baggie shorts newseason on the pitch even if it is behindcloseddoors....

01Second Edi�on

ISSUE 20

BaggieShorts

WEST BROMWICH ALBION LONDON SUPPORTERS CLUB

TheAfricaSpecial

contents03

View fromthe ChairSteve Watts

05A letter fromthe editorsGlenn Hess

07Albion’sAfricansJon Want 25

Peter OsazeOdemwingieGlenn Hess

24Where areThey now?

Laurie Rampling

29African Players

SurveyAidan Rose

Email us at: BaggieShorts@b�nternet.com

We always appreciate submissions, from matchreports and photos to op-eds and think pieces.

Thanks, as always, to Laurie Rampling for supplyingso many photographs W

@LondonBaggies

@LondonBaggies

West Bromwich Albion SupportersClub London Branch

londonbaggies.com

17An East AfricanAdventure

Laurie Rampling

0201

This edi�on was inspired by a conversa�on Aidan Rose had withhis local pharmacist, Nalin Shah. Nalin was raised in Kenya and

remembered the tour as a young boy. Thanks to him for conveyinghis memories.

A wonderful picture by Laurie Rampling of two African Baggies,Youssouf Mulumbu and Peter Odemwingie.

Peter Odemwingie is one of a number of Albion players who have represented Africanna�ons in interna�onal football but weren’t born in that country.

Semi Ajayi (Nigeria, born in England)Diomansy Kamara (Senegal, born in France)Abdoulaye Méïté (Ivory Coast, born in France)Allan Nyom (Cameroon, born in France)Pelé (Cape Verde, born in Portugal)Peter Odemwingie (Nigeria, born in Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union)Bakary Sako (Mali, born in France)Georges Santos (Cape Verde, born in France)Sam Sodje (Nigeria, born in England)

the other africans

season on the pitch even if it isbehind closed doors.

Whilst recognising that the currentsitua�on is unprecedented, we allentered the season with a certainset of assump�ons, hopes andexpecta�ons in that we would play46 league games and 3 EFL teamswould be promoted to the PremierLeague. The rules of engagementwere clear from the start and that iswhy I hope, with some adjustments,that we can play that scenario out.

What we then decide to do nextseason is up for grabs but at least wewould know at the outset what thenew “normal” was and couldrespond accordingly. We’d all be onthe same page as to how the seasonwould operate and what the ruleswere on promo�on/relega�on. Wecould hopefully also agree fall backposi�ons if we found ourselves in asimilar posi�on should COVID

reappear i.e. average points pergamemight be accepted as a defaultif the 2020-21 season is cut short.

All of this football talk fades into adegree of insignificance when livesare being lost and families are losingtheir loved ones. Of course, we, theLondon Baggies, are a familyourselves and will remain so duringthese challenging �mes. If there isanything we can do for each otherduring these awful �mes, I’m surewe will rally round and do it. If youfeel the need to speak to someone,or drop them a text, or send an e-mail, have a Zoom/Teams chat thenI’m sure that few minutes will beappreciated by your fellow LondonBaggies.

Above all else, stay safe and I hopeyou and your loved ones remainbuoyant, healthy and well duringthese trying �mes.

Steve Wa�s, Chair London Baggies

TLIMS - The Lord Is My Shepherd

0403

view from the

chairWelcome everyone to our veryspecial Africa edi�on. I havepromised that I will not steal the(African?) thunder from mycolleagues on this special thema�cedi�on of Baggie Shorts - so moreof that wonderful con�nentelsewhere.

My message is related more to the(African?) elephant in the room –and apologies for those dreadfulpuns!

The current pandemic and theCOVID-19 situa�on is affec�ng all ofus and has all but ended thefootball season early – albeit thereis s�ll a poten�al for games to beplayed behind closed doors whichwould at least give us a footballingdenouement. The alterna�ves

require all sorts of makeshi�solu�ons based on sta�s�cs andassump�ons – even though itseems most of the suggestedop�ons might work in Albion’sfavour.

I’m really not sure if it will bepossible to finish the season,although I do hope that is the case,but it s�ll leaves many ques�onsunanswered. What do fans do?What about season �cket holders?What do we do for next season?What division might we be in? Willthere be any games next season?Might the next season be curtailed?Will London Baggies ever haveanother social event? Etc. Etc.

On a personal level, I believe itwould be be�er to complete this

about the virus “theEuropeans are worried aboutus but we are worried aboutthem”.

My favourite African playerwas Roger Milla who was soamazing for Cameroon in the1990 World Cup finals andwas at least 105 years old.In this issue, Jon Want reviewsthe Albion African-bornplayers while Aidan revealsthe results of the poll “BestAlbion African Player” - nosurprises there. There is thelatest quiz from Adam - getyour thinking caps on (it ain’teasy) and I’ve penned somefacts and figures on themagnificent Peter O. Also,many thanks Steve for hisupdate on the state of play atLondon Baggies.The way the club has handleditself during this pandemic hasbeen nothing short ofexemplary. From thetelephone calls by players toour older supporters, the

support to Peter George by allthe players and Slaven, thestatement by us that we werenot going to furlough any ofour staff whilst NewcastleUnited, Spurs and Liverpoolwere happy to do that to theirpeople. EVEN Piers Morgantook �me to praise us on TV.I’m really surprised thatArsenal fan knows who weare!It’s going to be tough for awhile but when the fog clearswe will hopefully be in thePremiership, we will bewatching at and going to TheShrineI’ll sign off by saying we ares�ll finishing our promo�onissue which will follow thisshortly - you lucky boys andgirls.Keep well, stay safe. Goodluck.

