Kevin Phillips: ‘Every game is must win’ for West Brom this season
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips believes every game is must win for West Brom this season if they want to make the playoffs, starting with Blackburn tonight.
The Baggies have fallen out of the top six for the first time this season with just three wins in their last 15 games in all competitions, including Steve Bruce’s first game as manager.
They currently sit in ninth in the Championship table, but a win over third-placed Blackburn takes them to within a point of the top six and Phillips says they should take it one game at a time.
“I think every game is a must-win if I’m being honest, without putting too much pressure on them,” he told West Brom News exclusively.
“If you want to obviously have aspirations and still believe you can finish in that top two, so every one, yeah.
“We’re over halfway through the season now so you have to believe and go into each game thinking, ‘we’ve got to win’.
“We need to win but you can’t put too much pressure on them because it can affect some players so you approach the game, kind of take each game as it comes, that old cliche.
“But as players, you have to head for the top and I think they probably know that top two now is a little bit out of reach, so let’s just concentrate now on the playoffs.”
The Baggies host Blackburn at The Hawthorns in Bruce’s first home game as boss on Monday night, but they’ll be without captain Jake Livermore who starts a four-game suspension following his second straight red of the season against Sheffield United.
In other West Brom news, View: Key man still missing, one change for Bruce – Predicted West Brom XI vs Blackburn