West Brom's Graham Dorrans best in Europe
Boss Alan Irvine today hailed Graham Dorrans' hard-working attitude – after the West Brom midfielder was named the best in Europe this week.
The 27-year-old was handed a perfect 10 out of 10 rating by Premier League statistics gurus Opta for his display in last Sunday's 4-0 thumping of Burnley at the Hawthorns.
It was the best score by any player on the continent, including Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who featured alongside the Scotland international in football analysts WhoScored.com's European team of the week.
And while the news might have caused Irvine to joke about the player now wanting a wage increase, the Baggies head coach believes the midfielder's contribution to the team should not be ignored.
"You'd better not tell Graham that – he might come in wanting Ronaldo's contract and that might be a problem for us!" said Irvine.
"He was terrific and it's a shame because he's been overlooked outside the club, but he's scored one and made a couple and he played really well throughout the game.
"I wasn't aware of it. I look at a lot of stats and a lot of games over the week and there are certain ones that I will focus more on so I hadn't seen that.
"Hopefully he and others will get 10 out of 10 this week."
Dorrans has started every Premier League game for Albion this season after signing a new three-year deal in the summer.
It marks a distinct turnaround from this time last year when the former Livingston player looked set for the exit door after falling out of favour under Steve Clarke.
"It's difficult for me to compare with last season but he's a player who goes about his job in a very professional manner and he's a great trainer," added Irvine.
"He works hard on his game and he stays out late after training to do some extra work.
"He's a player I admired before I got here and he's a player I continue to admire, and now I know him as a person I like him even more."
Meanwhile, former Premier League referee Alan Wiley and Football League assistant referee Lisa Rashid will be guests of the Kidderminster branch of West Bromwich Albion Supporters Club on Monday.
The branch's first meeting of the season will be held from 8pm at Kidderminster Cricket Club in Chester Road North. The guests will show video clips of incidents from games with fans asked to assess their decisions.