ALBION TO BAGG AN UPSET? THE FANS GIVE THEIR VERDICT...
BEN HUSBAND –
FOR Wolves fans of a certain generation, highlights from The Hawthorns are strictly confined to fuzzy YouTube videos.
The last time we won there, I was four. I am 32 now. It’s been far too long.
In the years since it has been a rivalry dominated by those lot down the road.
Even when Wolves were comfortably the better side in the Premier League, Albion somehow managed to steal four points.
Tomorrow SHOULD be different.
On paper, Gary O’Neil’s side have too much pace and too much talent. So why have I felt a knot in my stomach ever since the tie was confirmed?
Against any other mid-table Championship side it would feel like a foregone conclusion. This feels anything but.
This particular derby is perhaps overlooked when neutrals are discussing the fiercest in British football. The fact kick-off was pushed to a time with AM included, maybe gives an indication that it is right up there.
O’Neil hasn’t done too much wrong since rocking up at Molineux in our time of crisis. A win tomorrow would give him universal approval.
This weekend is a chance to toast a new Wolves hero. Steve Bull is arguably the club’s greatest, crossing the divide and seeming to get the last laugh for the rest of his career.
Iwan Roberts only played 33 league games in a Wolves shirt, his hat-trick in Handsworth means his place in club lore is forever secured.
Forget three goals though, I’d take one… as long as it’s the winner!
JOSEPH CHAPMAN –
WBA IF you’re an Albion fan in your thirties, you’ve only ever known good times against Wolves. I think back to 2002, when they chased down an 11-point deficit to pip Wolves to second place and secure promotion to the Premier League on the final day of the season.
In 2006-07, Albion emerged victorious in three different scenarios – in the league, in the cup and in the play-offs. It was unprecedented stuff. Tesco carrier bags littered Wolves’ very own den, the South Bank. Even behind closed doors and with the Baggies in all sorts of relegation bother a couple of seasons ago, they still managed to take four points off Wolves and inflict an unlikely defeat on them at Molineux.
Albion have had their days in the sun in recent history, no doubt. Whether it was Kevin Phillips, or Peter Odemwingie (below), or Matheus Pereira, there was always a player who’d stand up when it mattered and deliver the bragging rights supporters of all clubs so desperately crave when they meet with their fierce rivals.
They’ve not just won matches, either – in the last 20 years, they’ve dished out some real beatings to some sorry Wolves sides. The heaviest of them all, in 2012, contributed towards their spiralling double relegation.
The shoe does feel as though it’s on the other foot now, however.
Albion have been incredibly strong at home under Carlos Corberan, for the entirety of his reign, but these would appear to be the strongest side to visit in that period. Gary O’Neil has admittedly done a sterling job and has unearthed more from this Wolves side – who moved so many ‘names’ out of the club in the summer – than many outsiders would’ve imagined. This feels like Wolves’ opportunity. I just hope I’m horribly wrong!