A full round-up of all football clubs from the West Midlands.
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00:00Charlie, finally, Gary O'Neill has been sacked by Wolves. I mean, it's a very disappointing
00:08situation for them to be in again. We saw the same with Bruno Large a couple of seasons
00:12ago. They got Lopetegui injured to save them in the relegation scrap. At that time, it
00:17sort of seemed a bit too late in the season, but Lopetegui managed to turn things around
00:22and Wolves actually ended the season fairly well, albeit going away to the likes of Brighton
00:27and Arsenal and conceding way too many goals in those games. But then it ended poorly with
00:31Lopetegui. He ends just before Gary O'Neill comes in. O'Neill had some fantastic moments,
00:38more notably the West Brom game and that FA Cup run, which did sort of crumble. If you
00:42look at the fixtures and you look back, that Coventry game at Molineux where they thought
00:47they had the game won and they go and lose. And it would have been another trip to Wembley
00:51for Wolves, I think, if that went well. If that went the other way, then maybe things
00:56could have gone differently for Wolves. But ultimately, it's another failure, another
01:00terrible start to a Premier League season. Vito Pereira is the name to come in and hopefully
01:07turn things around. How do you see this going? Obviously, a lot of experience, 56 years of
01:11age. He's been around a number of clubs, but this is also the fourth time that Wolves have
01:17actually approached him. They approached him before Walter Zenger in 2016, then Nuno, which
01:22obviously went fantastically well. But then he was on the radar for them another few times
01:27as well. So it's an interesting appointment. Firstly, what do you make of it? What do the
01:32fans make of it? And how do you see Wolves getting on? I mean, this is just really sink
01:37or swim for them now in the top flight.
01:40It's important. They need a new manager bounce immediately. It's the game away at Leicester
01:44City, such a huge match and the six-pointer, the Premier League relegation five-course
01:48Ipswich game was also a six-pointer. That one ended terribly, a 94th-minute winner
01:53for the Tractor Boys. Another defeat would just be absolutely crushing for Wolves and
01:57it would make the mountain to climb even bigger for the new manager. But he looks like an
02:01experienced coach, as you say, Vito Pereira. I think the only concern, though, essentially
02:05is his loyalty. This would be his fifth club in the last five seasons, which doesn't make
02:11good reading if you want someone in for the long term. But I don't think that's what Wolves
02:14are looking for at this moment. I think it's just about getting a manager who's got that
02:17experience, who can play more attractive football. Not that attractive football is
02:23necessarily an important thing. It's all about getting results. But he's got the versatility
02:27as well. He's a bit more reactive to opponents than he is focusing on his own team. He wants
02:33to maybe set up in a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3, depending on the opponents that he has got. I'm not
02:40sure if it's going to work out, personally, because I think that the squad is in such
02:43disarray at the moment. But who knows? He seems to be a hard-nosed head coach. You might
02:48be able to get them back to winning ways. But that Leicester game, as I say, is so important,
02:53trying to get some momentum over the festive period. And then who knows what can happen
02:56in the new year with some transfers in the January transfer window.
02:59Charlie, let's look at Aston Villa and let's just have a quick, brief review on their 2024.
03:06Obviously, I mean, you look at the back end of 2023, they were on fire, beating Manchester
03:12City and Arsenal in the space of a week or so. Then they go into the new year and they
03:17are looking fantastic. Obviously, fell in the FA Cup eventually to Chelsea in a brilliant
03:23performance from the Blues. But Villa then just kick on and they had a fantastic campaign
03:28in the Conference League. But then you thought they were favourites and they did sort of
03:32throw that away. It felt at times, a bit of silverware under Emre in this fantastic era
03:39would have been ideal for fans so far. But then, you know, obviously qualifying for the
03:43Champions League was absolutely massive and starting this campaign really well. Then they
03:48go on a bit of a blip in November, festive period as well to come. And it's just an interesting
03:54one. What do you sort of make of their 2024? Maybe seems like a bit of a missed opportunity.
