Clarke Expecting Warm Robbie Welcome

Steve Clarke has said he is hoping Robbie Di Matteo receives a warm welcome back at The Hawthorns now he's in the Chelsea hotseat.

Speaking to wba.co.uk ahead of the encounter, Clarke said.

'I would hope Robbie will be warmly welcomed back, he'll certainly be welcomed back by me and my staff.'

Clarke also said that Robbie would have done his homework on us following our start to the campaign, and he'd expect Chelsea to head here knowing they will have a fight on their hands.

'The fact we've done so well this season will start to make the games harder for us because people will come here knowing they're in for a tough afternoon. They certainly won't take us lightly. They'll turn up knowing it will be tough to win.'

As for Clarke returning to Chelea, well he's looking for the win.

'It's a good benchmark. It's not dissimilar to when Manchester City came and we wanted to challenge ourselves against them. We lost the game but we cam out with a higher self esteem because we knew we'd given them a really tough game. We'll aim to do that again but this time we're looking for a positive result.'

The had coach also admits it's not just any game because of his close association with the club.

'It would be wrong to say it's just another game because I had a great association with Chelsea. Almost 20 years at one club, it's a big chunk of life.'

Should be a cracking atmosphere given the ties of individuals between the two clubs.

Vital West Brom on:

Vital West Brom on:

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