Being an Albion fan right now…

[Bartley_baggie]

Good post, some of the best Albion times were when we were proper shit!
Take care at that there Burnley, the natives are definitely not friendly

[Midget In A Pinstripe Suit]

Hope things pick up for you pal.

[TTM2]

I couldn’t be anything but an Albion fan and wouldn’t allow my kids to be anything else. I still live three miles from the ground, but even if I didn’t it’s more than that. 

The Hawthorns isn’t just a football ground, it’s a place I feel close to relatives no longer with us. My Uncle Ray left us at just 55 in 1993 and I can still see him leaning on his chosen crush barrier in the smethwick end, his wife - my aunt left us in October aged 84 and had a season ticket until 3 years ago. I haven’t yet stopped welling up everytime we go through the turnstiles because she’s no longer here. 

If life’s shit a few hours at the match puts it all to one side, that’s why lockdown was so hard.

It’s like being part of a big extended family, and just as dysfunctional.

[MassDebater]

I couldn’t be anything but an Albion fan and wouldn’t allow my kids to be anything else. I still live three miles from the ground, but even if I didn’t it’s more than that. 

The Hawthorns isn’t just a football ground, it’s a place I feel close to relatives no longer with us. My Uncle Ray left us at just 55 in 1993 and I can still see him leaning on his chosen crush barrier in the smethwick end, his wife - my aunt left us in October aged 84 and had a season ticket until 3 years ago. I haven’t yet stopped welling up everytime we go through the turnstiles because she’s no longer here. 

If life’s shit a few hours at the match puts it all to one side, that’s why lockdown was so hard.

It’s like being part of a big extended family, and just as dysfunctional.

Spot on lad. I don't live anywhere near, and never grew up near, and with the way things are going I'm likely to be 200miles from it, but it's my holy place. Like a mate you've not seen in years, yet you just chat away like you saw them last week.

You mentioning crush barriers reminded me of my dad, and you got me welled up now!

[Spandaubaggie]

I couldn’t be anything but an Albion fan and wouldn’t allow my kids to be anything else. I still live three miles from the ground, but even if I didn’t it’s more than that. 

The Hawthorns isn’t just a football ground, it’s a place I feel close to relatives no longer with us. My Uncle Ray left us at just 55 in 1993 and I can still see him leaning on his chosen crush barrier in the smethwick end, his wife - my aunt left us in October aged 84 and had a season ticket until 3 years ago. I haven’t yet stopped welling up everytime we go through the turnstiles because she’s no longer here. 

If life’s shit a few hours at the match puts it all to one side, that’s why lockdown was so hard.

It’s like being part of a big extended family, and just as dysfunctional.

This sums it up perfectly TTM. 
I live over Solihull way and my lad was the only Baggie in his year. He said he is proud to be known as the Albion fan. He’s since made 2 Baggies out of mates.
During the many train strikes I park off High St, Smethwick and do the walk over the railway bridge that I did with my dad 40 plus years ago when I was junior’s age. 
It’s part of our family heritage and supporting someone else was never an option.

[MancBaggie]

I know every clubs supporters will say that it's special but I genuinely do believe that being a Baggie is something different.  No fucker can ever call us glory hunters and there is just a sense of realism, stoicism and belonging that is inherent in us all.

The baton was passed down to me by my late Dad, whilst he grew up in East Anglia, my Grandad was from the Black Country (albeit the black sheep of the family cos he was Villa) and Dad spent a lot of time in Oldbury seeing relatives who ensured he was Albion from an early age.

As a kid I lived in various places but in Redditch from the ages of 4 til 9 and whilst the old man never said I had to follow Albion, he took me to games from 76 onwards (lost count of how many times he lifted me over the turnstile to save a few pence). Like many a kid back then I flirted with Liverpool, but remember vividly him taking me to several home games prior to us playing the Scousers and him making up some bullshit excuse that I couldn't go to the game v them, but in return gave me a signed picture of Cyrille as "compensation", which was enough for my 6 year old self to realise Albion was the only way.  It turned out that through his work he knew Cyrille's driving instructor which is how he got it.

From that moment I was and always will be ATID.  I talked to Dad about it on his death bed and whilst we never had a brilliant relationship, Albion was the one thing we had in common, the best (and often worst) times we had together revolved around Albion and even now, 2 years after he left us, after every game, I have to check myself that I can't ring him for a debrief.  The last game he was alive for was Chelsea in Sep 2020 when we were 3-0 up (I think) and his last ever message from the hospital bed was "we'll fuck this up!!" We did and drew 3-3 iirc.
When it comes to my own son, I never made him support Albion, especially as he grew up in Peterborough. Like Dad I took him to games (pre season friendly at Histon was his first), but always said he could support whom he wanted.  His mothers Cockerney family did all they could to make him Chelsea, but failed. One of my proudest moments is when at 6 years old his maternal grandfather took him to Chelsea and was "giving it large" to his mates that Joe was really a Chelsea fan......my boy, unbeknownst to me, wore his Baggies shirt under his coat and proudly revealed it to them all!!

He's 18 now and as much of a Baggie as I am, he's still in Peterborough  but I've moved to West Brom and he's just messaged me to say he's sorted tix and coach travel for us for Burnley away and we'll be there on Friday night.

