Koren ready to fulfil dream

Albion midfielder Robert Koren is just five weeks away from living a boyhood dream.

The Slovenian midfielder, refreshed and recharged by a summer of sun and relaxation, is ready to attack the Premier League head on.

Koren arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday evening looking lean and full of energy. One of the stars of last season’s Championship triumph, he is buying completely into the Tony Mowbray vision for Premier League life.

The Albion manager insists his side are heading for the top flight with surviving a relegation scrap far from the front of their minds.

The all-action Koren, who has led the way in training here in Venlo, is in total agreement.

He said: “Thinking that we want to finish 17th and just settle for staying in the League is wrong.

“It’s not good enough. You need to motivate yourselves and, of course, we know we have to stay in the League but we need to set our standards higher and have more positive thoughts.

“We need to be prepared and fit enough to be in a position to show our quality. It will be harder and more difficult this year but we will go on the field full of belief and confidence.

“The first thoughts are to stay in the League but it’s not our overall aim. The manager doesn’t need to say it to us. You can’t consider finishing 16th or 17th.

“We can’t show fear or be scared of playing at this level. Good results can only help us and for that reason we need to start well and maintain our confidence.”

Koren has arrived in the Netherlands a man revitalised, after a long-awaited return to his homeland for an extended spell with his nearest and dearest.

He spent all-but-one week of his summer break at home in Slovenia catching up with friend and relatives.

He admits the trip was much-needed after wall-to-wall football, first with Lillestrom and then with Albion.

He said: “It was a long break. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a long break so I really enjoyed it.

“I rested for a month and got my batteries recharged and ready for the new season.

“It has been difficult for the last two years because I played in Norway, went straight to England and then last year we didn’t have a long break because of the play-offs.

“Then there were national games as well so I’m pleased I have been able to rest and enjoy this summer.

“I spent time running during the summer and I’m in good shape. We have a lot of running sessions at the moment and we know we need to get into good shape.”

Now the rest is over, with Koren is poised to fulfil another of the ambitions he set himself when he opted for football as his career.

His move to Albion was, he admits, a means to test himself in what he describes as the world’s finest football league.

That chance will come on August 16 when he and Albion open the Premier League season with a 12.45pm clash at Arsenal.

Kick-off at the Emirates Stadium cannot come soon enough for Koren.

He said: “When I decided to sign for West Brom I wanted to get into the Premier League. I and everyone was really disappointed last year with the play-offs defeat.

“Last season was another opportunity for us and we deserved to finish top.

“This is a new challenge and one I’m looking forward to. It’s difficult to say what will happen but everything is possible.”

Now he is into the final weeks of preparations and he believes the week on the Dutch-German border could prove vital for spirit in the months ahead.

He said: “Last week in England was really hard because we trained twice every day and more all less all the sessions were about fitness and getting the levels high.

“We are continuing with the running sessions but now we are trying to do things with the ball too.

“The main thing about this trip is for the lads to be together.

“We need our team spirit to be on a good level. It wasn’t a problem last year because our team spirit was great and it was a good dressing room to be in.

“It is the same now and this kind of trip makes sure the players are all together.”