Glenn

editorsa letter from the

HELLO FROM BAGGIESSHORTS VIRUS FREEHEADQUARTERS

I’m delighted to advise thatwe, your intrepid BaggieShorts team, are all safe andwell and we very much hopeyou are too.

Thanks to the amazing LaurieRampling, this issue is builtaround his help on taking usback to our 1968 tour of eastAfrica a�er our fantas�c FACup success. Ray Wilson, ourSco�sh le� back from that�me, provided Laurie withshots of our players and weask, “Where are they now?”which Laurie answers.

Our club has been involved ina lot of unique historical

football firsts, including thetrip to the GreatWall of China,and the Africa tour was also afirst visit for a Bri�sh team. Itwas a series of tough gamesthat were not for the faint-hearted and a lot of thetackling would result in redcards today. It was certainlyan eye opener and a cultureshock.

Africa represents 17% of theworld’s popula�on and some1.3 billion people live there.No one will be surprised byme saying it is also the poorestcon�nent. However, it hasn’thad much of a problem withCOVID-19 and I read whileresearching for this editorialthat Felwine Sarr, aSenegalese academic, said

0605

Berahino needs no introduc�on toBaggies fans. His early life was a tragicstory when his father was killed in theBurundian civil war. He travelled toEngland alone at the age of ten andwas eventually reunited with hismother and sisters in Birmingham.A�er becoming one of the mosttalented youngsters to emerge fromthe Albion academy, burs�ng into thena�onal consciousness with a goal atOld Trafford, he ended up at thecentre of a transfer saga thatul�mately cost him a promisingPremier League career.This season has seen something of arecovery in his career as he moved toBelgian club, Zulte Waregem, scoringthree �mes in his first four games,

although he has not reached thoseheights since.Interna�onally, he rose through theEngland youth setup to earn a seniorcall up in November 2014 althoughdidn’t win a full cap. He has since

Picture by Laurie Rampling


Perhaps one of the more forge�ableof Albion’s Africans, he was signed byGary Megson from Troyes asdefensive cover but rarely provided it.

His contract was terminated in 2005a�er two seasons in which he madejust four appearances.

A�er a year without a club, he spentthree seasons with Greek club Panionios before finding himself out

of contract once again.

Born: 7 Oct 1977 (age 42), MaliAt Albion: 2003-2005Appearances: 3+1 Goals: 0

Born: 4 Aug 1993 (age 26), BurundiAt Albion: 2004-2017Appearances: 75+46 Goals: 36

While a number of Albion players have won international caps for

African countries, there are a select number of those who have

worn the famous blue and white to have been born on the Dark

Continent. JonWant takes a brief look at their Albion careers.


Albion’s Africans

0807

“Big Vic” was signed from Everton atthe end of the transfer window in thesummer of 2013 in a deal that waspoten�ally worth £6m.

If there was a goals element in thatfee, I suspect it was never ac�vated asthe Lagos-born striker managed justnine goals for the Baggies over threeseasons.

He had the remarkable sta�s�c thatAlbion never won a Premier Leaguegame in which he scored, but heplayed a significant role in the run tothe FA Cup quarter-final in 2016scoring in round three and notching adecisive brace at St Andrew’s in roundfour.

A�er leaving the Hawthorns on a freetransfer that summer, he signed a oneyear contract with Sunderland but

Born: 23 Apr 1988 (age 32), NigeriaAt Albion: 2013-2016Appearances: 31+32 Goals: 9

moved to China the following Januaryto play for Beijing Enterprises.

He le� the club that summer a�erallegedly being told “not to try” andhas been in a legal dispute with themever since.

He won 11 full caps for Nigeria,scoring once, and also scored for U23team that played in the 2008Olympics.

Much was expected of the Nigerianstriker when Alan Irvine signed himfrom Dynamo Kyiv («Динамо» Київ)for a club record fee of around £10m.In what was a difficult season forAlbion, Ideye failed to impress barring

a spell in which he scored four �mesin a week in February 2015 including abrace in what was a rare goalfestunder Tony Pulis, a 4-0 defeat of WestHam United in the fi�h round of theFA Cup.

Born: 10 Oct 1988 (age 31), NigeriaAt Albion: 2014-2015Appearances: 19+12 Goals: 7

1009

Born: 6 Apr 1981 (age 38), ZambiaAt Albion: 2004-2006Appearances: 27+23 Goals: 17



This West Ham loanee has been a keyfactor in the Baggies success thisseason. He made his league debutfrom the bench at Kenilworth Road inAugust and turned the game with abrace that won all three points forBilić’s team.