I apologise for the rambling post, but my life has been a fucking car crash over the last 5 years and continues to be so.  The only constant positive is my love for Albion and the way we're playing at the moment fills me with joy and hope.  Circumstances dictated I was made homeless after a failed, post marriage, relationship, so I bit the bullet and moved to a rented room in West Brom.  For the first time in my life I feel like I fit in and belong, despite all the shit I am dealing with.

So.....this is an amazing time to be a Baggies fan, but in reality it's always an amazing time to be Albion, never forget that boys and girls xx

Aer kid, that is touching and inspirational post for supporters losing faith.  Chin up and all the best for your future.

+1,000.  Great post (as usual) Runaroundandgroovelikeabaggie.  Really touching that

[Hughie Reed 31]

I know every clubs supporters will say that it's special but I genuinely do believe that being a Baggie is something different.  No fucker can ever call us glory hunters and there is just a sense of realism, stoicism and belonging that is inherent in us all.

The baton was passed down to me by my late Dad, whilst he grew up in East Anglia, my Grandad was from the Black Country (albeit the black sheep of the family cos he was Villa) and Dad spent a lot of time in Oldbury seeing relatives who ensured he was Albion from an early age.

As a kid I lived in various places but in Redditch from the ages of 4 til 9 and whilst the old man never said I had to follow Albion, he took me to games from 76 onwards (lost count of how many times he lifted me over the turnstile to save a few pence). Like many a kid back then I flirted with Liverpool, but remember vividly him taking me to several home games prior to us playing the Scousers and him making up some bullshit excuse that I couldn't go to the game v them, but in return gave me a signed picture of Cyrille as "compensation", which was enough for my 6 year old self to realise Albion was the only way.  It turned out that through his work he knew Cyrille's driving instructor which is how he got it.

From that moment I was and always will be ATID.  I talked to Dad about it on his death bed and whilst we never had a brilliant relationship, Albion was the one thing we had in common, the best (and often worst) times we had together revolved around Albion and even now, 2 years after he left us, after every game, I have to check myself that I can't ring him for a debrief.  The last game he was alive for was Chelsea in Sep 2020 when we were 3-0 up (I think) and his last ever message from the hospital bed was "we'll fuck this up!!" We did and drew 3-3 iirc.
When it comes to my own son, I never made him support Albion, especially as he grew up in Peterborough. Like Dad I took him to games (pre season friendly at Histon was his first), but always said he could support whom he wanted.  His mothers Cockerney family did all they could to make him Chelsea, but failed. One of my proudest moments is when at 6 years old his maternal grandfather took him to Chelsea and was "giving it large" to his mates that Joe was really a Chelsea fan......my boy, unbeknownst to me, wore his Baggies shirt under his coat and proudly revealed it to them all!!

He's 18 now and as much of a Baggie as I am, he's still in Peterborough  but I've moved to West Brom and he's just messaged me to say he's sorted tix and coach travel for us for Burnley away and we'll be there on Friday night.

I apologise for the rambling post, but my life has been a fucking car crash over the last 5 years and continues to be so.  The only constant positive is my love for Albion and the way we're playing at the moment fills me with joy and hope.  Circumstances dictated I was made homeless after a failed, post marriage, relationship, so I bit the bullet and moved to a rented room in West Brom.  For the first time in my life I feel like I fit in and belong, despite all the shit I am dealing with.

So.....this is an amazing time to be a Baggies fan, but in reality it's always an amazing time to be Albion, never forget that boys and girls xx

Aer kid, that is touching and inspirational post for supporters losing faith.  Chin up and all the best for your future.

+1,000.  Great post (as usual) Runaroundandgroovelikeabaggie.  Really touching that

Great post mate really hope your luck is on the way back
Don’t know why but I always feel a great bond to anyone you tells me they are an Albion fan.

My son lives in Ho Chi Minh we talk every week and he still follows and watch’s the games
His son my grandson who is 6 will hopefully be Albion despite every other kid supporting Liverpool or Man Utd

[hudds]

I couldn’t be anything but an Albion fan and wouldn’t allow my kids to be anything else. I still live three miles from the ground, but even if I didn’t it’s more than that. 

The Hawthorns isn’t just a football ground, it’s a place I feel close to relatives no longer with us. My Uncle Ray left us at just 55 in 1993 and I can still see him leaning on his chosen crush barrier in the smethwick end, his wife - my aunt left us in October aged 84 and had a season ticket until 3 years ago. I haven’t yet stopped welling up everytime we go through the turnstiles because she’s no longer here. 

If life’s shit a few hours at the match puts it all to one side, that’s why lockdown was so hard.

It’s like being part of a big extended family, and just as dysfunctional.

Ay it.

That game in 2004 when when we beat Norwich at home, I got a ticket for my frail old uncle who hadn't been to the Albion for years.  The club sorted a great seat at the end of a row (we sat together) in the East Stand.  He loved it but the game wasn't great (and became notorious after we had slogged away to beat Naarge (another great goal from Koumas)).  A grey haired bloke with a kid sat in front of us and as we were leaving I said to the kid "Be good or you'll have to come again".  The bloke recognised me (then I recognised him). 

We had been good mates at primary school up to 1968 when he left the area.  Like me, he came back every week from Yorkshire to watch the Albion - he was living in Doncaster and brought his son with him, brought up as a baggie. 

I love it.