00:01Hello, Albion fans. We've just finished at Ryan Mason's first pre-match press conference of the new season.
00:06Blackburn Rovers, of course, at the Hawthorns on Saturday tomorrow.
00:10Good to chat with the Albion head coach. Obviously, excited anticipation ahead of the new season.
00:15His first, obviously, competitive game at the helm.
00:18A separate video here, obviously, though, to comment on a bit of breaking news this morning,
00:23a big bit of breaking news this morning that sort of didn't dominate the press conference there with Ryan Mason,
00:28but certainly a large chunk of it. And obviously, the decision from long-serving Albion defender Carl Bartley to retire.
00:35A shock decision, I think we can call it. I certainly call it that. A big surprise, really.
00:4034-year-old centre-half, long-serving part of the club here. Certainly the longest-serving senior player.
00:46You know, well north of 200 appearances, 232 games. He played for the Baggies in a seven-year career here.
00:53And, you know, before I get into, I suppose, his career here, just, I think, first of all,
01:00important to relay what Ryan Mason has said to us there, actually.
01:03And obviously, Mason faced a couple of follow-ups, really, about the situation, about it being on, you know,
01:09announced on the eve of the season, about the timing of it.
01:12Had it been sort of in the pipeline throughout all of summer? You know, how does it affect transfer thoughts?
01:17And Ryan Mason, as you'll be able to read online at Express and Star, was keen to stress,
01:23look, this isn't a thing over the last 24 hours out of the blue, really.
01:26This is, you know, Carl Bartley has not been able to train fully with his colleagues all summer.
01:31Appeared in no friendlies, obviously not since the end of last season.
01:35So, look, this has not been on the cards, but it's clearly been something that the club have been monitoring
01:40throughout pre-season. You know, Ryan Mason have been in regular contact with the fitness team,
01:46the medical team here, almost, you know, where is Carl Bartley at, where is the stage he's at, yeah.
01:51And speaking to the player as well, you know, they're close, they speak often, same age, stuff like that.
01:56So, it's not a massive hammer blow bombshell, really, in terms of that.
02:01And Ryan Mason almost suggested to me, really, that it's as you were, you know,
02:04we're working on the basis of not assuming that this decision's coming.
02:08And, you know, Ryan Mason called it disappointing, but I don't think it's the biggest surprise.
02:12You know, I don't think it's some, it's certainly not some decision out of the blue.
02:16And it was feared, I suppose, that it was possibly heading that way.
02:21You know, obviously, only Carl Bartley would have known.
02:23He'd have shared, obviously, his thoughts and feelings with the medical team.
02:26But it's a decision Bartley, look, had to come to terms with himself and his family,
02:29obviously, personally, a massive thing.
02:32What I would say is, because it's not this huge surprise bombshell,
02:36although I think most understand that, it doesn't, as, again, Ryan Mason told me,
02:40it doesn't alter things, really, in terms of where Albion are at with their business,
02:43with their, you know, with, what is it, a month-ish,
02:47just under a month left of the summer transfer window.
02:50It doesn't really alter plans in terms of that.
02:52Now, I think the other elephant in the room here, of course, is Torbjorn Hegem,
02:56and his links away with Bologna.
02:57And to me, my reading of that is that, you know,
03:00I expect him he'll be involved against Blackburn tomorrow.
03:02But ultimately, I think the Hegem move, if I'm honest, my reading of it probably happens.
03:07And, you know, Albion will know where they are with that.
03:10And if it is looking more like happening, I think they'll know where they are with that.
03:13And the same if it's not.
03:15And they'll have their ducks in a row in terms of what they want to do,
03:18in terms of Hegem's replacement, of course,
03:20because it would only leave now without Bartley.
03:23Obviously, Nat Phillips, new signing, another new signing in George Campbell,
03:27and young Caleb Taylor.
03:28So, you know, if Hegem were to leave, three is clearly not enough,
03:31and something will need to be done there.
03:32But I don't expect necessarily another number off the back of this Bartley news.
03:36I don't think that's quite how it works.
