Albion ready to thrill crowd
Boss Tony Mowbray is urging his players not to waste the chance to put on a Hawthorns special in front of their biggest gate of the season tomorrow.
Boss Tony Mowbray is urging his players not to waste the chance to put on a Hawthorns special in front of their biggest gate of the season tomorrow.
The club's decision to slash prices for Sunday lunchtime Championship clash has paid off handsomely with more than 23,000 tickets already sold.
That guarantees Mowbray and his re-fashioned team their biggest audience to date and the chance to win over some new admirers as they face win-less QPR.
Mowbray is thrilled at the box-office response after the midweek blip against Cardiff and says: "I'd like to thank our fans because Tuesday was difficult for everyone yet they stuck with the team and were very, very supportive in the second-half.
"The players appreciate that. I, as the manager, also appreciate it because there will be difficult days along the way and the supporters need to stick together and stick with the team.
"I think the fans realise we've got an opportunity this season.
"I just want to reward the supporters by taking the team to the Premier League and giving them some pride.
"It's my job to come up with a product that makes them stick out their chests and tell the world they are Albion fans.
"I'm delighted there is going to be a big crowd tomorrow."
Rangers will bring a side burdened by constant speculation about manager John Gregory in the wake of the recent takeover but Mowbray is anxious his side do not become complacent.
Mowbray will revert to his "first team" for this clash but he warned his men: "QPR are starting to turn the corner a little bit.
"They got a 1-1 draw with Watford last week who are top of the league at the moment
"They also recently got a very respectable 1-1 draw at Leicester, who had a new manager in charge (Gary Megson).
"They're fighting tooth and nail to get that first win and get up and running, so we'll have to be very wary of them.
"You've got to work very hard and we need to go out there and be competitive.
"They will be dangerous but we've got to hope our qualities will allow us to impose our style on the game and put them on the back foot.
"They will be hard to beat and will have some threats up front."
By Martin Swain