Grady was born in the Democra�cRepublic of Congo but moved toEngland at the age of four, growing upin Woolwich in south London. Hejoined the West Ham academy at theage of 12 and has representedEngland at U20 and U21 level.

Signed from Cardiff City on deadlineday in September 2004, RobertEarnshaw’s Albion career lasted lessthan two seasons and he will bestremembered for the hat trick hescored off the bench at the Valley inMarch 2005 that helped the Baggiesachieve the Great Escape. That treblealso meant that Earnie became, andremains, the only player to havenotched a hat trick in all four �ers ofthe English league, the FA Cup, theLeague Cup and at interna�onal level.

Despite becoming Albion’s leadinggoalscorer with 14 in 2004/05, he wasnever really trusted by Bryan Robsonand he made just four league starts inthe following season and he was sold

If football does resume this season,the break will have given our exci�ngwinger the chance to recover from theinjury that has hampered him in 2020.


Born in Ismalia on the west bank ofthe Suez Canal, Hegazi moved to theHawthorns from Cairo side, Al Ahly, in2017 having previously played forFioren�na and Perugia in Italy.

He scored on his debut, the only goalin a home match againstBournemouth and was soonestablished as a first team regular. Hewas linked with a move a�errelega�on but stayed at theHawthorns.

He has become a mainstay of theEgyp�an na�onal team having madehis debut back in 2011. He now has59 caps and 2 interna�onal goals and

captained the side for a World Cupqualifier against Chad in 2015.

He was also named in the Team of theTournament for the 2017 Africa Cup ofNa�ons when Egypt reached the final,only to lose 2-1 to Cameroon.

Born: 19 Apr 1998 (age 22), DR CongoAt Albion: 2019-presentAppearances: 18+4 Goals: 5

to Norwich City in January 2006.

He was born in Mufulira, Zambia,where his English-born father wasworking as a mining contractor. Thefamily moved to Malawi but,

following the death of his father fromtyphoid, his mother, once aprofessional footballer in Zambia,opted to se�le in Bedwas, nearPontypridd in Wales.

Born: 25 Jan 1991 (age 29), EgyptAt Albion: 2017-presentAppearances: 93+4 Goals: 3

1211


Few could quite believe it when thenews emerged that Kanu was signingfor Albion in the summer of 2004 fromthe Premier League champions.While at �mes a joy to watch, the factthat he is probably best rememberedfor a remarkable miss againstMiddlesbrough is, perhaps, indica�veof his impact at the Hawthorns and heplayed only a minor role in the GreatEscape. He did star in one of the fewhigh points of the following seasonwhen he celebrated a goal againstSpurs with a ball boy!He moved to Portsmouth and scoredthe winner against Albion in the FACup semi final in 2008 and saw out therest of his career at Fra�on Parkre�ring in 2012.He played 87 �mes for Nigeria scoring13 goals, and also won an OlympicGold Medal in Atlanta in 1996 bea�nga Brazil team with Ronaldo andRivaldo in the semi-final.

He is Albion’s most decorated Africanhaving won a Nigerian Premier League�tle with Iwuanyanwu Na�onale,three Eredivisie �tles, the ChampionsLeague, the UEFA Super Cup and theIntercon�nental Cup with Ajax, theUEFA Cup with Inter Milan, three FA

Cups and three Premier League �tleswith Arsenal and, unfortunately, oneFA Cup with Portsmouth.He is now a UNICEF GoodwillAmbassador and owns an internet TVcompany in Nigeria called Kanu SportsTV.

He is apparently s�ll only 43 althoughhis age has been subject of muchdebate and he may have been as oldas 35 when he played for Albion,rather than the reported 28!

Born: 1 Aug 1976 (age 43), NigeriaAt Albion: 2004-2006Appearances: 41+16 Goals: 9


Jordão is probably best rememberedfor scoring the winner in a crucialBlack Country derby in Albion’s2001/2 promo�on season, althoughhis “goal” against Rotherham Unitedlater that season also s�cks in thememory. It didn’t cost the Baggies,but Crewe were relegated as a result.He spent three seasons at theHawthorns having joined from Bragain the summer of 2000.

A�er being released in 2003 havingmade just three subs�tuteappearances in the Premier League,he returned to his first club, Estrela daAmadora in Lisbon before re�ring in2007.

He was born Adelino José Mar�nsBa�sta in Malanje in what was thenthe Portuguese Overseas Province ofAngola. He played once for thePortugal U21 team but never won afull interna�onal cap.

Born: 30 Aug 1971 (age 48), AngolaAt Albion: 2000-2003Appearances: 52+19 Goals: 8

He was sold on for about half his feeto Olympiacos the following summer.A�er two decent seasons in Athens,he moved to China for a lesssuccessful spell with Tianjin endingwith a six month loan spell withMálaga.Last summer, he moved back toGreece to play for Aris, based inThessalonika.Born in Yenagoa, Ideye has played 27�mes for Nigeria scoring 6 goals.


