity - and the shirt's integrity is core to that!

I for one was really annoyed when Jeremy Peace overrode many fans by getting rid of the iconic yellow/green striped away shirt.  Anyone who can recall the likes of Regis, Cantello, Wile and co. flying these colours on their away days will know what I mean.  But the chairman decided, for some reason, that Albion were less effective in this colour and since then I think it is fair to say most of our away shirt colours have been fairly forgettable.  The current red and black is okay, I suppose, but hardly gives us an iconic away day identity which we once had.

As a final word, I must say I am not here to have a go at Jeremy Peace.  This season has been something of a nightmare but prior to this one his planning has served us well.  Indeed, it is hard to know where we would be right now without his astuteness.  But Jeremy please, please don't turn us into some bland looking corporate outfit.  Yes, I know pinstripes may go better with a pair of jeans than block stripes but pinstripes are not for matchday!

More from Albion Attitudes soon!