Seventh heaven: where to next for the identity of West Bromwich Albion?

FIRSTLY, this isn’t about the next manager.

Speculate away all you like.

This isn’t what this blog is about.

Nor am I here to talk about our next left-back, who should be brought in to play up front, who should be sold, or who should be released.

That's for the pub, for the social media ITKs, for the gossip columns.

I'm past that.

This is my guide to how West Bromwich Albion can improve as an entity.

The final word: entity. I don’t like it particularly. Nor do I like the word ‘brand’, ‘product’, ‘value’, or even ‘business’. But I will use them, because this is about WBA as a commodity. Yep, another word I don’t like.

I’m going to try to avoid explicit criticism.

Allow me to backtrack to 2007ish. Jeremy Peace was in the big chair at The Hawthorns.

He unveiled his vision. A double-tier wisteria-like stand that would emerge over the Halfords Lane and cascade down over a Smethwick-bound 450 bus. I actually saw the plans. They were very impressive.

It was ambitious by Albion standards. It was uber-ambitious by Peace standards.

The stand would be the focal point of what Peace called a Gateway To Birmingham – a boulevard of fun, cocktails, skittles, and frivolity - starting at the M5 and peaking somewhere by the Brummie Road Stand.

Peace has gone. I mention this because there was something there: a flicker, a dream, a want. This was his vision. It would transform The Hawthorns into an arena of ambition, one of accelerated growth, one that would eventually allow him to sell the club for about £200m. Hmm…

That was 2007. And, then, at some point in 2008, the financial world collapsed around us.

He lost interest - that ambitious plan was never going to happen. He sold up in 2016.

And what followed is where we are now.

What I am about to say is about aspiration and the harvesting of intellectual property that can grow the club under the watch of Shilen Patel and Bilkul.

Firstly, there is a huge appreciation for the body of work we've already seen - not least the investment and clearing of debt. I am also not going to judge the Tony Mowbray appointment, nor sacking. I, myself, called that one wrong. You can read my musings from when he was appointed in my archives. Mea Culpa. I never saw that coming.

But this blog is about the identity of West Bromwich Albion - call it a message to Bilkul and the Patel family.

These are just my views. No more. And these are by no mean definitive. These are my musings on a random Thursday night while I watch Manchester United and Tottenham hammer it out in the Europa League.

But, actually, this is about them. Because, technically, the Premier League is where we want to be. It's where I want to see my club. And, frankly, I don't see any effort to see us get there. We look disorganised and limp on the pitch, and utterly lacking off the field. I can't control what happens on the green bit - I am neither a player, nor a holder of badges - but I'm not going to be as passive about the malaise and lack of ambition that I see elsewhere.

And what I see is a huge cause of concern.

So, please, indulge me this. It is written so-so from a journalistic point of view, but also from the angle of a fan who has concerns about our direction.

Before I do, please do note that I am taking into account the PSR rules here. Again, this isn't about player recruitment, nor player retention.

This is about growth of the football club.

Let me go point by point.

These are very much me riffing it on a Thursday night. These are not definitive, nor exhaustive. You might disagree with some of these. That's fine. Drop me an email.

But, here goes my message to Bilkul:

1.      Ability. Surround yourself with excellence. If there are people within your group who are content to say ‘no’, then find people who might enable a ‘maybe’ or a ‘yes’. Look around your stadium: the lack of imagination within the food outlets, the insipid first-view that fans have when they arrive into the East Stand forecourt: a showroom of Range Rovers and Mercs that belong to players. Make the fan zone into a Fan Zone. Put some emphasis onto being better than people expect you to be. Aspire to be better. Are your off-the-field communications and recreations where you want them to be? Are you projecting the club to its full potential? What are the observations of your peers? If WBA went up to the Premier League, what would be the projection of media or others? What would happen if you slumped into League One by some circumstance? Are you ready for either circumstance? Have there been any audits or appraisals of stakeholder engagement/interaction? What do your people want from you, beyond results? Are people within certain job specifications actually qualified or competent enough to deliver their roles?