1413Picture by Laurie Rampling

Born: 1 Sep 1962 (age 58), South AfricaAt Albion: 1988-1989Appearances: 15+13 Goals: 5

John Paskin holds the honour of beingthe first African to play for Albionwhen he made his debut at FilbertStreet on the opening day of the1988/89 season scoring the equaliserin a 1-1 draw against Leicester City.A striker, he moved to the Hawthornsfrom Belgian club KV Kortrijk havingspent his early career globetro�ngfrom his home town of Cape Town toHong Kong via NASL ou�it, TorontoBlizzard.His Baggies highlight was to score abrace in a 6-0 win over Stoke City, hislast goals for Albion before he movedup the road to Molineux. He stayed inEngland with spells at Stockport,

Blues, Shrewsbury, Wrexham andBury before returning to South Africafinishing his career in 1998.

Any Albion fan could be forgiven forsaying “Who?” when asked aboutAlassane N’Dour. He was one of GaryMegson’s defensive summer signinga�er relega�on in 2003 but made justthree appearances, albeit remainingunbeaten, with the final appearancecoming in a 2-1 win at Bramall Lane inFebruary 2004.

He was on loan from French clubSaint-É�enne and, a�er that

unimpressive season, he was sold toTroyes. He returned to the BlackCountry to play for Walsall for the firsthalf of 2008.

He signed forGreek club DoxaDramas in 2009,before re�ring in2010.


Born: 12 Dec 1981 (age 38), SenegalAt Albion: 2003-2004Appearances: 3 Goals: 0

Youssouf Mulumbu ini�ally moved tothe Hawthorns on a trial basis fromParis St Germain in January 2009making his Premier League debutagainst Portsmouth in April.The deal was made permanent in thesummer for what turned out to be abargain fee of £175,000 as theCongolese midfielder turned into oneof the most consistent performers forthe Baggies over the next six seasons.Highlights included a goal and redcard in the 4-1 win at Goodison and acrucial winner at Swansea City in2014.He was one of the first names on theteam sheet for a succession of Albionmanagers un�l Tony Pulis’s arrival atthe Hawthorns saw his chancesrestricted.Much to the despair of many Albionfans, Mulumbu was released in 2015and moved to Norwich City.Injury restricted his �me at CarrowRoad and a�er just 24 appearances intwo seasons, he moved north of theborder to Kilmarnock to rejoin formerBaggies boss, Steve Clarke. He thenmade a surprise move to Cel�c, butended up being loaned back to Killiefor the second half of last season but

was released in the summer andremains without a club although hewas on trial with Birmingham City justbefore the lockdown.He won 39 caps for DR Congoalthough played for France at bothU20 and U21 level having grown up inthe Paris suburbs moving to Francefrom Kinshasa at just 12 months old.


Born: 25 Jan 1987 (age 33), DR CongoAt Albion: 2009-2015Appearances: 184+27 Goals: 15

He played 15 �mes for Cameroon,scoring twice, with the first coming on

his debut in 2008 against a CapeVerde side featuring Albion’s Pelé.


It was perhaps a case of nomina�vedeterminism, but “Iffy” Udeze wasanother African signing that le� muchto be desired. Signed on loan fromGreek side, PAOK Salonika, in January2003 he never tasted victory in any ofhis 11 appearances for Gary Megson’sside being on the losing side nine�mes! He returned to Greecefinishing his playing career with PAOKin 2008.

Despite his apparent limita�ons, hewon more than 30 caps for Nigeria.

Born: 21 Jul 1980 (age 39), NigeriaAt Albion: 203Appearances: 7+4 Goals: 0

1615

Signed from Sunderland in 2013 for athen club record fee of £6m, “Sess”was greeted with excitement by most

Baggies fans a�er impressing in 2½seasons on Wearside.He scored his first goal for the Baggiesin a 3-0 victory over his old club but henever quite reached his poten�al atthe Hawthorns frustra�ng more o�enthan deligh�ng illustrated by thesta�s�c that he was subbed off moreo�en than not.He moved back to France in 2016where he had spent much of his earlycareer to play for Montpellier but nowplays for Gençlerbirliği in Turkey.In his na�ve Benin, he is something ofa hero holding the record for the mostcaps (83) and goals (24).

Born: 1 Jun 1984 (age 35), BeninAt Albion: 2013-16Appearances: 74+18 Goals: 8


Born: 29 Mar 1983 (age 37), CameroonAt Albion: 2010-12Appearances: 17+30 Goals: 8

Born in the port city of Douala inCameroon, Somen Tchoyi moved tothe Hawthorns in the summer of 2010from Red Bull Salzburg havingpreviously played in Norway.

His first goal for the club was theequaliser in a 2-2 draw at Old Traffordin October but he will be bestremembered for the final day of thatseason when he bagged a hat-trick ina remarkable 3-3 draw away toNewcastle United.

Probably best described as an enigma,Tchoyi was at �mes unplayable butfrequently frustra�ng and was mosto�en used on the bench by both DiMa�eo and Hodgson.

He scored just once in his secondseason at the Hawthorns, and movedto Augsburg in Germany in thesummer of 2012. He finished hiscareer back in Mozart’s home town atthe other club, Austria Salzburg.

marred by a career-affec�ng and,probably, career-ending injury to oneof the club’s finest ever players, andpivotal performer in the previousseason’s campaign, Clive “Chippy”Clark, who was seriously injured in thegame against a Ugandan XI.

