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Steve Clarke a victim of West Brom's sacking culture

Former Albion boss Steve Clarke believes he is a victim of football's sacking culture as he sets his sights on a potential return to England.

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Steve Clarke

The 55-year-old, who is currently in charge of Kilmarnock, guided West Brom to eighth in the Premier League back in 2013 – their highest finish for 32 years.

Clarke also took Reading to their first FA cup semi-final in 88 years, while his exploits at Rugby Park saw him crowned Scottish Manager of the Year last season – an honour he is on course to win again next month.

But he feels his time with both Albion and Reading – and his spell as a coach at Villa – came to end too prematurely.

“I don’t shout from the rooftops or blow my own trumpet – but I take a lot of satisfaction from the players and staff at clubs who recognise what I’ve done,” Clarke told the Daily Telegraph.

“I feel I did a good job at West Brom. It was cut short abruptly, which is something historically that West Brom have done - as you’ve recently seen with Darren Moore.

“That was a very strange decision and ruthless at that stage of the season. Maybe the old chairman [Jeremy Peace] has left a legacy there which has been acted upon.

“My time at Reading ended really strangely too. Fulham made an approach, I spoke to them and decided to stay. Three games later I was sacked which I found odd as we were just outside the play-offs.

“The year after I went in with Roberto [Di Matteo] at Villa and that didn’t last long either.

"That one hurt me more than West Brom and Reading, I was in there coaching and enjoying it without the distractions of being a manager and obviously Roberto got sacked. I found it brutal and didn’t enjoy that.”

Clarke is currently amongst the front runners for the vacant Fulham job. And it seems inevitable that he will return to manage an English club soon.

"“I feel unfulfilled in England. I think I’m a decent manager and a very good coach," he continued.

"I’ve still got a lot to offer some club who will maybe take a chance on me.

“I’ve been very open with Kilmarnock fans since the day I came in. This isn’t a lifetime project.

"I came in to stabilise the club and push them forward but I’ve said all along that at some stage I want to go back to England.

“My children live there, my grandson is three years old and I miss him every day I’m up here.

“As I sit here now I’ve turned down three possible moves away, and I’ve always stayed at Kilmarnock.

"At some stage I will leave, and in the summer I’ll make a decision on my future, but I certainly won’t rule out staying here.”