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The Albion chief executive and deputy chairman speaks ahead of the Liverpool game.

Paul Barber

2023-01-14T06:00:00Z

Deputy chairman and chief executive Paul Barber.

A warm welcome to the American Express Community Stadium for this afternoon’s game against Liverpool.

It seems like only yesterday that we played Jurgen Klopp’s side in an enthralling 3-3 draw at Anfield in early October – Roberto De Zerbi’s first game as our head coach.

I’m sure our fans will agree when I say we’ve been absolutely delighted with the way Roberto and his coaching staff have settled at the club, both on and off the pitch. The style of play adopted has led to some fantastic results and performances, while off the pitch, it’s never easy adapting to a new country and culture, but the transition has been a very smooth one.

Last time out at the Amex we lost 4-2 to Arsenal but the scoreline was not a fair reflection of what played out, particularly in the second half. We took the game to the Premier League leaders with real desire, real bravery, and were rewarded for our efforts with two goals. Should a third not have fallen the wrong side of a very tight VAR call, then it would have made for a very interesting end to the game, given we were very much in the ascendancy.

We carried that momentum into the Everton game, where we put in a dominant display – again, with a second-half performance to be proud of. Making national headlines that evening was Evan Ferguson, who scored his second goal in as many games, while fellow teenager Andrew Moran also made his Premier League debut.

Five academy graduates started the game at Goodison Park – Rob Sanchez, Lewis Dunk, Solly March, Jeremy Sarmiento and Evan – which we all take immense pride in. We have excellent lines of communication open from the first team through to the academy staff, with Roberto keen to promote from within. He is, of course, assisted by Andrew Crofts, who knows our young players particularly well, given his long association with our U21 set-up, so any young player joining our club will be encouraged by the pathway that exists here. We have a review of the academy’s impressive year elsewhere in today’s programme.

The Everton game also saw a return to action for Alexis Mac Allister, following his incredible exploits at the World Cup with Argentina. He received a hero’s welcome on his first day back at the training ground at Lancing, but, as expected, he was very modest and very humbled at the reaction from his team-mates and the club’s staff. Despite his fantastic achievement, Alexis has maintained a level head and a professionalism that was evident in that first game and, last weekend, in the FA Cup at Middlesbrough, where he scored twice. We plan to give him a rousing reception this afternoon in his first game back at the Amex.

That 5-1 win at the Riverside has booked us a fourth round home tie against either today’s opponents Liverpool or Wolverhampton Wanderers. By the time you’ve read these notes we hope to have confirmed the match date, while fans who wish to attend, regardless of the opposition, can hopefully by now buy their ticket. We will be offering most season ticket holders and half-season ticket holders their current seats, but given we may have to offer a 15% allocation to the away club, this will mean some supporters needing to relocate elsewhere in the stadium. We won’t know for certain until the replay is played and we know our opponents, but full details will be on the website once available.

Given the nature of the game, against Premier League opposition, we are anticipating another big crowd – which is no mean feat given the time of year and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. A big thank-you is extended to the fans who also made the extremely long journeys to both Everton and Middlesbrough, and to the 3,000 supporters we will be taking to Leicester City next Saturday. Your support is never taken for granted, and I know Roberto and the players have really appreciated the large and vocal backing they’ve received during this period and throughout the season.

We are now midway through the January transfer window and while there will always be speculation in the media involving our talented players, we are not expecting much movement as far as the Men’s First Team is concerned. We wish Reda Khadra well with his loan move to Birmingham City, having signed a contract extension, likewise Aaron Connolly, who has joined Liam Rosenior at Hull City. On the subject of contracts, we have been delighted to secure the services of Jason Steele until 2025 – a very popular figure around the first-team dressing room and, of course, an excellent and experienced goalkeeper.

It’s been a busier start to the year for the Women’s First Team, where new head coach has welcomed four new signings to the squad. We wish Dejana Stefanovic, Guro Bergsvand, Brianna Visalli and Zoe Morse well, likewise Zoe Johnson, who will shortly be joining us as our women’s and girls’ managing director. It’s been a difficult opening to the season for our WSL side, but we hope the new arrivals will invigorate the squad as we look to climb the table.

On a personal level, I wanted to take this opportunity to once again thank the many Albion supporters who took to social media to congratulate me on being named in the New Year Honours List. I have also done my best to reply personally to fans who emailed me directly. I’m really grateful to everyone. This is a very special club with truly exceptional fans.

Finally, I was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Douglas Eaton, father of Robert, at the age of 99. Robert, as many fans will know, was killed following the attack on the Twin Towers in 2001, and in the aftermath, Doug and his wife Laura offered their support to the Robert Eaton Memorial Fund, the charity which has since raised thousands of pounds for good causes, both here in the UK and abroad. Both Robert and Doug were big Albion fans, and we extend our sincere condolences to Laura, the Eaton family and friends, and everyone associated with the REMF at this extremely sad time.

Enjoy the game.