It was indeed a gruelling tour, whichstarted in Dar-Es-Salaam on the 23rd

May 1968, just five days a�er the CupFinal, and ended sixteen days and sixgames later in Kenya with the finalgame of the tour, a victory against theKenyan na�onal side wrapping upwhat was results wise a hugelysuccessful and unbeaten venture intowhat was then very much theunknown.

Travelling via Rome and Nairobi, thesquad arrived in Dar-Es-Salaam, thenthe capital city of Tanzania, at 11amon Wednesday 22nd May. The nextday, the team took on the local side infront of a 25,000 capacity crowd; itwas a game played in tremendousheat with temperatures close to 100degrees Farenheit, which severelyaffected many of the Albion players,especially given the long and �ringoutward journey. Having said that,despite some “strange” refereeingdecisions, the team kept it togetherand Jeff Astle’s goal was enough toearn those gri�y ‘Throstles’ a one-onedraw.

According to club “journalist” for theSports Argus, John ‘Yorky’ Kaye, the

Asa Har�ord, Alan Ashman, Stuart Williams, Ray Wilson and Dennis Clarke at SvaroPark, Kenya in May 1968. Picture courtesy of Ray Wilson

Graham Williams in “ac�on” in east Africa

an east african

adventure

On May 18th 1968, Albion skipperGraham Williams hoisted alo� agleaming piece of silverware atWembley Stadium, bringing aconclusion to a momentous seasonthat, at the �me, to many Albion fansdid not seem possible. This wasespecially true given the greatdisappointment of the previouscampaign, when Jimmy Hagan’s mensnatched defeat from the jaws ofvictory in the League Cup Final at thevery same stadium against ThirdDivision Queens Park Rangers.

One year later, Hagan had beenreplaced by Alan Ashman, whosecalming influence and methods hadre-built a confidence within thedressing room, resul�ng in Albion’sfi�h FA Cup triumph, a groundbreaking chapter in the club’s long andillustrious history.

A week later the team would gathertogether again, to embark on yet moreground-breaking ac�on with a history-

making but, in all honesty, li�le-men�oned tour of East Africa.

The tour was sponsored by the Bri�shExport Council and organised on theirbehalf by the Guinness Overseas andNa�on Newspapers but it would beone that would court controversyfrom the outset, and be seriously

Laurie Rampling recalls a unique piece of Baggies history when

Albion embarked on a little-reported tour of East Africa in 1968

1817

experience in Kampala, would be lessso, with Albion’s game against theUganda XI on 29th May being filledwith controversy and incident, whichone local newspaper billed as “Brutalfootball on behalf of the hosts!”.

Asa Har�ord’s 65th minute goal wouldwin the game for the Baggies but thatwas just part of the story. Referee, MrBukenya, was apparently the cause ofso much frustra�on for the playersfrom both sides causing many heatedarguments, one of which ended withMr Bukenya sending off Albion skipperGraham Williams a�er a mid-fieldcollision with Baraza just beforeHar�ord grabbed the winner, adecision that even the local pressques�oned, given Baraza was theoffending culprit!

Down to ten men, Albion dug in andrefused to give up their advantage,which was par�cularly pleasing forJohn Kaye, who would have strongwords to say about Albion’s secondgame in Kampala against an EastAfrican XI.

Before that, however, Albion gainedtheir second victory of the tour with afine 2-1 win over the Kenyan na�onalside at the Nairobi City Stadium. Itwas a game that manager Ashmandeclared was the best his side hadplayed so far on tour, both goals beingscored by Tony Brown in the last sixminutes of the game, Albion comingfrom behind a�er Kenya had openedthe scoring in the first ten minutes ofthe game.

Dennis Clarke and Asa Har�ord at SvaroPark in Kenya, May 1968.

Picture courtesy of Ray Wilson

Ray Wilson and Jeff Astle at KiliguniLodge in Kenya, May 1968.


2019

match was followed by a recep�on inthe Oyster Bay Hotel, a sun-seekingHaven on the Indian Ocean Coast,which pre-empted sun-bathing andswimming……a few drinks as wellknowing ‘Yorky’ as I do!

On Saturday 25th May, just one weeka�er Wembley, Albion faced aTanzanian XI and, according to Kaye,played very well despite yet morestrange refereeing decisions. Thatman Astle yet again came up trumpsne�ng in another one-apiece draw,which everyone within the camp washugely sa�sfied with, given thecondi�ons, the heat and, of course,the players’ con�nued �rednesswhich, thankfully, was off-set by apost-match recep�on given by theTanzanian team introducing the lads

to the local culture, including tribaldances and music.

At least with their first two openinggames of the tour completed, theAlbion players would now get a fewdays’ rest before moving ontoKampala to play their next gameagainst a Ugandan XI. Manager, AlanAshman, was reasonably happy withhis side’s performances given thecondi�ons, especially being withoutBobby Hope and Doug Fraser, whowere in Holland with the Sco�shna�onal side, and John Osborne andJohn Kaye who were on the injuredlist. Ashman did, however, reservepraise for his team’s opponents fortheir bright a�acking football.

