West Bromich Albion

Mowbray plays down away concerns
West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray is not worried that six of the side's last nine league games are away. The Baggies' form has stalled recently but they have two games in hand over leaders Bristol City and Stoke. Mowbray is not fazed, despite just two away league wins in the last six and told SSB: "I think it's quite a positive for us. "We've scored 10 in our last two away games so I think the players will look forward to the games." West Brom can go top of the Championship if they win their two games in hand and Mowbray is hoping his players can feed off their FA Cup exploits. His side have recorded back-to-back wins over Coventry and Bristol Rovers to book a semi-final meeting with Portsmouth. "Teams will come out and have a go and that will leave some space for us. Sometimes that helps our players, " added Mowbray. West Brom are at The Valley on Good Friday to take on Charlton for another crucial game against a promotion rival.

Albrechtsen in frame for weekend
West Brom boss Tony Mowbray is hopeful that defender Martin Albrechtsen will be fit to face Watford on Saturday. The Dane lasted less than half-an-hour of Tuesday's 3-1 win at Blackpool, limping off with a groin problem. "Well he's obviously disappointed, but I'm pretty sure it's a fatigue injury," Mowbray told SSB. "There's no strain or tear or pull, it's just a tired groin really. We need to look after him for a few days to see if he's got a chance for the weekend." The victory at Bloomfield Road took the Baggies back to the top of the Championship, but Mowbray is keen to stress that they are taking nothing for granted with five games remaining. "Nobody at our club's going to get carried away. We have seen too many strange results and twists and turns for anybody to start getting ahead of themselves," Mowbray said. "We've got a huge game on Saturday. Watford looked like they were going to run away with the league early on, but they have stumbled a little bit." If Albrechtsen misses out at the weekend, Mowbray is likely to recall Leon Barnett to the starting line-up, with either Pele or Bostjan Cesar on the bench. Meanwhile, Albion have confirmed that reserve-team striker Stuart Nicholson will be released by the club when his contract expires in the summer. The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Wrexham having spent the first half of the season with Shrewsbury.

Beattie resumes loan spell at PNE
West Bromwich Albion striker Craig Beattie has returned to Preston North End to resume his loan spell after recovering from a torn hamstring. The Scotland striker was not expected to play for Preston again after lasting just 37 minutes of his debut against Leicester six weeks ago. But Beattie, who is still registered as a Preston player, is now set to feature in the final two games of the season. His recovery is timely with Chris Brown currently out with a back problem.

Mowbray wants Championship title
West Brom boss Tony Mowbray says his side want the Championship title after they drew with Southampton to all but clinch promotion to the Premier League. With one game left, the Baggies are three points clear of third-placed Hull with a vastly superior goal difference. Mowbray said: "It has been a long, hard season and we are almost there. "But the players in the dressing room were already talking about winning the league - that was a strong feeling amongst them after the final whistle." The Baggies will go up unless they lose at QPR on Sunday, Hull win at Ipswich, and there is a 13-goal turnaround in their respective goal difference while Stoke pick up a point against Leicester. A win would guarantee Albion win the title, but a draw or a defeat could still bring the silverware to The Hawthorns depending on othe results. Promotion is effectively in the bag, however, and Baggies fans invaded the pitch at The Hawthorns at the end of Tuesday's game to celebrate their likely return to the Premier League after a two-year absence. Mowbray agrees his side are almost certainly back in the top flight, adding: "It will take a strange set of results at the weekend to deny us promotion. "I enjoy winning any match. I am not outwardly emotional but inwardly I enjoy things as much as anyone else. "I will enjoy the moment when I get home with the family. Then I will feel the warmth of getting into the Premier League. "We had the pre-season expectation of people saying we were the best team in the division to deal with. "That could have been a burden but full credit to the players for overcoming that."

West Brom relish Premier battle
Manager Tony Mowbray says West Brom will continue to play attractive football in the Premier League even though it will be a battle. The Baggies were promoted as champions of the Championship after beating Queens Park Rangers 2-0 and Mowbray said they had deserved the success. "There's a great debate in football about whether it's all about winning or all about entertaining. "There's got to be a balance and we've got that balance right." He praised his players for a fantastic effort but was under no illusions how difficult facing the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool will be. "This is a proud moment," he added. "When you think back to when we lost to Burnley on the opening day, we've come a long way and made a lot of progress. "Credit to the players who've won more games and scored more goals than anyone and rightly ended up champions. "Hopefully we will have a good shot at it at the next level. "You do need to adjust in the Premier League. There are better players there and you need to have a gameplan, but we'll still go out to try to win matches. "There will be times when we play against better teams, but there are also times when we can surprise teams and put them onto the back foot." The West Brom boss also revealed he wants to start talks with out-of-contract pair Zoltan Gera and Kevin Phillips.

