Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Jonny Drury on why promotion is not the 'be all and end all' for West Brom this season
Express & Star
Follow
28/03/2025
Jonny Drury and Nathan Judah discuss West Brom's run in during the final weeks of the season - and why promotion is not 100 per cent essential for Albion.
Category
🥇
Sports
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
In terms of promotion, every team wants to be in the top league, of course, and the money's
00:04
ridiculous at this moment in time. We've seen a lot of Premier League clubs, Championship
00:07
clubs go promoted and not really give it a decent go. And then when even you do give
00:12
it a go, you look at someone like Ipswich Town, they're going to be getting relegated
00:15
and they spent close to £120, £150 million. So, you know, in terms of Albion's promotion,
00:22
if they did go up and let's hope that they do, would it be almost, let's just go with
00:28
this squad, let's make a few improvements, let's collect the money and we'll be back.
00:32
But with the likelihood that they potentially go down, but then they'll come back stronger
00:35
with the money that they use, or is it a case of not being the end of the world if they
00:40
don't go up and then they can build to maybe having a, you know, a competitive side and
00:44
a really good run at things maybe next season?
00:46
Yeah, I think there's positives on both sides. Obviously, everyone wants to go up, you know,
00:51
you'd be lying if you said you didn't want to go up to the Premier League. But it is
00:54
like we've seen talked about, I think this year it's going to be the second consecutive
00:57
year that all three promoted clubs have fallen straight back down to the Championship because
01:01
the gap is getting, you know, bigger and bigger, trying to be like, you know, Brighton or Bournemouth
01:06
kind of seems like a bit of a pipe dream at the moment for clubs. But I think obviously
01:10
the positive is the money side of it. And I think if Albion did go up, I think they'd
01:14
give it a good go, they would spend, they would try and improve and really have a go.
01:18
You know, the odds are they're going to come straight back down. But I think the positive
01:22
in that aspect is the ownership at the moment, and they would use that money, spend it wisely,
01:29
you know, build again, you know, and they're still trying to rectify things behind the
01:32
scenes and put Albion on a better footing, which they've done a very good job of doing
01:36
in the last year since they took over. So that's the kind of positive to it. You know,
01:40
you're back in the Premier League and the financial aspect. But like you say, if Albion
01:43
don't go up, I, for me, I've had this conversation a few times over the last couple of weeks,
01:49
I don't see it as the be-all and end-all. And if they don't go up, it'd be a very,
01:52
very similar situation to one that they went through under Mowbray in his first tenure.
01:58
You know, he came into a side that was littered with Premier League talented players, didn't
02:05
quite get them up, lost in the playoff final to Derby somehow. But a lot of big players
02:12
sold that summer for decent money and moved on. I don't think that'll be the case this
02:16
time. But they were moved on, he managed to put his own side together. And I know it
02:20
was a different era with different people involved, but he put together a side that
02:25
absolutely romped the championship and played some of the best football we've seen. And
02:30
you know, the early signs of kind of Mowbray's tenure, but a lot of these players are kind
02:35
of Bill Cullen side players, you know, the likes of Isaac Price who've come in, you know,
02:40
Torbjörn Hegum, Tammy Baniwar, obviously I haven't seen much of lately because he's injured at the moment,
02:45
but he's very, very highly rated. Those players that have been brought in, you know, that's
02:51
going to be the mould that Albion are looking at in the summer as they try and build, you
02:55
know, a better side and improve the kind of squad, bringing in young, hungry sort of saleable
03:02
asset players that could really go on and do well for Albion. And that's the reason
03:06
why I'm kind of pretty relaxed in the promotion race, because if Albion go up, fantastic.
03:11
Great day at Wembley, fantastic memories. You get back in the Premier League, some really
03:15
memorable days out, you know, and who knows, Albion might sign some very good players,
03:20
their recruitment might be really prudent in the summer, and they may just stay up in
03:24
the Premier League. Because I think if you stay up once, you've got a very good chance
03:26
of doing it again. But if they don't, you know, they're back in the championship, you
03:33
know, they've got good owners who know what they're doing, the recruitment's fantastic,
03:36
and they could be, you know, they'll obviously be, I think they'll be in for the better
03:39
shout of going up next season. But I think there are, you know, that's why I'm sure,
03:43
and a lot of Albion fans are pretty relaxed, you know. The last couple of years it's been,
03:46
we need to get to the Premier League, parachute payments are running out, the ownership's
03:49
kind of running the club into the ground. That's not the case anymore. And that's why
03:53
it's kind of, yeah, I'm pretty chilled out. I'm sure with three games to go when they're
03:58
sort of going from the sixth spot, I'll be sort of sweating and jumping up and down.