As pleasant an experience as Tanzaniahad been, the up-coming Uganda

Ron Po�er and John Osborne sightseeing in Kenya, May 1968.Picture courtesy of Ray Wilson

John Osborne on the bench in east Africa, June 1968.

another incident and was also sent off,a decision that local journalist GuySpence considered very harsh, butpredictable given the referee’s bias infavour of the East African side. Thedecision almost resulted in the en�reAlbion side walking from the field ofplay only for the calmness of manager,Alan Ashman, to prevail as heconvinced his team to see the game toits end. Kaye, himself, received a kickin the face resul�ng in a hairlinefracture, and a prominent black eyefor a few weeks to come!

As for the match itself, Albion took thelead through Jeff Astle on fourteenminutes, only to be pegged back twominutes later when Dennis Clarkehandled in the area and Oundo

equalised from the spot. Kadenge putthe home side ahead just a�er thehour mark, bea�ng keeper Sheppardat his far post. Following the Har�ordand Baraza dismissals, Albioncon�nued to be the far be�er sideand, with fourteen minutesremaining, Ronnie Rees, in full stride,brilliantly brought the ball undercontrol and lashed it past Massajjaigein the Kenyan goal for the equaliser.

It was a scoreline that the Albionplayers, given the circumstances, werehappy to protect, even with fourteenminutes of injury �me!

The final match of the tour, against theKenyan na�onal side again, at theNairobi City Stadium, turned out to be

2221

Brown’s first goal was scored from thepenalty spot a�er a foul on Albion’swinger Ronnie Rees. The spot kick hadto be re-taken because ‘keeper Siang'awas adjudged to have moved, but‘Bomber’ cool as you like just steppedup again and banged it home in thesame corner of the net. The winnercame a�er terrific movement by JohnKaye which flat footed threedefenders, the ball falling to theAlbion striker who swivelled andcrashed the ball home.

On 5th June, Albion would par�cipatein their most controversial match ofthe tour, the penul�mate game, againin Kampala, against an East African XI.John Kaye, repor�ng in the SportsArgus, was highly cri�cal of biased

refereeing and, perhaps moreimportantly, the inadequateprotec�on afforded by the official, MrWilliam Ngaah, for the Albion players.

Kaye also highlighted one par�cularfoul on mid-fielder Ian Collard that hedescribed as one of the worst he hadseen in his career. Skipper, GrahamWilliams, and Asa Har�ord were soincensed that they rushed to theassistance of Collard which resulted inan ensuing melee, which eventuallysaw the culprit, the East Africancaptain Baraza, being sent off for thefoul on Collard.

A short �me later, Asa Har�ord, s�llincensed by the tackle, was involved in

Ray Wilson and Graham Love� at KiliguniLodge in Kenya, May 1968.


John Osborne on safari, June 1968.

the east africa tour team

where are they now?Our top man, Laurie Rampling, uses his encyclopaedicknowledge of the Baggies to tell us the stories about the squadthat went to Africa.

Tony Brown, as you know, is very much amember of the Albion media team,working for BBC radio and does a regularcolumn in the Albion News programme.He lives in Walsall with his wife.

Dennis Clarke is happily re�red and is aregular a�endee at The Hawthorns. He isa member of the Former PlayersAssocia�on and is very well.

Ian Collard is re�red and living with hiswife in Ipswich, and I see them regularly.They are both very well.

Doug Fraser is re�red and living with hiswife and family in No�ngham.

Asa Har�ord is re�red and living inBlackburn. He has nothing to do withfootball anymore but is as happy as Larry.I met up with him in November 2019 andspent several hours cha�ng with him.

Bobby Hope is now very well a�er anillness and a�ends Albion matchesregularly. He lives in the Bromsgrove areaif I'm not mistaken.

John Kaye is also re�red and anotherstaunch member of the Former PlayersAssocia�on, living with his wife in Kirkella,

near Hull.

Dick Krzywicki lives in Huddersfield. Hewas working for the PFA as an arearepresenta�ve, but I believe is nowre�red.

Alan Merrick is a highly successfulbusinessman in the USA having set up acollegiate system for football in the Statesand is currently living and working inMinnesota. He played one interna�onalgame for the USA versus Hai� in 1983.

Ronnie Rees is alive and well, and lives ina re�rement home in south Wales. Hehad his cap presented recently.

John Talbut lives in Mechelen, Belgiumwith his wife and daughter.

Graham Williams is s�ll living in Oswestryand is also very well.

Sadly, team manager Alan Ashman andhis assistant Stuart Williams are no longerwith us.

The following players have also passedaway: Jeff Astle, Clive Clark, PercyFreeman, Graham Love�, John Osborneand Dick Sheppard.

