Britain’s first half-million pound player, a record transfer for West Bromwich Albion and a largely forgotten career. Our resident Baggie, Andy Caulton, takes a look at Mills’ curious career.
We all have peaks. But being a Baggie, you know a trough may be only around the corner. It’s who we are and how we rock and I’m strangely comfortable living in that stratosphere. 50 plus years as a fan conditions you to that way of life. It’s who we are…
The Baggies’ pinnacle, in my lifetime was the raucous expression of champagne football (ironically as the boss was Ron Atkinson), as West Bromwich Albion put five past Manchester United at Old Trafford. Without Gary Bailey’s heroics, it could easily have been eight, in our never to be forgotten 5-3 win with Cyrille Regis and Laurie Cunningham at their rampant, unforgettable best. But Big Ron wasn’t satisfied…
The mantra for any team to succeed is to buy new players from a position of strength. This policy, started by the immortal Bill Shankly, was sound but could be expensive in ideals. With Big Ron’s penchant for high living and flair, it seemed obvious that he may go for an exotic, flamboyant signing. A signing in 1978/9 though pretty much had to be British. A continental player matching Ron’s perma-suntan, but never Ron’s hair, couldn’t occur…
So, in Ron’s infinite wisdom to improve this team; to match the flair on their glorious yellow and green stripes, a ‘Brazil in Birmingham’, Ron would set his compass to, of all places, Ayresome Park… And break the British transfer record on an uncapped, unheralded, unfashionable, one paced twenty-eight year-old striker…
Only us could break the British transfer fee on David Mills…
The doubts came early – never a good sign. Less a vote of confidence than a question mark, for a player you have yet to sign. Ron was interviewed in his atypical ebullient mood after the Manchester United game by the dubious Stuart Hall…
Stuart, between guffaws, asked Ron, ‘You are about to break the bank for David Mills, where are you going to play him?’
A seemingly simple question.
The pause between question and answer was dramatic and marked. But not as marked as the normally ultra-confident Ron’s muttered response:
‘I honestly don’t know…?’
No battle plan, only doubt…
So for the one and only time in our history, the British record transfer was ours. West Brom paid the very strange sum of £516,000, thus Millsy was the first half-million pound player…
It has been claimed part of the motivation in paying this sum for a player we simply didn’t need was West Brom otherwise having to pay a very large amount of money to the taxman… But Ron didn’t fully realise what a mistake he had made until Mills made his training debut with West Brom. In training. In matches. In life, first impressions are everything…
In Atkinson’s biography he does not hold back, recalling with angst, being staggered at the paucity of Mills’ first touch and overall lack of technique we’d paid that much money. It was a portent that never really changed for Ron.
Millsy made his debut for WBA at a game I was one of many Baggies fans locked out at. It was early February 1979, when he came on as a late substitute when West Brom travelled to Anfield. This was first versus second. Champions v Pretenders. I doubt I’ll ever see that scenario again as a Baggies fan.
A true statement game in which Kenny Dalglish shined, and despite our ‘perfect XI playing’ (if you are a true Baggie fan, I don’t have to tell you who that XI were!), with D Mills, as No 12.
Liverpool took a 2-0 lead, I heard, forlornly on the radio driving home. Cyrille was shackled by the defender he rated the most difficult he ever played against – the sublime Alan Hansen. Mills came on for Ally Brown for a ten minute run out, a game we lost 2-1, and have never reached that level again. We were never again to replicate our role as 1st Division Championship candidates. That feeling as a fan will never return.
In less than four months, Laurie Cunningham was sold for twice as much as we paid for Millsy, to Real Madrid, and our dreams subsequently, died… Forty-one years later, I’m still waiting for those halcyon days to return….
It wasn’t an easy start for Mills, and in all honesty it wasn’t an easy four years he had at the club. Teams like West Brom peak so sporadically, and in all honesty, we were only moving in one direction from there. Down.
(Photo source: Twitter)
Mills never settled as an inside forward, and when you are reinvented it’s often never a good sign, but a statement. There was mention with Mills moving to a midfield role, he was to become the direct replacement for Bomber Brown. But how do you replace the irreplaceable?
My largest memory of Mills was an honest, workmanlike but limited performer. Injuries and a huge hit to his confidence did not help… Perhaps the most striking memory of Millsy’s time at WBA, was a very ill judged afro…
Six goals in fifty-nine appearances over three seasons says everything about this underwhelming and largely forgotten UK transfer record holder. This was a fleeting record as within a month Nottingham Forest doubled this amount, wisely investing in Trevor Francis, Cloughie’s first signing for over a year, originally a target of ours. Six months later Manchester City less than wisely invested triple Millsy’s transfer amount on the very average Steve Daley from Wolves.
As John Lennon wisely said, ‘Strange days indeed’…
Our investment, like Man City’s failed. Mills after a loan spell at Newcastle United, signed for Jack Charlton’s Sheffield Wednesday for over half a million less than he was transferred for three years before, a paltry £40,000. He eventually ended up back at Ayresome Park, where he shined, ending up as top scorer in his twilight years. Ayresome seems where the heart was for Millsy. The Boro faithful may even have forgiven him for his perm…
Transfers will never be guarantees. It seems harder and harder for quality players to want to join clubs like West Brom, and as a fan that hurts.. Our recent record of record signings have not paid off so well (Nacer Chadli and Oliver Burke, for example), but I’m certain we are going in the right direction by signing the sublime Grady Diangana.
But once we were record holders and once we had Millsy…
Do you have any particular memories of David Mills as a player, or perhaps another signing that sticks in the memory? As always, let us in the comments below or on social media @OverTheBarFB on Twitter and on Facebook at: Over The Bar Football Blog
