West Bromwich Albion FC | Club History

We discuss some of West Bromwich Albion Football Club's history in this video. We begin with the club's location, home ground, and founding story. We then discuss the club's nicknames, crest, and important events. And we close with discussing noteworthy players, managers, and stats/records.
The video is not all-encompassing but it hopefully provides some interesting information about West Bromwich Albion FC.
Links to sources:
- www.wba.co.uk/
- www.google.com/maps
- www.pexels.com/
- www.constructionnews.co.uk/ma...
- www.myfootballfacts.com/SEASON...
- www.wba.co.uk/club/history/
- thebeautifulhistory.wordpress...
- thefootballcrestindex.com/blo...
- www.soccerbase.com/teams/team....
- www.usatoday.com/story/sports...
- www.bbc.com/sport/football/410...
- www.skysports.com/football/new...
- www.baggies.com/faq/
- www.britannica.com/place/Albi...
- www.football-stadiums.co.uk/ar...
- www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foot...
- thetwounfortunates.com/unexpec...
- www.theguardian.com/sport/blo...
- www.worldfootball.com/m/269907...
- www.wsc.co.uk/wsc-daily/1176-a...
- www.11v11.com/teams/west-brom...
- www.11v11.com/teams/west-brom...
- www.birminghammail.co.uk/spor...
- www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bi...
- www.birminghammail.co.uk/spor...
- www.premierleagueheroes.com/br...
- www.leaguemanagers.com/manager...
- www.birminghammail.co.uk/spor...
- southamptonfc.com/news/2015-0...
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[@deancurtis4376]

As a Baggies fan,i enjoyed watching an outsider's overview of my club;largely accurate,i might say ! For a small industrial town;squeezed between two big cities,we punch above our weight in terms of support & years spent in the top division. It's looking feasible that we may return to the Premier league again,this season. Boing,boing !

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Happy you enjoyed the video and best of luck to the Baggies the rest of the season. Hope to see you back in the Prem soon. 🍻

[@dperson9212]

Ay it

[@tarquinmidwinter2056]

Baggy here. Lovely to hear someone from so far away taking an interest in the Baggies, including some interesting facts I hadn't heard before. One curiosity you might be interested in: When the Baggies score a goal, fans sing the first verse of 'The Lord's my Shepherd'. Not sure why this is. The most likely explanation I've heard is that it dates back to the1970's, when professional sport first began to be played on Sundays. A lot of church people were against this, so the Baggies fans made fun of the situation by singing a hymn at the Hawthorns. Anyway, that's still the only place where you'll hear Psalm 23 segueing seamlessly into a rousing chorus of 'S**t on the Villa'.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Very cool! Thanks so much for sharing that info! Appreciate you watching the video and adding some very interesting info! 🍻

[@user-pc8wc7ew8z]

Great info. Many thanks. I saw my 1st match in Jan 1957 and have been a baggie ever since.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Really happy you enjoyed the video! 🍻

[@richiesimons4403]

Thank you for doing a video on the history of my wonderful club. I am impressed with your accuracy and it was a very entertaining video. The only thing I was surprised about was that you never mentioned Lord Megson and our first promotion to the Premier League in 2002. Gary Megson is without doubt one the greatest managers and one of the most pivotal figures, along with then Chairman Paul Thompson in Albion's history. Otherwise I really enjoyed your video and thank you so much once again.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks Richie! Glad you enjoyed the video. And thanks for the extra info about Greg Megson and Paul Thompson. 🍻

[@RobPaddock29]

ATID, Proud To Be A Baggie

[@docash2107]

Nicely done. My grandfather played in goal for WBA in the 1920's. I have his 1926 appearance Cap for their game against Belgium. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheSoccerTavern]

That is so cool! And thanks for the compliments on the video. I'm happy you enjoyed it. Best of luck to the Baggies this upcoming season

[@richiesimons4403]

That's awesome Doc. Boing Boing.

[@CToph23]

West Brom played Belgium?

[@docash2107]

@@CToph23 No, I meant to say he had an appearance for England while playing for WBA. My bad!