04:00Yeah, I think the Conference League, obviously silverware would have been amazing and European
04:04silverware, but most Villa fans would probably say that they'd rather play Champions League
04:08football, which might seem a bit controversial, silverware or silverware, they'd have had
04:12Europa League anyway. But being in the top European competition, especially with the
04:16new rebrand, the new format, it's just such an exciting opportunity. And we've seen so
04:20far being in the top five of the Champions League, league phase with all those 36 teams,
04:25they look as if they could finish in the top eight and advance straight through to the
04:28last 16, which would be an incredible achievement. I think it has worked out for the best. And
04:32considering that, and the fact they qualified in the first place, finishing in the top four,
04:37it's been a hugely successful 2024 for Unai Emery. And obviously things have dwindled
04:42at the start of the season a little bit. They had a winless streak of eight matches, nearly
04:47became nine. That would have been the longest in Emery's managerial career, but turned it
04:50round recently. Still inconsistency slipping in. I think injuries haven't helped. He likes
04:56to try and keep a consistent starting 11 and he's not really been able to do that too often.
05:00Obviously the fixture congestion throughout December is also a very difficult thing to
05:04deal with for any team, but there are signs that things are going to improve and kick
05:08on as January arrives and they want to sign a new right back in the January transfer window.
05:14Also a new attacking midfielder that should be able to fill some of the gaps Emery's been
05:17struggling with. Of course, someone like John Duran kicking on as well and should be able
05:21to help them as they progress in the Champions League.
05:23And who's been the standout player for Villa across 2024? There's obviously been a few
05:28big names. Ollie Watkins had that incredible summer moment for England.
05:34Yeah, I think that kind of encapsulates everything that Watkins was about last season. Scoring
05:39and assisting so many in the Premier League, second only to Cole Palmer last season for
05:42goals plus assists. He's been remarkable. He's been a little bit stop-start at the beginning
05:47of the season. A few small injury problems for him, but he's shown why he's still a very
05:52consistent and clinical striker. Always seems to be beating his expected goals. Recently
05:57actually, his finishing has dwindled a little bit, but he still remains one of Villa's best
06:00players and probably the best of 2024.
06:03Charlie, on to West Bromwich Abbey. Now, obviously, looking across there, 2024, a bit of a missed
06:09opportunity, a chance to go to Wembley in the playoff final. They sort of slipped up
06:14in the playoffs, but to get there in the first place was very honourable for Carlos Corbijn,
06:20the shoestring budget and the way the players, he's got them playing. It's not a top sort
06:25of championship echelon group of players, but they sort of have proven that they can
06:30perform like that. So maybe Baggies fans view 2024 as a bit of a learning curve, a bit of
06:36a chance to get the new sort of ownership structure right and go further. But how do
06:40you sort of review 2024 for West Brom? I mean, it's something that you look at going into
06:462025 and you can maybe think there could be some positivity ahead.
06:51I think it's exactly that, really. 2024, mopping up previous mistakes, the new ownership
06:56coming in, solidifying things at the basis of the football club, trying to remove the
07:00debts the club was in, not able to spend much money in the transfer window as a result.
07:04Now in the next couple of years, should be able to up their spending a little bit. It's
07:07against the Premier League would be a massive help financially. That hasn't happened. Disappointment
07:12last year of losing to Southampton in the playoffs. But Albion just weren't quite ready
07:17to make that step. The fact they finished in the top six was a top six was a positive
07:21step forward, but they weren't ready to go all the way to the Premier League. Even Southampton
07:25themselves winning the playoffs, getting up and they've not been ready to compete. Just
07:31yeah, obviously Russell Martin losing his job recently, rock bottom of the English top
07:35tier and it was like an absolute miracle. One of the best ever escapes for them to escape
07:40relegation. So don't think that'll be happening. That does put things into perspective for
07:44West Brom. Maybe they shouldn't be too disappointed that they didn't go up and maybe it wouldn't
07:47have been the right time. Anyway, kicking on this season has been a bit of a struggle
07:52at times. So many draws, especially the Hawthorns. I was there recently when they finally put
07:56an end to their draws at home. They beat Frank Lampard's Coventry City. They then go and
08:01lose away at Watford. Disappointing, but they're still just outside the playoff positions. Still
08:06so long to go this season. And I think maybe if they can strengthen a little bit in January,
08:11it should be able to help them kick on. But the shoestring budget, as you mentioned, is
08:15still an issue this season. It's going to be difficult to improve in key areas, but
08:19Carlos Corbaran, such a good head coach, such good at getting the best out of the bad situation.