04:02
But, yeah, I think most people are pretty relaxed about it because there's obviously
04:06
the positives are going up.
04:07
I get that. But at the same time, you at least want to get into the playoffs, don't you? You
04:12
want to have a chance. You don't want to finish eighth or whatever. And, you know, there's not,
04:17
you want to have a sweat. You want to have that feeling of knockout football. You want
04:21
to have a playoff game at the Hawthorns, don't you? You want to hopefully have, you know,
04:25
50,000 fans travelling down to Wembley. You want to have that experience at least. You
04:29
know, ultimately, if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But I feel like with this
04:32
season, with the ups, with the downs, with everything this club's been through, through
04:34
ownership, that they at least deserve that. I know they haven't had it too, you know,
04:39
last season was fine, et cetera. But you feel like it's a different, you know, different
04:44
man behind the helm at this moment in time and that you would love to have a bit of knockout
04:48
football because I feel like they almost left a little bit on the table last season and
04:52
just have a really good go. And if they ultimately fall short, they do. But you don't
04:56
want to be eighth or ninth and just looking at the playoffs, do you?
04:58
No, you don't want that. That was the case kind of two years previous. Obviously,
05:02
last you got to the playoffs, only secured on the last game of the season.
05:06
But, you know, yeah, that game against Hampton was fantastic. You know, we hadn't seen a game
05:09
like that and an atmosphere like that and the Hawthorns rocking for a long, long time. And,
05:14
yeah, unfortunately they didn't win the first leg, which they probably should have done and
05:17
then fell short in the second. But yeah, you want to be in there. You want to be in there
05:20
and have a shout. And like you say, you know, everyone wants to go up. If you said you didn't,
05:24
you're a liar. But if they don't, then, you know, there are still many positives to take from it.
Recommended
2:45
|
Up next
Jonny Drury breaks down West Brom's six game winless run
Express & Star
31/10/2024
7:05
'Some could go': West Brom squad sale view amid dismal end to campaign
Express & Star
29/04/2025
2:05
Why aren't West Brom scoring as much at home?
Express & Star
09/10/2024
4:39
Isaac Price and West Brom summer prediction amid 'better chance' Premier League claim
Express & Star
19/03/2025
3:00
Are West Bromwich Albion likely to make the Championship play-offs?
National World - LocalTV
12/02/2025
1:51
'Only one thing matters': West Brom fan reaction after win over Watford
Express & Star
12/04/2025
7:35
'They fought for that': West Brom fans react to point against promotion chasing Burnley
Express & Star
11/03/2025
4:45
West Brom’s Kyle Bartley making stance clear on promotion hopes this campaign
National World - LocalTV
10/03/2025
4:45
West Brom face crucial summer to ensure more Championship progress is made next season
National World - LocalTV
19/05/2025
5:30
'A big decision for Albion': West Brom fans on Corberan's departure and what next
Express & Star
26/12/2024
2:04
'Some of the reaction to West Brom's defeat to Norwich was a bit ridiculous'
Express & Star
01/04/2025
1:00
West Brom strengthen squad with new signings ahead of promotion push
National World - LocalTV
07/02/2025
3:00
West Brom’s search for Carlos Corberan replacement continues as tough fixtures are ahead
National World - LocalTV
16/01/2025
3:00
West Bromwich Albion chasing Championship play-off race and have the backing to reach it
National World - LocalTV
28/01/2025
1:38
'It is vital that changes': Jonny Drury talks key point in West Brom's Championship run-in
Express & Star
26/03/2025
2:24
No dream start for West Brom under new ownership as Southampton charge on for promotion
National World - LocalTV
16/02/2024
0:59
Should West Brom be building around Adam Armstrong?
Express & Star
19/02/2025
4:45
Can experience of Tony Mowbray aid West Bromwich Albion’s Championship promotion push?
National World - LocalTV
24/03/2025
2:33
'Got what they deserved': West Brom fans react to Oxford draw
Express & Star
19/10/2024
4:45
Pressure Ryan Mason faces to deliver following his appointment as West Brom manager
National World - LocalTV
yesterday
2:53
Baggies’ hopes for the rest of the season
National World - LocalTV
05/02/2025
3:36
Why Shilen Patel's £1m West Brom training ground investment is so significant
Express & Star
06/06/2024
1:04
Celebrations at Opportunity Pre-School, Shrewsbury after being graded a strong 'Good' by Ofsted.
Shropshire Star
yesterday
1:28
Shropshire Star Morning Update 30 June, 2025
Shropshire Star
yesterday
1:00
What makes the perfect pub garden - and should smoking be banned in outdoor drinking spaces?
National World - LocalTV
yesterday