2.      Influence. Forbes, FTSE 100, LinkedIn and WhatsApp – there are resources rich with people who are of huge influence within industry, commerce, media, communication, marketing, business, who also happen to be invested into WBA as fans. I am personally aware of West Bromwich Albion supporters who are among the top 100 CEOs/Chairman in commerce, are heavily involved in the film/TV industry, are hugely important in their own marketing/media sectors, and, in one case (and this is just something I know – let alone those people others might know) who have been heavily influencing future off-field strategy at leading football clubs, including Real Madrid and PSG. Yes, they are WBA fans. And if I know them, then how do you not know them? Again, time to up your game and engage these people.

I am also part of a WBA Business WhatsApp group awash with fantastic engagement - people who would bring immense value to the club. The club should know about these sectors. See above: You need to be all over speaking to people of influence and ideas. Embrace them!

Engage, interact, embrace these people. Harvest information. Grow and broaden your mind. Look beyond those who are making do with what has gone on so far. Challenge the current cosy mindset. Aspire to speak to people who will bring invention, prosperity and ingenuity to the current set-up. Strive to improve what you have; don’t settle for navy ties and dark suits in the boardroom.

3.      Supporter experience. It is no longer viable that low prices will bring supporters back through the turnstiles. This isn’t happening. A quick look along the stands against Luton Town clearly showcase that there is an apathy. Look around the stadium. What are other clubs doing to bring fans in? Are the local transport networks functioning, do the car parks work, is the fan zone up to scratch, are your supporters getting the experience they want. It isn't good enough to palm off responsibility to the Highways, rail networks, local authorities. Be pro-active. Read David Dein’s brilliant (albeit awfully titled) book Calling The Shots: How to Win in Football and Life about how to improve supporter experience. (This book is years old...yet it feels relevant, because we feel so behind the curve).

Make the supporter experience the envy of the Midlands. The Black Country is home to the Desi pub. Invite local Desi chefs to recreate something for your matchday regulars, but also your corporate fans, and those whose appetite extends beyond pies, pizza, burgers, and sub-standard lager. Ask about Bathams; seek out the Attic Brewery, and others. And if there are existing contracts in place then manage or enact those to enable such local enterprise. You’re West Bromwich Albion. Act like it. Take ownership of your power within your community. Have you any idea how much that name 'West Bromwich Albion' means?

Street food, craft ales aside, how else will you entice supporters? Think about that. What do people want? Ask people.

This is such a small snapshot of what you could be doing. It isn't all about Desi pubs or real ale. But how well do you know your people? Get under their skin. Make The Hawthorns a 12pm-6pm experience, rather than a 2.30pm-5pm experience.

4.      Image and inclusivity. Ah, yes; the tough subject. We’ve seen the Facebook replies, the X comments and such like. But these are your people. Look around West Bromwich, look around the Black Country. Your potential customers will be from underrepresented sectors, whether those are from religious, racial, or LGBTQ+, trans communities, or those I haven’t mentioned. Birmingham is the most diverse non-capital city in Europe…and yet you allow comments that are utterly derogatory on your social media? This isn’t about your posts – but about your (lack of) moderation.

Please, think about how you police the replies to your well-intentioned inclusive posts – not least those that are neither welcoming, nor kind. These supporters could be your future. Show some care and quality control to those who should matter. Right now, it looks like you’re paying lip service to those communities. Please put some form of quality control in place on your social media. Be that club who won’t tolerate prejudice and openly call it out. How do you think your LGBTQ+ and other fan groups feel about some of the commentary? You will never stop these comments, but you can remove them.

Another question: who would you rather have supporting you:

• People who support you, and accept others?

• People who support you, but hate others?

Think about this. Because, right now, it seems you couldn't care less about this.

This has been perhaps the worst aspect of WBA fandom over the recent times…yet nothing has been done about it. Be better than tolerating this hate. As someone who has worked in media, journalism and comms for 25+ years, a few videos of goal celebrations doesn't cut it any more. Social responsibility is absolutely crucial. To see this neglected is an utter dereliction of duty.

This is on you! Be better.

EDIT: Since this blog was first published, the club has issued minutes from the recent Albion Assembly meeting. On the subject of social media moderation it states: "...this is something the club takes incredibly seriously and regularly reports comments which breach the social media rules of respective sites...acknowledged that the club cannot police the comments of all supporters online and urged fans to report any potential hate crime to the police..."

This reads as an abdication of any responsibility. Why can't, or won't, the club police comments? It would be interesting to know if this somewhat trite shrug of the shoulders was challenged.