[@plkrtn]

You can tell you're switched on, you used the British Birmingham pronounciation! Nice work! 👍 The statue of Regis, Batson and Cunningham ended up in West Bromwich town centre by the way 😁

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks Paul! I’ve really tried to improve my pronunciations. Some of my other videos are definitely subpar tho... Thames tripped me up multiple times 🤦‍♂️. Thanks for the support and the additional info about the statue! 🍻

[@deannewell8936]

Great video Pride of the Black Country 🔵⚪️

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@reganpinches5516]

The boing boing Chant originates from baggies in Sweden. During a pre season tour, there were a group of fans following the baggies on a mini bus and a song came on. It was in Swedish, so obviously they didn’t understand. It sounded like the chorus said boing boing and so the baggies song it at the games in Sweden and brought it home to the hawthornes. Since then it’s stuck and we sing it after every single goal.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Interesting, thanks so much for the additional info Regan! 🍻

[@biriyaniferrari165]

Hey thanks Buddy, very comprehensive and accurate review. If you ever do an update here's a few additional facts; record attendance 64,815, 1937 - 16th highest ever in England; WBA first team to win in Russia in 1957 and first to tour China in 1978 when they won all 5 matches. Cheers.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for watching and for the nice comments Biriyani. Also, thanks for the extra info! 🍻

[@kdeeuk]

boing boing actually came from a trance record , which they heard at a match in Europe and started to sing it in the game and it stuck there ever since

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing! 🍻

[@CrazyshadowTalksFootball]

The Statue Honouring 'The Three Degrees' Regis, Cunningham and Batson was unveiled earlier this year at West Bromwich's New Square Shopping Complex located in the town centre. Nearby is another retail park known as Astle Park (named after Jeff Astle). Tony Browns statue stands proudly at the main entrance to the East Stand at The Hawthorns itself. Hope this help. Good video (from a West Bromwich Albion vlogger)

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for the additional info! And thanks for the compliment, it means a lot. 🍻

[@garycomley7913]

Thanks for the history lesson. I’m a Baggie fan in the USA. My paternal grandparents came from the West Brom area, with many of my relatives being Baggies fans. I knew some of your facts, but not all. Thanks again!

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Happy you enjoyed the video Gary and thanks for the comment! 🍻

[@jerseydevs2000]

Though it's a bit tough for me to compliment a Union fan (as a fan of one of the NY clubs), as an American Baggie I have to give you kudos for doing your homework and putting together this video! I knew pretty much all of the things you said but it's good to have it all in one vid to educate others about the Albion. I will say I agree with one of the other commenters about Stoke being one of our rivals. They are definitely one of the clubs we don't like, and they are within the West Midlands, as are WBA. But generally speaking we have slightly bigger rivalries with clubs like Birmingham City and Walsall as our "second-tier" rivals behind VIlla and Wolves. Stoke are somewhat of an afterthought to be honest. Looking forward to being (and hopefully staying) in the Premier League!

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks so much for the support (even tho you support one of the NY clubs 🙃). And good to know about who you consider rivals for West Brom. Wishing you all the best back in the Prem! 🍻

[@dperson9212]

OK gents I was born and raised in West Brom. I've been a season ticket holder since the 80s. Our rivals are the Villa and Wolves. Walsall aren't on the radar, Blues is a friendly rivalry (we both dislike the Villa) and Stoke (who aren't in the West Mids, they're in Staffordshire) are more of an irritant than a rival.

[@jerseydevs2000]

@@dperson9212 You're right. I am old enough to remember Albion being in the same division as Walsall for a bit. But for a club just up the motorway from The Hawthorns (The Bescot roughly the same distance from the ground as Villa Park), there isn't a particularly fierce rivalry at all, mostly because they've been in a different division... never in the Championship since the first season we were relegated from the Premier League. And I was mistaken about Stoke as well. Staffordshire is part of the Midlands region but definitely not in the county of the West Midlands. So if we considered Stoke to be "local" Leicester, Forest and Derby would have to be "local rivals" as well...

[@dperson9212]

@@jerseydevs2000 these are the intricacies of English football rivalry mate! Walsall is so close, Bescot stadium is just across the border and you could walk it from West Brom town centre easy. The Stoke thing only arose after a spell in the 90s when we just couldn't beat them, no matter how well we played, they just seemed to have the bag on us. It lasted about 15 years, maybe more. That's changed now thankfully. Older fans will say Villa is the biggest game, it's certainly the closest and it also depends on where you live. Brummie Albion fans will say Villa too. Younger Albion fans or those living closer to Wolverhampton will say Wolves are the biggest rival. It's a toss up really. Villa fans in the main will say Blues are their biggest rival (and to be fair they really do hate each other), but again, the older ones will say Albion are.....in the region its certainly the oldest. Albion/Villa played at the highest level for years and on fact I believe they share the first recorded incidents of hooliganism, dating back to the 19th century. The rivalry lasted upto the mid 80s, when Albion's demise came and we didn't play in the top flight again for 16 years. During that time, the Wolves game became the big one. Years before, many fans would watch the Albion one week and the Wolves the next, depending on who was playing at home. It didn't have the edge or nastiness it has now. It's a shame its descended into that nonsense. If I was offered the chance to pick 3 points over either side, I'd probably choose to beat the Villa. Most Albion/Wolves fans will check for Walsall results and hope they win. As for Blues, I think this sums it up.....when we stayed up in the Great Escape year, they announced our result on the tannoy at St Andrews and the Blues fans cheered. Can't beat class like that. I'll always wish the Blues the best. Great to have fans in the States btw 👍

