Baggies boss warns Premier rivals.

Phoenix Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm

Baggies boss warns Premier rivals

Albion manager Tony Mowbray is warning Premier League rivals his team are ready to shock them.

The Baggies boss, who is refusing to set his sights merely on survival, is adamant his side can compete with the vast majority of Premier League opponents.

He said: “I can go on about bravado or about finishing 17th but football is about the ball, the grass and the players and we have nothing to fear.

“We go into the league looking forward to it and we’ll enjoy it. We have good players who have shown that when we have the ball then we can compete with most teams.

“I don’t want to harp on about it but Portsmouth finished eighth or ninth and for more than an hour in the FA Cup semi-final you wouldn’t have thought Portsmouth were better than us.

“Why should we fear anything? Yes, when we play Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea then, yes, on those days we will find out what the Premier League is all about.

“But I would suggest they are not typical days in the Premier League. There will be 30 games where we have just as good a chance as the opposition.

“Our aim this season is to be competitive. I want the team to show their true qualities.

“I do hope and believe that we can compete in the league. We will have good days and not-so-good days and we will see how it goes.

“I don’t want to say we’re aiming for 17th because that sets you off on a negative footing. You expect to lose a lot of games if you finish 17th.”