Taxi Gate: Five years since four West Brom players hit the front pages
Five years ago Albion were stuck in a Premier League battle and heading for the drop - when arguably one of the most bizarre stories in their history saw the club hit the front pages rather than the back.
In a bid to revive their relegation fight, former Baggies boss Alan Pardew took his players to Barcelona for a warm weather training camp - but the ill-fated trip ended with four players stealing a taxi and Albion in turmoil.
Next week marks five years since the infamous Taxi Gate, which involved Jake Livermore, Jonny Evans, Gareth Barry and Boaz Myhill, a McDonalds and a taxi.
The Express & Star's Baggies Broadcast podcast has looked back on the incident that made international news for all the wrong reasons - with the special episode being released on Monday.
Matt Wilson was the Express & Star's West Brom correspondent at the time, and has recalled the bizarre episode in the club's history for the podcast.
He said: "We heard something in the Spanish press but you didn't know how serious to take it, but it transpired there was some truth in it.
"Everyone was keeping quiet, but we knew something had happened with a taxi and four Albion players.
"The next few days and weeks saw details come out, and as a journalist it was an incredible time, because this was front page news, not just back page.
"We were chasing different avenues, I remember calling the hotel to find out if there was truth in it, and I was told the players were staying there but they couldn't comment on the reports, which told its own story.
"It was just a unique story."
Soon after the story hit the headlines in England, the club released a statement confirming an investigation was taking place, before the four players involved came out to apologise.
At one point they were facing sanctions in Spain before the case was dropped - while back in England they were hit with fines close to a reported £500,000.
As Wilson explains on the podcast it was a case of a 'prank gone wrong', that in the end all but consigned Albion to relegation after eight years in the top flight.
He added: "Essentially it was a prank gone wrong, stealing a taxi sounds more reckless than it was.
"They made a mistake, played a prank on the driver and did something pretty stupid.
"The impact on Albion's season cannot be underestimated.
"They lost I think the next eight games and any glimmer of staying up went after that event."
'Taxi Gate - five years on', will be available from Monday on the Baggies Broadcast on Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple.