[@mohammedelkhalifah3315]

1 Villa fan has disliked this video

[@colinsummerfield8851]

good video mate straight 2 the point and very correct

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@geoffadams389]

Well done. I'm a life long baggies fan. I was born at the other end of the ground at the smethwick end. There is one manager you forgot to mention. Alan Ashman.he replaced jimmy Hagen I think around 1965/66. I still support the baggies to this day.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks Geoff. And thanks for sharing some additional info 🍻

[@jamiebehan4088]

Quality video mate SOTV 🔵⚪

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words!

[@dperson9212]

Done your research there mate, fair play. Although Wolves weren't competing at the highest level in the 80s, they were just as shite as us! And Stoke is not really a rival.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for watching the video and for the feedback D person!

[@subercake5878]

@@TheSoccerTavern yeah our rivals are villa, wolves and birmingham. but theres not really as much hate towards birmingham

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying 🍻

[@kianisherwood431]

Stokes not as serious as the local ones but it's still a rivalry most Albion fans hate stoke

[@aubsta1]

This was great

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks Aubrey! Glad you enjoyed it 🍻

[@albionnewsandopinions5343]

Enjoyed this. We're called Baggies cos we used to were baggie shorts, and we aren't rivals with Stoke. Us and Wolves were both fighting at the top.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Happy you enjoyed the video and thanks for explaining about the nickname & rivals. Best of luck in the Prem next season! 🍻

[@albionnewsandopinions5343]

@@TheSoccerTavern Cheers!

[@wbakad2993]

(I know my comment is late) There is one player (who happens to be an ancestor of mine) named William “Ginger” Richardson who played for the baggies from 1929 - 1945. He set the Guinness World Record for most goals scored in the first five minutes, which was 4 goals. He still holds that record today. He also scored both of the goals in that FA Cup final 2-1 victory against Birmingham. Another club legend. Just a bit of information that’s found here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._G._Richardson

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Such a cool story! Thanks for sharing 🍻

[@robertanderson6776]

Great football club and great history enough said

[@TheSoccerTavern]

🍻

[@dperson9212]

Bang on there our kid

[@chrisredditch]

The first team to win the FA Cup when it was televised in Colour.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Very cool fact, thanks for watching and sharing. 🍻

[@F1Legend33]

Recently decided to switch from being an Arsenal fan to WBA fan. Thanks for the simplified history!

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Happy you enjoyed the video and found it helpful! 🍻

[@dperson9212]

Whoa, how can you switch teams?

[@kaiokendojo9081]

I don't have a team and Im from across the pond, looking for a team with good history and hopes in success in the future!

[@subercake5878]

@@dperson9212 because supporting the local and going to games is better than watching on TV

[@matthewarmitage6681]

@@kaiokendojo9081 West Brom have a great history

[@MohamedAshraf-ts7en]

Nice☺☺

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for checking out the video!

[@GamerFC24]

Blues (Birmingham City) are also rivals of the baggies. They are slightly close to each over at home stadiums. With West Brom in the second division of English football they are playing each other.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Interesting, thanks for the additional insight! 🍻

[@stuhall2689]

Great video and a supporter for 56 years I don't see Stoke as a local rival tbh, the younger supporters might but Birmingham shity sorry I mean City would be more of a rival. Back to the Premier league next season we go.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for the insider info Stu and thanks for the support. Congrats on returning to the Prem! 🍻

[@dannyedwards6810]

Tbh great Video and fair play to the guy. And yes we dont like Stoke at all. And as it stands at Christmas West Brom are top and Stoke clay heads are bottom 😂😂🍾🍾

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for the kind words about the video and for the update about where the clubs are in the league right now! 🍻