03:38You know, Albion were almost working on the assumption that this might be the case,
03:42and that's how we are there.
03:43Bartley will be a miss.
03:44Look, I know, sort of, at times, polarised, divisive figure,
03:48but in my time here doing this,
03:51and my understanding and reading of it,
03:52the bits you hear from, staff, snippets around the place,
03:55that he's been vice-captain, and he's a big, big voice,
03:58big leader around the place, really.
04:00Carries big authority, and that'll be missed.
04:03You know, it's not a...
04:04I don't know if it's a squad or a dressing room necessarily full of that.
04:07You know, in terms of long-serving now,
04:09you have right-back Darnell Furlong going back,
04:12and then not too many others, really, who are long-serving.
04:15You know, a lot of players who'd been here a while,
04:17looking at a Matt Phillips, a Connor Townsend,
04:20even a Grady D in Ghana.
04:22You know, the people of that ilk,
04:23Shemi Ajayi, have all left recently, haven't they?
04:25A bit of changing of the guard there,
04:27in terms of those experienced heads.
04:28So Mason has called a couple of times for other players,
04:31really, to having to start to step up now.
04:34Bartley will be missing that, you know,
04:35in that leadership role.
04:36For me, and I've always said it,
04:37I think he was still a good performer at this level.
04:40Obviously, physically, just not capable anymore,
04:43you know, of it.
04:44You know, he really tried to...
04:45He really tried to get through this injury, I think,
04:47reading, like, his comments,
04:49and, you know, he really tried to make it work
04:50and recover from it, but it just hasn't happened.
04:53So it'll be...
04:54Yeah, it'll be a blow, I think, around the place.
04:56I mean, Ryan Mason said,
04:57as Albion did in their statement,
04:59I think they'd like to sort of keep him around
05:00on the scenes, if they can,
05:01in maybe an official or unofficial way.
05:04We'll see what comes out in the wash with that.
05:06But, look, he's had, let's say,
05:09a promotion, a relegation here, 230 games,
05:12become a figure of real leadership.
05:15I know he divides opinion with some,
05:19and, you know, you look back three years or so
05:21and the real nadir of his time here,
05:23that Blues game at home,
05:24I remember being there
05:25and it felt like there was no way back,
05:27didn't it, when he was jeered off,
05:28ironically cheered off,
05:30that night when Blues won
05:31with a Scott Owen hat-trick.
05:33And he's, you know,
05:33he's been over tougher times as well.
05:35But the way he responded to that
05:37with Carlos Corbran,
05:38I think, you know,
05:38for much of the last two or three years,
05:39he's been a really important and a good player.
05:42And, you know, before that,
05:43he was important, obviously,
05:44in winning promotion,
05:46playoffs the year before that
05:48in his debut campaign.
05:49And, yes, Premier League relegation,
05:51but, you know,
05:53that's a tough ask, isn't it,
05:54when you go up to the top flight?
05:55So, yeah, good servant.
05:57I think, like, obviously,
05:58people may talk to him
05:59being an expensive player
06:02for Albion over those years.
06:03It's no secret he was, you know,
06:05a high earner through most of his time,
06:07albeit that came down
06:08for the last year or so
06:09of his time at Albion.
06:10And so, yeah,
06:11but, you know,
06:11that's not Bartley's fault, is it?
06:12You know, what the club paid him,
06:14what the club offered him.
06:15So, yeah, good servant, I think.
06:17In my experience,
06:18a good guy to deal with,
06:19good character.
06:20And, yeah,
06:21just interesting news, wasn't it,
06:22on the morning of the eve of the season.
06:24So, yeah, look,
06:26it's dominant,
06:27sort of a big part of today's presser
06:29and stuff,
06:29but it's the curtain raiser tomorrow
06:30and all focus on that
06:32from certainly today,
06:33this week, tomorrow,
06:34and we'll be there
06:35with all the coverage
06:35against Blackburn.
06:36But, yeah,
06:37wish, obviously,
06:37Kyle Bartley and his family
06:39all the best.
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