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Slaven Bilic: West Brom are not worried by wobble

Slaven Bilic insists Albion’s dressing room remains a panic-free zone despite the team’s recent wobble.

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Slaven Bilic (AMA)

The Baggies currently sit top of the Championship, one point ahead of Leeds and seven clear of third-placed Brentford.

But they have failed to win in their last five league outings, something they will aim to put right when they host Stoke on Monday.

Bilic, though, says he isn’t concerned about what’s happened in Albion’s 27 league games so far – with the boss insisting it’s what happens from now on that matters.

“There is no concern – there is no need to panic,” Bilic said when asked if he was concerned by Albion’s winless run.

“As I’ve said, we hadn’t done anything worth celebrating.

“Maybe some people were saying, thinking or writing that it’s job done for us and Leeds. But I said before it’s not.

“Everything starts now, everything that has happened before doesn’t matter.

“It starts now. There is still a long, long way to go and we have to start winning games.”

Meanwhile, skipper Jake Livermore is thrilled striker Kenneth Zohore has got himself back on the goal trail.

The 25-year-old, who was snapped up from Cardiff in the summer, started for the first time since August in the FA Cup clash at Charlton on January 5.

Zohore netted the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win.

He then scored at The Valley again a week later when the two teams locked horns in the Championship.

Zohore has had to remain patient at The Hawthorns with Hal Robson-Kanu impressing up front and Charlie Austin chipping in with goals.

And Livermore was delighted to see that patience rewarded with a couple of goals at The Valley.

“I am delighted for Kenneth because it’s been hard for him,” the captain said. “He has come in and he’s had to bide his time.

“Hal and Charlie have played and done well so I am honestly delighted for him because the last couple of weeks he has done really well.”

Bilic was also pleased with how Zohore performed in London.

“He scored his goals, he worked really hard,” the head coach added. “It’s not easy to mark him. He’s a very useful player, and he was good.

“He was in the box, he was running in the channels. He stretched them.”