Albion manager Tony Mowbray has caused a stir by claiming local rivals Villa are “not interested” in playing football.

But the beaten Baggies boss was later quick to point out he had no intention of criticising Martin O’Neill’s style of play.

Mowbray said: “Villa do well, because they have got defenders who head it and kick it basically and defend their goal, which is a crucial part of the game.

“At the other end of the pitch they have got a striker who scores goals every time he goes on the pitch. Ultimately, that’s what football is about, stopping it at one end and scoring at the other. They’re winning football matches.

“Everyone’s got their own beliefs on what’s right and wrong. You sit here every week and ultimately it’s only the result that matters to people. Aston Villa are winning games

“If they keep winning games they’ll do well and good luck to them. I’ve been in the game a long time and, after looking at the replays in the dressing room, it seems all their chances come from breakaway goals.

“They’re a counter-attack team. They’ve got Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor. They’re not really interested in playing football and knocking it around – they hit you on the counter-attack.

“That’s why teams like us are probably a dream for Villa, because we try to retain the ball and move it around. When we get people past the ball and lose it there is space for them to break.

“You can either have a football game where neither team has a shot until the 96th minute, or you can have a game like this with teams counter-attacking and it’s exciting with chances.

“I’m very respectful of the way any team plays. We’ve just got our own philosophies. Martin’s philosophy is working better than Tony Mowbray’s philosophy at the moment. You could also argue football is about players and quality.

“If you’ve got a centre-forward who scores on a regular basis it doesn’t matter how you play. I wish we had Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, Davies, Milner and all those players.

“I like Aston Villa and Martin O’Neill – I think his football team is a top football team. Whether they’re good enough to finish in the top four, you’ll all know at the end of the season.

“I enjoyed watching my team play regardless of what people think of West Bromwich Albion. I think we’ve got some good players.

“But Jay Simpson is a 20-year-old on loan from Arsenal and shows where we are. We haven’t got a Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young or Curtis Davies.

“But I think we’re a good football team but, if that was the top-four away from home, I don’t think we have to over-concern ourselves with whether we’re good enough to play in this league. We’ve got to win matches to stay in this league.

“We’ve beaten Manchester City and Tottenham in the last two home games, let’s see what happens against Middlesbrough. If the potential penalty had been given at the death we could have been sat here with a point.

“I think the league is extremely tight.”