Albion's secret Wembley visit
Tony Mowbray has taken Albion on a top secret trip to Wembley in a bid to ensure they have no excuses when they face Derby in Monday's play-off final. Tony Mowbray has taken Albion on a top secret trip to Wembley in a bid to ensure they have no excuses when they face Derby in Monday's play-off final. The manager took his Baggies squad to the new £757m stadium yesterday to help them get acquainted with the surroundings before the all-or-nothing clash with the Rams. And the Baggies boss hopes the visit means his players won't be left awestruck by the 90,000 capacity arena when they step out to battle for the last Premiership place and its £60m pot of gold. "We arranged the trip so the players could get a feel for the place ahead of Monday's game," said Mowbray, who erected a wall of silence around the camp about the trip prior to the visit." Read the full story in the Express & Star.
The manager took his Baggies squad to the new £757m stadium yesterday to help them get acquainted with the surroundings before the all-or-nothing clash with the Rams.
And the Baggies boss hopes the visit means his players won't be left awestruck by the 90,000 capacity arena when they step out to battle for the last Premiership place and its £60m pot of gold.
"We arranged the trip so the players could get a feel for the place ahead of Monday's game," said Mowbray, who erected a wall of silence around the camp about the trip prior to the visit.
"As we all expected, the new Wembley really is a sight to behold, but it is vital the players are solely focused on their jobs – not the surroundings – when they arrive there for the final.
"The players now know exactly what to expect on Monday, which I feel will help them to concentrate."
But Mowbray insists he won't be getting carried away about the prospect of being one of the first managers to lead his team out at the new national stadium.
He scored for Ipswich in the last play-off final at Wembley, but insists reaching this occasion will mean nothing if Albion lose.
"I'm not excited because I know if we don't get the right result then the media will be writing or saying that Mowbray's under pressure because he hasn't got them up," he said.
"If we get promotion then great – that's the reward.
"I watched Colin Calderwood last weekend and saw his Forest team go out.
"Now people are talking about his job.
"He's having to deal with that pressure of expectation.
"I'm not overly concerned about Wembley. Wembley isn't the prize at all, the prize is to get promotion.
"So I won't be sitting here building it up, saying what a great achievement it is to get there because I know if we don't get the right result everyone will be saying what a failure this season has been."