'Home Is Where the Heart Is.'- September 2025.

125 Years.

Five generations of the Albion faithful.

From flat claps to denim flares, the hopes and dreams of the WBA believers have arrived at their own personal field of dreams, The Hawthorns.

Through thick or thin, the fans have always flocked, from Pennington to Astle, McGee to Gera, Regis to Bache, 90 Minutes of escapism from the turn of the last century travails of factory life , as a collective we come together.

As one.

Life is always about timing, and of all teams, on this celebratory day, at a stadium made for football, Derby County will again be our visitors on Saturday’s day of celebration.

Just as they were in Hawthorns game one.

Sept 3rd, 1900.

When a local born lad scored against us, for the first ever goal at our spiritual home, one of Derby County's all time greats with an accent that matched most of the 20,104 originals, the first home Hawthorns crowd.

Steve Bloomer.

[28 goals in 23 games for England, is a remarkable scoring record, matched only by Bloomer’s incredible life narrative of being a Prisoner of War in Germany during World War 1, and after being released at the end of the war, just four years later won the Copa Del Rey as coach of Real Union, who beat Real Madrid in the 1923 Final. A remarkable life and a back story worth recalling in this most historical of Baggies days]

Albion’s first ever goal at The Hawthorns was also beyond apt, scored by a lad born in the heartland, West Bromwich, one Charles ‘Chippy’ Simmons.

As for now, with the momentum gained by such a solid start to the season in August, three league wins from four, we are about to play a Derby yet again, who in their quartet of league fixtures have conceded just under three goals a game, you’d ordinarily consider the game a banker win.

But it is The Rams, and bogey teams do have a habit of hanging around..

August has been inordinately kind to The Albion over the last four seasons, with just two defeats from the past twenty three games played during this eighth month of the year.

The ninth month has recently proven more problematic, with just four wins from our last sixteen league games in September.

Certainly the turn over of players from August 2025 is the likes of which were crucially needed and had been promised, but as ever seems to make any

'pre season' team photograph utterly redundant.

Of course we all know the outgoings and incomings of players affect a team's dynamic hugely, and when you lose a local lad who's been at the club since he was eight, to play for a rival team in The Championship, for a fee you don’t perhaps feel quite worthy of his talent and potential?

Losing Tom hurts.

But reality bites.

Debts need paying.

The actions of the past will always have consequences.

Torbjorn Heggem now wears red and blue stripes, in Serie A for Bologna and probably starts in the 2026 World Cup for Norway, but we gained 10 Million in the bank, [as ever in installments], plus a sizable percentage on any future transfer fee.

With the sands of time sliding precipitously to PSR penalties, it simply becomes a business we simply had no choice but to activate change.

Transfers can surprise, even shock, and create inflated values that some clubs surprisingly seem more than happy to pay.

The Suffolk valuation system is one of distinct generosity in their seemingly self driven pursuit to recreate a Baggies old boys defensive block.

Maybe it’s a sense of guilt at obtaining Alex Palmer at such a ridiculously bargain price, but the bid they offered for Darnell Furlong was startlingly generous and one we simply couldn’t afford to say no.

Add in Kyle Bartley’s retirement and the ashes of the old guard of not only long established players with strong characters, who formed the crux and control of our old dressing room, with a new, cleaner broom has swept through, our defence being the position of most impactful change.

Josh Griffiths, the gloves are yours.

Certainly Griffiths has looked more and more assured at the start of the season, buoyed no doubt by the confidence and certainty that regular first team reps will always produce, but as his immediate competitor between the sticks is Joe Wildsmith, I think Griffiths can rest assured of a solid and well earned sustained run in the team.

One of the defining and encouraging signs of Ryan Mason’s Albion is more depth and stronger competition across the board for starting places, with the Bilkul recruitment model offering younger options across every position.

For just over Six Million, Andrew Nestor smartly identified and recruited the trio of George Campbell, Nat Phillips and Chris Mepham, to form a new defensive core of strong, trusted characters as well as an improved level of physicality for The Albion, none better seen in a rare case of role reversal for the perennial doyens of brawn over brain, Stoke City.

Even Tony Pulis may have doffed his famous baseball cap at that bedrock of signings.

The new defensive trio could also easily function as a back three, and add in the qualities that new signing Krystian Bielik brings as well, it gives Ryan Mason many viable formation and playing options.

Bielik and fitness are seemingly always a question, and it’ll be interesting to see if September brings about his Albion debut, as the Polish defender is a quality signing when fit.

Albion also made a real coup of a signing with Alfie Gilchrist from Chelsea, again bringing down the age of the squad, another very flexible defender in terms of roles and long term options for The Albion plus the wonderful potential of the home grown Welsh full back, Alex Williams, a talent whose obviously made a huge, early impression on Mason, promoting him early, and seemingly as confident on the ball, as his manager is in his ability.

After all, a Welsh full back called Williams is a good omen for the Albion.

At left back, eight years after first being linked to West Brom, the much traveled and looks like often injured Charlie Taylor arrives on loan, perhaps giving Ryan Mason a chance to look at Callum Styles in perhaps a truer midfield role, where he’ll be less exposed on aerial balls to the back post and play more to his strengths, as he does for Hungary, being Man of the Match in the World Cup qualifying game v Ireland this weekend.

Missing from the Irish squad for the aforementioned game, and truly wouldn’t it have been fun and pretty unique in recent Baggies history, seeing two of our starting players face off, directly against each other in a World Cup qualifying game, if Jayson Molumby would have been chosen for the Ireland squad, and competed in the Hungary match?

Molumby’s predilection to ire or desire are well known and his dependable energy is at the fulcrum of the midfield base with Alex Mowatt, one that arguably plays to the strengths of both players and allows our newly marauding attacking quartet to take on defenders earlier through quicker transitions from our deep sitting pair, or simply speaking, longer, quicker passes.

