West Brom was one of the founding members of England’s Football league and has always played in either England’s Premier League or the Championship League – England’s two top leagues. The team has had a number of standout members, some of which are honored at the online casino NZ and in the PFA Centenary Hall of Fame.
Fans have differing opinions about which players are the top West Bromwich Albion players of all times. Here’s one list that was compiled by a panel of fans and sports analysts.
[divider]
Billy Bassett
Billy Bassett was West Brom’s first stand-out player. He joined the team in 1886 and played outside-right. Bassett didn’t make his mark right away – he was only 19 years old when he joined the league – West Brom’s youngest player. Over the years he developed skills as a quick, direct and highly effective player. He was best known for his superb ball-control. He played until 1899 and then became the team’s director and then its chairman.
Bassett also became active in the wider footballing world and helped to develop the Football League and the Football Association.
[divider]
Jesse Pennington
Jessie Pennington played left-back for almost 20 years and was regarded as an elegant defender. He served as captain when West Brom won its League title and brought the club to Division Two success.
Pennington played for England in international competition and earned 25 caps for the English team. During the last 2 matches, Pennington served as captain. He is remembered as England’s oldest capped outfielder, achieving his final cap at age 36.
[divider]
Ray Barlow
Ray Barlow is remembered as a footballing artist who played with Albion in the mid-1950s. Barlow was primarily an attacker whose specialty was threading deliveries through tiny gaps in opposing rearguards. He was known for dynamic box-to-box surges and strength in the tackle. He scored mainly as a forward. Although many observers thought that he was unfairly overshadowed by Jimmy Dickinson, it is generally acknowledged that it was Barlow who succeeded in helping to secure Albion's promotion to the top flight as runners-up to Fulham, the Second Division champions in the ’48 – ’49 season.
Barlow is probably best remembered for his versatility – he could play left-half, centre-half, inside-forward, and even centre-forward. He had supreme positional sense and was a major force in leading West Brom to runner-up status in the League and FA Cup double and beating Preston North End in the Cup final.
[divider]
Tony Brown
Midfielder Tony Brown made more appearances and scored more goals for West Brom than any other player. Brown still holds the place as the record goalscorer for the club in the League, FA Cup, and European competition. He scored 279 goals in 720 competitive games for Albion which are club records.
Brown played as wing half and inside forward. He was called Bomber Brown thanks to many spectacular goals that he scored, one of which clinched Albion's promotion in 1976. In his early years with the team, he helped the team win the 1966 Football League Cup Final and the 1968 FA Cup Final. The team also finished as runners-up in the 1967 and 1970 League Cup. Brown was instrumental in leading Albion to win promotion back to Division One in 1976 after relegation
[divider]
Cyrille Regis
Cyrille Regis played professional football for 19 years but the most prolific part of his career was when he played for West Brom from 1977 to 1984. He was an explosive striker and the press called him 'Smokin Joe’ because his build was like that of boxer Joe Fraizer.
In his first match for West Brom Regis scored twice in the 4-0 win over Rotherham United and then scored in his league debut over Middlesbrough. In 1978 Regis helped Albion beat Blackpool in an FA Cup match
The 1975–and a long-range powerful strike against Norwich in 1982 was voted as the goal of the season.
Cyrille Regis was named Young Player of the Year in 1979 while he played for West Brom. He went on to play for Coventry City, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the Wycombe Wanderers but he never achieved the level of success that he had with Albion.
[divider]
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson began his career with West Bromwich Albion. He’s best known for his career after he moved to Manchester United where he served as captain during their European Cup win and three FA cup wins. Robson got his feet wet in West Bromwich where he was a standout player even in his early years. H started as a reserve player and quickly moved up to the senior team.
At West Brom Robson faced stiff competition for midfield positions but by the end of the ’75 – ’76 season he had achieved third place in Division Two and won promotion back to the top flight. He soon began to appear regularly, both as a midfielder – his preferred role – and as a left back. He suffered through several injuries but was fit to appear in the latter stages of the league campaign for the UEFA Cup in the ’78 – ’79 season. There, Robson started 41 out of 42 league games and was a key player for Albion.
Robson earned his first full England cap in February 1980. In the ’80 – ’81 season he scored ten goals in 40 league games to help Albion to a 4th-place finish in the First Division. He moved to Manchester United shortly afterward. Robson holds the record as England’s most capped player.