2423

the best and the cleanest by far. Anabsorbing game, brilliantly refereed byJohn Awanda, burst into life in thesixth minute when the best player onthe field by far, Asa Har�ord crashedhome a 25 yarder to give Albion thelead. Kajo equalised in the twel�hminute before Tony Brown restoredAlbion’s lead midway through the firsthalf. Kenya equalised again on thehour from the penalty spot when RonPo�er brought down Ambazi in the

area. Dick Kryzwicki Put Albion aheadfor the third �me and Ian Collardadded a fourth for the Baggies beforeKadenge reduced the arrears scoringfrom the spot for the Kenyans, but theday belonged to Albion with aconvincing 4-3 win to end the tour ona high.

It was a tough and demanding tour,which Secretary Mr Alan Everisssummed up as an “enjoyable butexhaus�ng visit!”

QuizAnswers:BagtoBaggie:NwankwoKanu1.SomenTchoyiandPeterOdemwingie2.JohnPaskin3.SaidoBerahino4.Nigeria-7(Anichebe,Ajayi,Ideye,Kanu,Odemwingie,Sodje,Udeze)5.YoussoufMulumbu6.MarekČech,RobertKoren,GonzaloJara,ChrisWood7.DiomansyKamara8.CapeVerde9.SemiAjayiandAhmedHegazi10.BrownIdeye

Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania23rd May 1968Dar-Es-Salaam 1 Albion 1 (Astle)25th May 1968Tanzania 1 Albion 1 (Astle)Kampala, Uganda29th May 1968Uganda 0 Albion 1 (Har�ord)Nairobi, Kenya1st June 1968Kenya XI 1 Albion 2 (Brown 2, 1 pen)5th June 1968East Africa 2 Albion 2 (Astle, Rees)8th June 1968Kenya 3 Albion 4 (Har�ord, Brown,Krzywicki, Collard)

winner on his debut.

In one of those games never to beforgo�en we beat Arsenal atHighbury 3-2 totally against theodds. We were 16-1 to win and Ihad a lickle bet on that! The gamewas outstanding from our point ofview as we were magnificent andPO scored again. There was talkthen of Wenger asking to sign ourPeter who had a super game.

In the home game with fellow

promoted Newcastle, he scored abrace to take his tally in thePremier League to 10, only twogoals behind Earnshaw’s clubrecord Premier League seasontally of 12.

On 9th April away at Sunderland,Peter got another goal in a 3-2win. A�er the game he said that hewanted to score 15 goals for theAlbion in his first season for us.

A reported bid came in from


2625

ODEMWINGIEPeter Osaze

He came to us from Lokomo�vMoskva (Футбольный клуб"Локомотив" Москва) actuallyfrom nowhere as far as I canremember. We had no inkling thatthis transfer was happening, noidea who he was. Thanks to ourclassy manager, Roberto diMa�eo, and his pleasing style offootball, we a�ributed this signingto his worldly knowledge andpulling power. As I write this, itstrikes me that Slaven Bilić issimilar in these respects, if notmore impressive.

So, on 20th August 2010, PeterOdemwingie signed for us. We hadjust been promoted back into thePremier League and we were allexcited about the new season, but

I confess to being a taddisappointed at this signing notknowing anything about theplayer.

He went straight into the team andscored his first goal for us in the81st minute in a 1-0 win againstSunderland. My love affair hadstarted - he was so classy - fast,slick and skilful. The press showedpictures of Lokomo�vMoskva fansholding up racist banners includingone of a banana in celebra�on ofOdemwingie’s sale and one read“Thanks West Brom”. Well, weshowed them in a classy bannerbeing unfurled in our matchagainst Spurs in September saying“Thanks Lokomo�v” with a clearpicture of Peter celebra�ng his

Glenn Hess pays tribute to an Albion legend

2827

Juventus and Peter dispelled talkof leaving us sta�ng that he’s reallyhappy at Albion. He scored his 13th

goal of the season with a beau�fulle� footed curler against Spursse�ng a record of 4 goals in 5premier matches an Albion thats�ll stands today. And his 15th goalwas against the Vile! Well thatwas a fantas�c season for Peterand us.

So, into season two for Peter and2011-12 officially. It was kick-started by the signing of a newimproved three year contract buthe had a slow start by hisstandards due to some injuryproblems.

He opened his account with thewinner at Carrow Road, hissecond of the season was againstthe Dingles and his third atBlackburn on 17th Decemberhelping us to a 0-2 win.

We then beat Newcastle 3-2, thefirst �me we had beaten them attheirs in the league since 1977,

with Peter opening the scoring, aresult that put the Baggies into10th place.

One of the best wins in my lifefollowed in February at Molineuxwhen Peter got a ha�rick and wedemolished them 5-1. So manystories to tell of our visit - pleaseask Max or me and we will tell youof Mr Smelly breath, the sack Mickchants, the hiding in the car, andthe screaming with happiness on ajoyous day.

Odemwingie won the PremierPlayer of the Month for the third�me. Ques�on: Which otherAlbion player in recent �mes haswon that award?

By the start of 2012-13, RoyHodgson, arguably the bestmodern daymanager we ever had,had moved on to managingEngland and Steve Clarke was nowin charge. A very underrated guywas our Steve but it was difficult tofollow “Woy”.

Odemwingie started well

conver�ng a penalty tocontribute to a 3-0 win overLiverpool on the opening day. Hethen scored a brace againstSaints and a headed goal to beatChelseamaking that our sixth winfrom 7 home games to start theseason.