In the time it has taken you to read this addendum, anybody with an wherewithal to edit a social media platform could have glanced an unpleasant comment on social media and deleted it. That is all it requires. It really is that simple.

The minutes go onto say there has been contact with other clubs to see how they moderate social media.

Why?

Be the lead on this - take some initiative, be dynamic in dealing with this problem. This is classic passing-of-the-buck territory.

Again, this isn't about stopping people from commenting - it is about removing abuse and discriminatory content. The two are NOT the same thing.

The club's response to this issue is poor. It stinks of nonchalance and a want to absolve itself of any duty of care.

How can you speak about a commitment to inclusivity on the one hand, and then not bother removing discriminatory comments from your own social media platforms? It's utter bullshit.

5.      Former Players Association. These guys are your royalty. Treat these people with respect. Everything you see around you – those fans who talk about the 1968 FA Cup win, those supporters who speak about Valencia, those who have their pics taken next to Bomber’s Statue: this is their club. Never denigrate your former players.

And if you hear anyone doing so in your earshot, then ask why they are doing so: these people are why West Bromwich Albion is the club it is. Without your past, you have nothing.

Jeremy Peace, your pre-predecessor kind of got it right. But, of course, he insisted on people from his era, with his East Stand montage of post 2002 players. And this was only after then captain Darren Fletcher and The Albion Assembly pushed for some form of recognition. He made a concession to Cyrille Regis. There is a West Bromwich Albion that pre-dates your arrival.

Please re-embrace the Download Albion project. Learn about the unique league-and-cup-double, bone up on the Three Degrees, make your club enticing to those former managers and players who no longer feel welcome. You should be the one inviting former players onto the club's top table - it should come from you, not through any other reason. The club's past is absolutely intrinsic to the club's current identity.

These ex-players and managers mean a lot to so many: your abandonment or neglect of these people won’t go down well. And if there are people who don't see the value in the Former Players Association then maybe those people are the problem...

Right now, I'm not sure you care much for our former players. And that really isn't a good look.

6.      Corporate facilities. The food and service in the Richardson Suite has hugely improved. It is fantastic in the Millichip Suite - I know from my own experiences and those of others. You are striving to improve those more, which is good to hear.

But, the experience begins way before that first glass of wine has been poured. Some five miles down the road – at Villa Park, who employ five Michelin star chefs for each game - their corporate supporters do not need to walk through airport security as they do in the East Stand. By the way: your staff are brilliant. Absolutely superb, so no slur on them.

But, who are your ‘customers’? Football fans, or terrorists? Do corporate guests and clients really need this level of entry - to effectively strip down their metals before entry? Could it be any more low-grade? Please be better than treating people in this awful way. And, once they’ve passed security, up the dining experience – so that those people bringing clients to the stadium don’t have to empty their pockets before you serve them with a bread roll and soup. This is hugely embarrassing.

Again, I go back to an earlier comment: after the match at The Hawthorns you're told that you have to drink up quickly as the bar is open. Five miles down the road, Villa keep the bar open until the last person leaves - they put the onus on the fans, not the staff. The moment the game finishes at The Hawthorns, your customers - who have paid significant money for the experience - are already put onto a footing of being made to feel like they need to drink up and leave as soon as any guests have spoken. What you're also doing is probably missing out on a good hour and a half of revenue from people who are happy to spend their money at The Hawthorns.

7.      Be pro-active. Communication, communication, communication. If you want an active fan base, then you need to be pro-active in your messaging. We don’t need commercially sensitive information, and we certainly don’t need to know who you’re intending to appoint as manager, nor who you wish to sign.

But engage.

Again, look beyond the cosy blue-tie-in-the-boardroom hangers-on who are happy to drift along and do little.

Please, kindly, explain what you have planned for next year; tell us about your five-year plan and beyond. What are your plans for the stadium, for instance?

You’ve been here now for a good 18 months. Your work in reducing the PSR debt is appreciated. Your ability to halt the rot instigated by the previous regime has been immeasurable.

But we are keen to have a glimpse into the future.

All eyes are on you: surround yourself with people who wish to grow with you, not with those who won’t, or feel threatened by improvement, prosperity and growth. Don't allow mediocrity to leave you behind.

This is your opportunity to make a mark with supporters who want to be part of your pathway.

8.      Finally: Please don't appoint Alan Pardew.

Thanks