08:24So I expect them to kick on and finish in that top six.
08:27Yeah, and looking at Baggy's best players across the calendar year, who sort of stands
08:32out there because there has been some big impacts made by Carlos Corbaran?
08:37I think Alex Palmer, the goalkeeper, has been so impressive. He won the Golden Glove
08:41last season in the championship. He's already got 10 clean sheets in 21 games so far this
08:47season at the time of recording, which is an incredible achievement. Just having that
08:50solid base, having an experiencing goal and the leadership as well, it is so important.
08:55It just gives the defenders in front of him more confidence and it means you can build
08:59from the back and hopefully push on and get those wins. So Alex Palmer, superb this year.
09:04New era has come in. It's a strange relegation situation for them because all the fans seemed
09:10the most positive I've ever seen a fan base after going down, which means they are buying
09:15to this new project from the American owners and the consortium that have taken them into
09:21this new era. They've changed the stadium name. They've made upgrades all around the place.
09:26They've had a few managers come in this year. Wayne Rooney's spell, as we said before,
09:32doesn't really seem real like it actually happened. It was quite a crazy time for Blues,
09:37but they've gone down and they are looking like they're going to go straight back up.
09:41How do you sort of review 2024 because it's been a bit of a mixed bag at Birmingham City?
09:46It's been absolutely bonkers, to be honest. Wayne Rooney lasting just a couple of days at the start
09:50of the year of 2024, of course, a couple of months before that as well. A disaster management spell
09:55from them and John Neustadt's going a few months earlier. You see how well he's doing at Blackburn
09:59now with limited resources in the playoff positions that Blues were saying they held
10:03on to him. But that's not how it turned out. Tony Mowbray started well. Unfortunately,
10:08illness stopped him from carrying on. Gary Rowett coming in as well towards the end of the season
10:12wasn't quite enough. Blues go down and as you mentioned, a really strange atmosphere because
10:17it was almost relief that finally these years of championship football, battling relegation and
10:23hardly breaking or never breaking into the top half and just the relentlessness of it all has
10:28come to an end. This season, the investment in the summer has really boosted the football club,
10:33a complete overhaul of the squad. Chris Davies has come in, his first proper management job after
10:38being an assistant at a host of clubs under Brendan Rodgers. He's really impressed and
10:43just the unity at the football club, the excitement, the atmosphere at St Andrews
10:46at Nighthead Park as well and sellout crowds for the first time in such a long while.
10:52It's a great feeling. And of course, I think if they win the league title as well, that'd be great
10:56to get some silverware at the club and push on and hopefully be in a better position in the
11:01championship. But I genuinely think that if they stayed in the championship, their progress and
11:06their potential journey to the Premier League would have taken longer than it would by going
11:10down, which is a strange statement to make, but they're on track to get promoted at the first
11:15time of asking and the squad is capable of great things. So very impressed by Birmingham this year.
11:20Yeah, there have obviously been some fantastic additions. Tomoki Iwata has been fantastic.
11:26Obviously coming in the summer, as you look back at over 2024, who's been the best player
11:31in the blue shirt, do you think? I think Jay Stansfield sticks out winning all the individual
11:36awards last season and starting this campaign as well. But Christian Bielek actually, maybe
11:42towards the end of last year, could have been a little bit better, but it wasn't just his fault.
11:45It was the fault of the football club and the disarray. This season he's proven to be one of
11:50the best players in League One, if not the best. And I think he's definitely top of championship
11:54quality. A great leader, playing in a variety of positions. What a player Bielek has become for
11:59Birmingham.