Mowbray hopes to uncover bargains
West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray says he will be looking to unearth more gems like Robert Koren ahead of their return to the Premier League. The Slovenian midfielder, who joined from Lillestrom in January 2007, excelled as the Baggies won promotion. Mowbray said: "We have seen examples like Koren who has contributed this season and there might be other players who are talented and cost nothing. "Don't be surprised if there are a few lost-cost signings who have quality." While Mowbray is expecting a busy summer strengthening his squad, he is also aware there may be a few departures too. "There are one or two and, until I have conversations with them, I can't say who. "But I can't envisage that happening until a manager phones me. I am not chasing people out of the door." Kevin Phillips, Zoltan Gera and Martin Albrechtsen are all out of contract this summer but Mowbray says there is no further update on their individual futures. "We're well aware that we've got three players out of contract and I have got no news on them. "I'm sure they'll be looking at all the options they've got."

Bednar ties up £2.3m Albion move
West Bromwich Albion have completed the £2.3m permanent transfer of Czech striker Roman Bednar from Hearts. The paperwork was finally completed on Saturday evening after the Edinburgh club were informed that the Baggies wanted to exercise their option. The 25-year-old striker, who originally signed on loan on August deadline day, played a big part in the Baggies' Championship title triumph. Bednar, who has now signed a three-year deal, scored 17 goals in 22 starts. He formed a deadly partnership with Kevin Phillips as the club clinched promotion back to the Premier League. Bednar follows Do-heon Kim and Luke Moore in making a permanent move to Albion.

Mowbray expects Phillips to leave
West Brom boss Tony Mowbray says he expects veteran striker Kevin Phillips to leave the club this summer. The former England international, who turns 35 later this month, wants a two-year contract but the Baggies are only offering him a one-year deal. Mowbray said: "I am pretty sure his preferred choice would be to stay. "But, at this moment, it is unlikely that Kevin will stay here. If there is a stumbling block that we cannot overcome then so be it." The former Watford, Sunderland, Southampton and Aston Villa player scored 24 goals last season and helped West Brom win promotion to the Premier League. But Mowbray says the forward's age means the Baggies cannot offer him a longer contract. "My strong belief, particularly when footballers get to 35, is that I find it very hard to hand out two-year contracts to 35-year-olds - however well they have done," revealed Mowbray. "I genuinely believe if Kevin wants to stay, he should back his ability and earn his second year. "But we are looking for another striker regardless of what he does." Meanwhile, West Brom have appointed former Norwich manager Peter Grant, 42, as their new first-team coach.

West Brom take Meite from Bolton
West Brom have signed Ivory Coast centre-half Abdoulaye Meite from Bolton for £2m. The 27-year-old, who can also play at full-back, has agreed a three-year contract and the fee could rise to £2.5m depending on performances. He becomes Albion manager Tony Mowbray's eighth signing of the summer. Meite, who was also targeted by Hull, joined Bolton in July 2006 after five years with Marseille and made 56 appearances for the Trotters.

West Brom close in on Olsson deal
West Brom have had an £800,000 offer accepted by Dutch Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen for Swedish central defender Jonas Olsson. The 25-year-old has agreed personal terms and is expected to undergo a medical over the weekend. The fee for the former Under-21 international could rise by £360,000 in performance-related add-ons. Olsson has been a first-team regular for the past three years, helping Nijmegen to finish eighth last season. He moved to Holland from home-town club Landskrona in 2005. Boss Tony Mowbray is keen to bring in another player in the central defensive role following Martin Albrechtsen's departure to Derby and Bostjan Cesar's return to Marseille.

Spirit should save us - Greening
West Bromwich Albion captain Jonathan Greening says he is sure the good spirit in the squad will ensure they escape Premier League relegation. The Baggies remain bottom of the table after their 1-1 draw with Portsmouth on Saturday and are currently three points from safety. But Greening is convinced things will change: "We've got a good team spirit and everyone's fighting for each other. "I think that will see us through - team spirit's fantastic." Albion have not won in the top flight since beating Fulham at the beginning of October and could find themselves effectively five points from safety by the time they go to Sunderland on Saturday 13 December. Greening accepts the Premier League is new to a lot of their squad but is sure their results will improve. "We have a lot of inexperienced players. A lot have come from abroad and they're getting used to the English style of football," he said. "But we haven't got any bad eggs and it's fantastic."

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