Return to the Hawthorns

when i came to england this last september, i visited the hawthorns twice and saw the baggies play a pair of home games against plymouth argyle and doncaster rovers respectively. they won both matches by a score of 3-1. on my last full day in the country, i listened on the internet as the baggies thrashed middlesbrough 0-5 at the riverside and i returned to canada (where i saw the match repeated on TV) leaving the albion in first-place and on a nine-game unbeaten run.

i had come to hawthorns as if a pilgrim on his knees to mecca. i stood at the astle gate looking at the stadium in awe. i came out after the match and walked around the parking lot in a state of grateful elation. i felt as if the albion were invincible and that being involved with the club, these qualities were manifest in myself as well as all those who followed the baggies. as a supporter, i had a feeling of pride in my team the manner of which i just knew could not be available to those who follow the really big clubs like chelsea or manchester united.



on the eve of a huge premier league derby between the city's two biggest teams, aston villa and birmingham city, being played just a few miles away, it was truly amazing that 25,000 supporters - all sporting some variation of the navy blue-and-white stripes as a measure of devotion - should turn out for a match in english football's second-tier against a small team from the south-west coast.

blessed are the faithful, for they shall inherit promotion...

the atmosphere was great and without having ever been there before i could sense there was a real buzz around what was happening at the hawthorns in those early days of september. you could feel it in the parking lot, the stands, the club-shop... you could feel the excitement of people at the box-office picking up their tickets for the next game. the feeling followed me out onto the birmingham road, down holymore, into a taxi and on to new street station.



on the train back to bath - well away from birmingham and approaching bristol - i heard a group of teenagers, likewise returning home from the hawthorns, talking about the match. they were discussing how marek cech had just fallen short of a hat-trick when what appeared his third goal had been called back for off-side. the buzz was following me everywhere and everything with the world was right! the feeling was truly palpable!

it's been a long season and much has happened since then. the baggies have managed to hang on to second-place for the better part of the season, and have even managed to climb back into first for a few days on a couple of occasions. they have likewise found themselves briefly down to third in the table; but with a long-standing game in hand, they've always remained in control and reclaimed second spot at the first available opportunity. above all - and thus far - the baggies have met all the requisite challenges at the most crucial moments and it's been a good season.



on march the 13th, i am coming back to hawthorns, and will be there for the following two home games against preston north end and coventry city. i am also planning on going to the away match at swansea. in fact, i'm going to set my alarm and be awake tonight (tomorrow?) at 4.00 AM so i can get a jump on ordering tickets online.

for me this is a special year; and while i will be at the hawthorns for a couple of games next year, its unlikely that i will travel to england twice. i think the baggies are going to be promoted this year. whether they finish the season in first or second is the most pressing question. even if it were a playoff scenario, i have faith that the albion are going up. the baggies will be in the premier league next season and i will only be planning one football vacation next year.

first off, with the season reduced by a full eight games, it is unlikely that there will be any period that would see west bromwich albion playing three home fixtures in the space of two weeks. and while i like to think that its probable that the baggies will certainly be competitive in the bottom half of the table in the premier league, it won't be as enjoyable as the possibility of a championship title and won't yield a great deal of wins on any consistent basis.





i've learned a lot about football, and like to think that i've learned a lot about writing about football - from following the baggies this year. this was the first season that i was able to subscribe to their live internet audio commentaries, and along with the fairly healthy number of matches that have been televised, i have been able to follow every match live without having to resort to the text commentary on the BBC.



next year, i fully expect to see the baggies in the premier league and back on TV on a weekly basis. between my subscription to SETANTA SPORTS and its extensive coverage of the premier league with both live broadcasts and same day repeats, along with the regular two or three weekly live premier league games on SPORTSNET, i get every match that the premier league has on offer. still, i'm going to keep my subscription to ALBION PLAYER, and continue to listen to the albion matches live. it will be interesting to write about the comparative experience of football on TV and "internet radio", and exploring the relative qualities of both "hot" and "cool" media.

through it all my passion for the baggies will endure.

i will continue to enjoy this season for all it has to offer and suffer in attending its final outcome. i'll now to the hawthorns and see that things be well done there...

C'MON YOU BAGGIES!!!