And now onto the controversial�mewhen Odemwingie was seenon the transfer window finalnight Sky programme si�ngoutside Lo�us Road seemlywai�ng to sign for ‘Arry.

There is a lot of dispute aboutthis with Mr Peace saying heacted unprofessionally. He wassent home from training on hisreturn and was disciplined by theclub and became a boo figure forsome fans accusing him of beingMr Moneybags, very unfairly inmy view.

He did apologise publicly butwhen Steve Clarke tried to playhim as a subs�tute and more as awinger than his natural striker

role he was jeered by some of ourfans. A very frustratedOdemwingie then unwisely thena�acked the club on Twi�er andthat was the beginning of theend. He told the press that QPRalready had a shirt with his nameon it ready and prepared.

Ul�mately, he was bought byCardiff City in August 2013.

Despite his many successesplaying for us, his �me will alwaysbe soured by that unfortunateincident outside Lo�us Road onthe final day of the January 2013transfer window.

Peter has a book coming outshortly and I believe he will bespending a lot of �me explaininghis take on that.

Nonetheless, he was a greatplayer for Albion and one of thevery best strikers of the �me. Ihope that his reputa�on is oneday re-instated because he was ajoy to watch.

During the last fi�y plus years, I have seen a number of remarkable centraldefenders at the club. We all know the names: Talbut, Kaye, Wile, Robertson,Benne�, White, Olsson, GMac, Dawson, Evans - the list could go on. But whenyou are up against the best, things can go wrong. Hence the virtue of a genuinequality holding midfield player who can cut out the danger and make a simplepass to a crea�ve midfielder. Even be�er if they can push forward and frightenthe opposi�on.This brings us to the Villa destroyer, Youssouf Mulumbu who won the poll by acountry kilometre. When you saw his name on the team sheet you knew “everyli�le thing is gonna be all right” (lyrics from BobMarley’s Three Li�le Throstles).He got my man of the match vote at five to three every Saturday a�ernoon, the“heartbeat of the team”. I fondly remember his performance at Goodison inNovember 2010 when he scored in a 4-1 victory (un�l he got sent off). We allagreed he was be�er than Kaka.Eyes were raised when he came to The Hawthorns on loan from Paris StGermain in the 2009, mid-season transfer when Albion were in a relega�onstruggle. However, it showed the virtue of a player recruitment strategy thatrealised real tangible benefits over the decade. The fee of £175k comparesrather favourably to some more recent recruits. He played only six games thatseason but went on to be a key player in the subsequent five seasons withseven goals in the 2010-11 season including a wonderful winner for a ten manteam against Aston Villa in April.

Pictures by Laurie Rampling

Grady Diangana Ahmed Hegazi Somen Tchoyi

2.1% 2.1% 2.1%

Nwankwo Kanu

81.3%

8.3%4.2%

Victor Anichebe

surveyHe comes from Africa, he’s better than Kaka

We polled London Baggies asking who was our best player born in Africa. Wewill come to the winner shortly. However, some players deserve a men�on inthis dispatch. Big Vic was a classic lump of a centre forward noted for scoringthe first goal in one Baggie’s daughter’s first game. One of Kanu’s supporterscommented that his signing was “a watershed moment”, another said “hedidn’t try too hard but when he was in the mood he was great”. Somen Tchoyiwas fondly remembered by a certain member of the editorial team. Morerecently, Grady has the “WOW factor”.

Aidan Rose reports on the survey of members about our bestAfrican born player

Youssouf Mulumbu

3029

31

Bag the Baggie:• I was born on 1st August 1974• I have represented my country

86 �mes scoring 13 goals andwas joint most capped player ofmy country before Joseph Yoboovertook me.

• In my career, I have won theChampions League, the UEFACup, the Premier League �tle,three FA cups and an OlympicGold medal.

• My former teammates includeClarence Seedorf, Ronaldo (theBrazilian one), Thierry Henry andDarren Carter.

• I joined WBA on a free transfer inAugust 2004 and am o�enremembered for my “miss of theseason” against Middlesbroughlater that year.

1. Name the two African interna�onalsto have scored Premier League hat-tricks for the Albion?

2. Who was the first African bornplayer to play for Albion?

3. Which former Albion player le� wartorn Burundi at the age of ten?

4. Which African country boasts themost interna�onal players fromAlbion?

5. Which player from DR Congo made191 appearances for the Albiona�er signing for just £175,000 fromPSG in January 2009?

6. Name the four Albion players whoplayed at the 2010 South AfricanWorld Cup?

7. Which Senegalese interna�onal wonAlbion’s player of the year award in2006/07?

8. Pele, who Albion signed in August2007, played interna�onal footballfor which African island na�on?

9. Name the two African interna�onalplayers in the current Albion firstteam squad?

10. Which Nigerian player did Albionsign for a reported £10 millionbreaking the clubs transfer record inJuly 2014?

baggie shorts quiz By Adam Hess

Answers on page 23

baggie shorts newseason on the pitch even if it is behindcloseddoors....

Documents