Options are there though, and no doubt it’ll be informative to see Toby Collyer given more minutes and a defined, impactful role this month, than the short, teasing cameos we have seen so far, offering glimpses of what might be, and hopefully, will be.

Ousmane Diakite may well be wondering yet again about how he can break into the team as a starter, and it’s another yet to gain a definitive question of playing role that Mason will have to solve.

The ex mercurial pair of Jon Swift, predictably hasn’t hugely impacted apart from yellow cards in 75% of his league games with Pompey thus far and Grady Diangana will try and break into the unbeaten La Liga team this season, Elche, so as a consequence, Albion’s only X Factor player seems now to be Tammer Bany.

Bany cost an eye opening 3.3 Million, but has barely been seen, with injuries blighting his impact, and perhaps supporters are now wondering about this ambitious investment by Bilkul?

Width is a trickier conundrum now without Tom Fellows attacking down the right hand side, but seeing one of Tom’s main strengths as crossing inviting aerial balls, not exactly a strong suit for the current crop of Albion attackers, the logic of moving Tom on, from Ryan Mason's point of view, makes sense.

Mikey Johnston looks to be finding his best form again for both club and country, and set to be selected over his rival Karlan Grant, although the new loanee from Aston Villa, Samuel Illing-Junior offers even more exciting options on the left side, as wing back or playing further forward.

Jed Wallace, whose leadership off and on the field is undeniable and admired so much in the squad as for his exemplary character, was Mason’s early choice to play in the ‘Fellows’ role, a well taken goal off the bench against Wrexham, leading to a starting role in our most recent game against Stoke.

Of course, no Baggie could not have been moved to see Isaac Price score a brilliantly taken goal again for Northern Ireland against Germany this weekend, hitting double figures for his country.

Price thus surpassed George Best’s goal scoring figures for his beloved adopted country and to achieve that stat in thirteen games less than ‘The Fifth Beatle’, is truly amazing.

Price is probably the biggest triumph of the Bilkul recruiting regime, probably unheard of by many of the Albion faithful when Nestor first made a bid to Standard Liege, and smartly signed Price to a four and a half year deal, thus maximizing the selling value, allied to a possible long term future with The Baggies.

But money talks, and bids simply are bound to come, and not only from Premier League clubs, but across Europe.

I always wondered if Price would end up back at the club he grew up as an ardent fan, and was part of for twelve of his first nineteen years, Everton, who in their new stadium, would be an enticing prospect, but the chances of this happening now with Dibbling and certainly Grealish thriving there, makes me think it’s less likely to happen.

  Aune Heggebo has been massively impressive with his work rate, a player who does not know the meaning of backing down, and this consistent, whole hearted, approach, can only endear him to supporters, also being an effective, willing support striker. with a penchant and determination to maintain possession from deep positions and readily instrumental in counter attacks.

Heggebo is that rarest of players who doesn’t seem to dip into the dark arts,  being at times too honest in his pursuit of the ball and overcoming physical challenges, rather than winning deserved free kicks or penalties.

Whether Aune is a natural finisher is less certain and we can only hope this area of his game improves, as we haven’t been a free scoring team in this division since our promotion season under Slaven Bilic in 2019/20 when we were equal second top scorers with Leeds United.

Goals though are Josh Maja’s currency, and it’s been superb to see him easing his way back into first team contention with more involved cameos, and an extra week's training from the international break, only beneficial to his eventual return to full fitness.

Maja is a type of player we simply don’t have.

A natural finisher.

26 games and 12 goals last season is not in the higher echelon of goal scorers in any division, but it’s more than respectable and somewhat instrumental to showing why we didn’t make the playoffs last season, as Maja was still top WBA scorer, Alex Mowatt and Karlan Grant both netting 7, but played almost 20 more Championship games.

Whether through rotation and rest, somehow, Maja has to regain a starting role, and how Ryan Mason dovetails the likes of Heggebo, Price and Maja, into at times the same line up, is a fascinating conundrum, and one as Baggies fans we can luxuriate in the promise of.

I look forward to seeing the Albion trident released.

September won’t be easy, but will be informative.

To start by ridding ourselves of the spectre of Derby and gaining three points would be wonderful, six days later we face the league leaders away on a Friday night at Middlesboro, [regardless of how late our away fans make it back home, we’ll easily sell out their away end].

The following Friday will be an odd experience playing Leicester City at home, without for the first time in a decade, that goal scoring nemesis of ours, Jamie Vardy in The Foxes ranks.

The feel good factor at West Brom is the pulse that seems reverberating freely.

The refreshing, hands on approach of Ryan Mason, the solid leadership of Shilen Patel, the visionary recruiting of Andrew Nestor, means we are in a good place.

Away from the efforts of the present squad, the recent excellent, selfless fundraising endeavors of both the 'Support the Skipper Night', honouring 1968 FA Cup Captain, Graham Williams allied to last weekend’s brilliant ‘welcome back of

so many ex Baggies in the Home Nations v Rest of the World match.

You could see on the field a classic example, the delicious interaction between Jonas Ollson and that forever lovable rogue, Claudio Yacob, celebrating his first Baggies goal since his wonderous shot against Wenger's Arsenal said it all.

As did the photos.

Fans with their heroes, emotions never change.

The bonds may even deepen.

This was simply finding happiness and joy, donning the stripes and boots once again to play for a great cause, The Albion Foundation, and truly have a fantastic time returning to where their heart truly still resides.

The Hawthorns.

If you take five letters from the words The Hawthorns, you get the word..

Heart.

And that for me, sums up our century and a quarter home..

Where the HEART is..

Our own very special place.