For today’s ‘On This Day’ feature we take a look at arguably the best Premier League programme ever produced – the West Bromwich Albion issue for the 2011/12 season. West Brom have created many impressive programmes in the last 15 years or so, but ‘The Book of Albion’ issues were probably the best of all. Read our full review of this outstanding issue below and see the other 2011/12 programmes here.
The West Brom programme for the 2011/12 season can justifiably lay claim to be the best top-flight issue ever produced. The Baggies had, for the 2004/05 season, become the first Premier League club to produce a 100-page programme, and they arguably reached their zenith here with ‘The Book of Albion’. The programme was put together as if it was a holy book, with religious themes running through the issue. So rather than a contents page, there was an “Order of Service”; club news became “Parish Notices”; and information on forthcoming away trips was titled “Pilgrims Progress”. As a way of signalling the devotion of a fan base to its club, this would take some beating!
The Book of Albion also benefited from some superb design work, featuring a cover design by Paine Proffitt, which for the issue from the match against near neighbours Wolverhampton Wanderers was titled ‘Watching Over the Hawthorns”. The style was replicated throughout the programme, with page headings, graphical content, and retro images all contributing to the impressively consistent feel of the issue.
To mention all the content included in ‘The Book of Albion’ would be something of a mammoth undertaking. However, there were several features worthy of special mention. Perhaps the best in this issue was ‘Leaders of the Faith’, part of a series looking at West Brom’s managers down the years. In the Wolves issue the focus was on the legendary Vic Buckingham – arguably the Baggies’ greatest ever boss. The former Tottenham player took charge of West Brom in 1953, instituting the style of football he would later popularise more famously at Ajax Amsterdam, where he helped to shape the footballing philosophy of Johann Cruyff.
‘The Shining City on the Hill’ looked back to 1900 when West Brom took out a lease on a new piece of land for the purposes of building a new ground. The feature tracks the development of the Hawthorns, with information about the early games played there, including the first fixture – a 1-1 draw against Derby County.
‘To Build a New Jerusalem’ was another historical feature, here focusing on West Brom’s fortunes in the 1928/29 season, as the club sought to develop a team capable of returning to the top-flight, following relegation in 1927. The article included a terrific picture of the West Brom playing and backroom staff, as well as a league table, which showed the club finishing the season in seventh place. In terms of more recent history ‘The Lazarus Season’ recalled the 2001/02 campaign, when West Brom won eight and drew two of their last ten league games to seal promotion on the last day of the season, following 16 years away from the top-flight of English football.
‘Prophets in Another Land’ profiled Sir Bobby Robson, who spent six years as a player with West Brom. The focus of the article was on Robson’s time as manager of England from 1982 to 1990, and the contrast between the disappointment of the European Championship failure in 1988 and the high point of reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1990.
Even the content that in many issues is handled in a rather perfunctory way was impressively handled here. Coverage of previous matches – titled ‘Spreading the Gospel’ was spread over five pages, with an extended write-up of the match, line-ups and key statistics, and ‘Judgement’, where boss Roy Hodgson reflected on the outcome. ‘A Broad Church’ meanwhile was a section that looked at the fortunes of the club’s ladies, reserve, and youth teams.
Coverage of opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers was also handled differently to most programmes, with one lengthy article that covered the club’s form, notes on the team, and thoughts on the club’s prospects. A related feature, titled ‘Joy in the Presence of Angels’, looked at those players that had made the switch to the Hawthorns having previously plied their trade for the local rivals from Molineux.
The series of excellent West Brom issues that began in the late 2000s essentially redefined what a football programme could be, moving well beyond anything that had been attempted previously. Where many programmes had become little more than corporate brochures offering typically formulaic content, West Brom offered something fresh and new, demonstrating an obvious passion for the club and a desire to produce something of true value for supporters.