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23-05-2007, 17:00
http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/robson.jpgBryan Robson breezed back into football yesterday and promptly backed Albion to win the £60m pot of gold and regain their Premiership place.
The former Albion boss, who has taken over as manager of relegated Sheffield United, has put aside any differences with chairman Jeremy Peace over his Hawthorns exit to back the Baggies in Bank Holiday Monday’s play-off final.
Robson feels his former charges will hold the edge – providing their attacking flair can triumph over what he believes is Derby’s greater physical presence.
Tony Mowbray has added his own dash of colour to an already creative Albion canvas, but the bulk of the team remains the side shaped by Robson.
Of the players expected to be in Mowbray’s Wembley starting XI, only Dean Kiely, Sam Sodje and Robert Koren didn’t play under the former England and Manchester United captain at Albion.
Five of those set to play on Monday were Robson signings, while another, Curtis Davies, sits out through injury.
And two of them, Diomansy Kamara and Kevin Phillips, have helped fire the Baggies into the richest single shoot-out in football with 23 and 20 goals respectively this season.
It’s little surprise, then, that Robson leans inevitably towards Albion as they prepare to step out at the new Wembley, putting aside any frustrations he may have at his departure from The Hawthorns last year.
“It’s good Albion have got to the play-off final because I worked with the players for a couple of years and you get attached to them so you want them to be successful,” said Robson.
“I’m just delighted for them to have got to the final.
“It will be a tough game because Derby are a tough side and they are a good team as well.
“I’m really pleased Tony Mowbray has got the lads playing good, attacking football and their forwards have been very successful this year.
“I think it will be a really close final – I think if Derby stand off West Brom and allow them to play their passing game, then I think West Brom will win.
“If Derby make it more of a physical game, then it will be a really close affair and Derby will have a real chance. So it should make for a cracking final.
“Albion have got lovely footballers, but because of Curtis Davies’ injury, they maybe haven’t got the physical presence Derby have and that could maybe count on the day.”
Robson has singled out Albion’s own ‘Special K’ formula – plus Phillips of course – which snuffed out Wolves in the play-off semi-final as the key to Wembley glory.
He said: “Kamara was always going to be a real threat in the Championship because of his sheer pace.
“He even proved that in the Premiership the year before because in certain games he was outstanding.
“So it hasn’t come as a surprise to me that Kamara has done as well as he has because he is a very good player.
“Kevin Phillips has been around for so many years and he’s scored goals season in, season out, especially at this level, so you expect that of him.
“Kevin’s a great professional as well, so I was really pleased when he made the move from Villa to go to the Albion. Thankfully he’s been a success.”
They say form is temporary while class is permanent and Robson is convinced that even at 33, regular football was all Phillips needed to rediscover his predatory instincts after a miserable season at Villa.
A series of niggling injuries prevented Phillips from being at his best at Villa Park and the former England international was allowed to leave for £750,000 last August.
“Sometimes players lose form because they’re not in the team week in, week out and that was all Kevin needed to get his goalscoring prowess back,” he said.
“He just needed to be playing regular football so he could get that bit of sharpness to enable him to score goals, because you can’t doubt his canny knack of putting the ball in the net.”
It took a year on loan at Cardiff to see Jason Koumas flourish again, but Robson isn’t surprised by the Welshman’s stunning impact this season.
“It doesn’t surprise me to see how well Jason Koumas has done for the club because I said when I brought him back from Cardiff and convinced him to sign a new contract that he’s probably the most skillful player in the Championship,” said Robson.
“The thing with Jason was that he had to come back and settle in with the squad of players after his loan spell with Cardiff.”
Robson also felt he has personally$ benefited from his time out of the game.
“I think it’s always a good thing to have a break because you relax more and you can watch how other people prepare their teams and you assess what you have done at the club you have left,” he said.
More... (http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2007/05/23/robbo-baggies-will-edge-it/)
The former Albion boss, who has taken over as manager of relegated Sheffield United, has put aside any differences with chairman Jeremy Peace over his Hawthorns exit to back the Baggies in Bank Holiday Monday’s play-off final.
Robson feels his former charges will hold the edge – providing their attacking flair can triumph over what he believes is Derby’s greater physical presence.
Tony Mowbray has added his own dash of colour to an already creative Albion canvas, but the bulk of the team remains the side shaped by Robson.
Of the players expected to be in Mowbray’s Wembley starting XI, only Dean Kiely, Sam Sodje and Robert Koren didn’t play under the former England and Manchester United captain at Albion.
Five of those set to play on Monday were Robson signings, while another, Curtis Davies, sits out through injury.
And two of them, Diomansy Kamara and Kevin Phillips, have helped fire the Baggies into the richest single shoot-out in football with 23 and 20 goals respectively this season.
It’s little surprise, then, that Robson leans inevitably towards Albion as they prepare to step out at the new Wembley, putting aside any frustrations he may have at his departure from The Hawthorns last year.
“It’s good Albion have got to the play-off final because I worked with the players for a couple of years and you get attached to them so you want them to be successful,” said Robson.
“I’m just delighted for them to have got to the final.
“It will be a tough game because Derby are a tough side and they are a good team as well.
“I’m really pleased Tony Mowbray has got the lads playing good, attacking football and their forwards have been very successful this year.
“I think it will be a really close final – I think if Derby stand off West Brom and allow them to play their passing game, then I think West Brom will win.
“If Derby make it more of a physical game, then it will be a really close affair and Derby will have a real chance. So it should make for a cracking final.
“Albion have got lovely footballers, but because of Curtis Davies’ injury, they maybe haven’t got the physical presence Derby have and that could maybe count on the day.”
Robson has singled out Albion’s own ‘Special K’ formula – plus Phillips of course – which snuffed out Wolves in the play-off semi-final as the key to Wembley glory.
He said: “Kamara was always going to be a real threat in the Championship because of his sheer pace.
“He even proved that in the Premiership the year before because in certain games he was outstanding.
“So it hasn’t come as a surprise to me that Kamara has done as well as he has because he is a very good player.
“Kevin Phillips has been around for so many years and he’s scored goals season in, season out, especially at this level, so you expect that of him.
“Kevin’s a great professional as well, so I was really pleased when he made the move from Villa to go to the Albion. Thankfully he’s been a success.”
They say form is temporary while class is permanent and Robson is convinced that even at 33, regular football was all Phillips needed to rediscover his predatory instincts after a miserable season at Villa.
A series of niggling injuries prevented Phillips from being at his best at Villa Park and the former England international was allowed to leave for £750,000 last August.
“Sometimes players lose form because they’re not in the team week in, week out and that was all Kevin needed to get his goalscoring prowess back,” he said.
“He just needed to be playing regular football so he could get that bit of sharpness to enable him to score goals, because you can’t doubt his canny knack of putting the ball in the net.”
It took a year on loan at Cardiff to see Jason Koumas flourish again, but Robson isn’t surprised by the Welshman’s stunning impact this season.
“It doesn’t surprise me to see how well Jason Koumas has done for the club because I said when I brought him back from Cardiff and convinced him to sign a new contract that he’s probably the most skillful player in the Championship,” said Robson.
“The thing with Jason was that he had to come back and settle in with the squad of players after his loan spell with Cardiff.”
Robson also felt he has personally$ benefited from his time out of the game.
“I think it’s always a good thing to have a break because you relax more and you can watch how other people prepare their teams and you assess what you have done at the club you have left,” he said.
More... (http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2007/05/23/robbo-baggies-will-edge-it/)
