CHRIS OF LIFE FOR BAGGIES
Depending on your viewpoint, the Potters were either 14th, having won eight games of 26.
Or they were eight points off the Championship play-offs, having lost only three in 18.
The Potters’ board took one particular view, however, and showed him the door.
He said: “When something like that happens, it doesn’t dampen your enthusiasm to be a football manager.
“But it does make you appreciate it when the job is enjoyable. And what I have now, here, has brought
He said: “They’re obviously a good side. I’m not being smart now but I did feel at the start of the season that West Brom, Leeds, Brentford and Fulham would be up there – it was just my opinion on what I’d seen.
“Slaven Bilic is an experienced manager and they have a core of players, running right through the spine of their team, who know the Championship well.
“But we have a good record against the top six and we have it within the dressingroom to rise to the challenge.”
CHRIS BRUNT has issued a warning to West Brom: ‘Don’t panic’.
The veteran former Northern Ireland international (left) has been reduced to the role of reluctant cheerleader as Slaven Bilic added to the Baggies’ squad during the January transfer window.
Callum Robinson and Kamil Grosicki have arrived as the Championship high-fliers look to improve on a record that has seen them win just once in their last eight league outings. That victory came over bottom-placed Luton Town last week and Brunt, who has two promotions under his belt with the Black Country club, says now is not the time to sound the alarm.
He said: “It was important we got that win on Saturday against Luton, regardless of how we played.
“OK, so it was an own goal and a header – but it didn’t matter how we got the goals. It mattered that we got back on track. We’ve added to the squad and that has seen the competitive edge come out in training – and we are still in a good shape.
“If someone had given us this position back in September we would have snapped your hands off.
“We have had a blip but we are up there. It’s up to us to make sure we stay there and we have enough experience around the place to know how to win games.”
NEIL MOXLEY