I’D HAVE CHINNED HIM... DON’T LOSE
FORMER West Brom star Garry Thompson reckons in his day he would have chinned Brazilian dazzler Matheus Pereira.
But 1980s Baggies hero Thompson, 61, is convinced Pereira could take the relegated Midlanders straight back up next season – if he stays.
The Brazilian’s stunning solo goal at Arsenal last week could not save them from defeat or the drop – but former striker Thompson believes Pereira is a must-have to fire the Baggies back to the Premier League.
Thompson, a robust centreforward whose partnership with Cyrille Regis lit up The Hawthorns in the mid-1980s, said: “If they keep Pereira, they’ll walk the Championship.
“That’s how good he is. He is a match-winner. I love him as a player – but if we had been in the same team, I would have chinned him!
“He doesn’t do any of the horrible work. He doesn’t do the chasing back. He just says, ‘Give me the ball and let me do my thing’.
“But he brings so much, you have to let him off for that. The Albion really need to keep him – and I’m not sure they will.”The other question is whether Baggies coach Sam Allardyce will stay after suffering the first relegation of his managerial career.
Thompson said: “They have shown improvement since Sam came and they should stick with him.
“He brought in the players the club should have brought in at