[@karlkuttup]

the stories the throsles is both the pub did have a bird in the bar and it was a field of hawthorn trees,the baggies was men from work and the team wore very baggy long shorts as well ,with cyril and laurie and brendon were the first top flight players with viv anderson from notts forrest.,allso the highest football ground above sea level in england ,there is a pair of boots buried in each corner of the ground as well,from the early move of the ground to its place since 1910,how true this is is lost to time

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for the additional info Karl! 🍻

[@MuhammadAli-pu7ok]

George salters❤

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for watching and commenting! 🍻

[@matthewarmitage6681]

Greatest team in the land. Up the Baggies xxx Long live West Bromwich Albion xxx.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

🍻

[@karlkuttup]

i can tell you for a fact that were the ground is built it was a area of harwthorn trees everywere around there over the road from the ground is a small road and still has lots of harwthorn trees, there even today a local presevation valley for birds and wildlife,i knew 2 folks that had family how worked on the first ground to build it,and fred is seen alot around the ground you forgot to mention brendon battson he was 1 of the 3 first black players regis,cunninham,battson all 3 men are legends

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Hey Karl. Thanks so much for the additional info! 🍻

[@reganpinches5516]

Also one last thing, it’s not the tallest ground, it’s the highest above sea level.

[@plkrtn]

He said highest.

[@reganpinches5516]

He meant tallest

[@TheSoccerTavern]

No... I meant highest above sea level and that's what I said. That's why I compared it to stadiums in Mexico & South America.

[@RT-ko5hl]

Good effort with vid when you win 2:1 you simply say won two one not two to one

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for watching. Sometimes I say 2 to 1 and sometimes I say 2 1. There’s a lot going on when I record these videos and I might slip up here or there. Hope you enjoyed the vid and thanks for the comment 🍻

[@jevyeboi2546]

BAGGIEEEEES

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for watching and commenting! 🍻

[@davidmichaels8934]

Just had to point out that the Hawthorns is actually 651 feet above sea-level, not 550 feet.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for watching and commenting David. I found a bunch of articles that it was somewhere between 550-552 feet. Where did you find that it was 651 feet?

[@davidmichaels8934]

@@TheSoccerTavern thanks for the reply, that's very strange, I have just checked on Google and yes it says 168 metres which is 551 feet, as I am an Albion follower, I lived within roaring distance of the Hawthorns, I have always known the height @651 feet, I now live in Brittany, but I have relatives who are season ticket holders, I will ask them to check this out at the next home match, and come back to you on this OK?

[@TheSoccerTavern]

@@davidmichaels8934 Hey David! Yeah, no worries at all. I was just curious what the correct info is. No rush about getting back to me. Hope all is well over in Europe. 🍻

[@richardbottrell5933]

Gary Megson deserved a mention.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Any interesting info you can share about him? 🍻

[@RARARASPUTIN1914]

He took the club to the premier leuage in 2002 I think for the first time

[@TheSoccerTavern]

@@RARARASPUTIN1914 Thanks! 🍻

[@smellyott3831]

Why are all his fingers the same length

[@TheSoccerTavern]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@janmikolajczyk5587]

Stoke not a rival its wolves and villa

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Thanks for the info and for watching the video

[@sambooker3859]

Us and Stoke are rivals, if you have ever been too a West Brom v Stoke game you would know how much our fans hate eachother

[@reganpinches5516]

We are Albion say we are Albion.

[@TheSoccerTavern]

Congrats on promotion! 🍻

[@franklinandlamar6005]

Up the baggies

[@TheSoccerTavern]

🍻

[@franklinandlamar6005]

@@TheSoccerTavern 🆙the baggies

[@mattgwynn2414]

Come visit us yankee u Will love it coyb

[@TheSoccerTavern]

I’ve actually been to The Hawthorns in September 2018 when I was visiting the UK. No match that day, but the stadium was cool. Hope to be back in the future 🍻

[@westbromwichalbion.ramzana5688]

West Brom

[@westbromwichalbion.ramzana5688]

West Bosss 🤩

[@TheSoccerTavern]

🍻

[@rodrickheffley1597]

WERE THE ALBION

[@TheSoccerTavern]

🍻

[@kianisherwood431]

All the muppets saying stoke isn't a rivalry 🤣. It is just not as serious as villa and wolves. Tbh I dont have a problem with the dog heads just friendly banter but I hate the vile

[@janmikolajczyk5587]

Stoke r no rival to us

[@kianisherwood431]

They are our 4th rivals behind villa, wolves and Birmingham city u plonka 🤣

[@janmikolajczyk5587]

Realy face to face I dont think so

[@kdeeuk]

and now we have american owners lol