While West Bromwich Albion fans decide what to make of new head coach Steve Clarke, two icons of the past believe the Baggies have got the appointment spot on.
Clarke will be unveiled by Albion in a lunchtime press conference next Monday.
Cyrille Regis and John Wile, two Albion legends from the 1970s and 80s, feel the gamble to bring in Clarke is one which will be justified.
They aren’t the only ones.
A glowing endorsement of Clarke by his former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho suggests Albion’s thinking outside-the-box will be rewarded.
And if Mourinho is happy then that is good enough for Wile, a former captain who made more than 700 appearances for Albion before returning as a chief executive in the 1990s.
“If you get such a recommendation from Jose Mourinho then you have to take notice of it and acknowledge that West Brom have appointed a top coach,” said Wile.
“Often a coach coming in can reap the benefits from the previous boss and I’m sure Steve will experience that at West Brom over the period of time.
“People might be worried whether he can make that transition but I see no reason why not.
“Yes, it’s a gamble but the same can be said about so many appointments. Sometimes you think you might have the right man and it doesn’t always work.
“What people mustn’t forget is that Steve has a lot of experience coaching so he’ll have worked with players over the years and know how to manage them and get the best out of them on the training pitch.”
Regis, a powerful centre-forward for the club in the late 1970s and early 80s, knows about the coaching aspect of the job.
Albion’s first-team coach under Ray Harford back in the late 90s, Regis feels the head coach’s role at The Hawthorns is a good fit.
“I can understand why people are surprised but there’s a logic to it,” said Regis.
“Steve Clarke has built himself a brilliant reputation as a coach and worked at the very top.
“He’s got a lot of experience in the Premier League working under different kinds of managers – all managers he will have learned from.
“He has a great reputation in football and he will have to grow into the role. But the way the club is split will suit him. He will need that synergy with Dan Ashworth to make it work and from that point of view you can understand why they went for him.”
