Joleon Lescott happy again with West Brom

Defender Joleon Lescott has swapped top-dog status with Manchester City for the underdog tag with West Brom.

But, as he prepares to lock horns with his former club's deadliest rivals tonight, Joleon Lescott insists he is loving football as much as ever.

Despite helping City to their second Premier League triumph last season and claiming a winner's medal in the process, Lescott knew the time was right to move when he was axed for the Capital One Cup final.

And after feeling squeezed out of the first-team picture at the Etihad Stadium, Lescott is relishing the extra responsibility given to him by Baggies boss Alan Irvine, whose love of football helped lure him to The Hawthorns.

Now, in his first in-depth interview since signing for Albion, Lescott has spoken about his reasons for joining, his frustrations at losing his place at City, his ongoing England ambitions and his love of life as a senior figure at his new club.

"I never lost my love of game," said Lescott, who is gearing up for his fourth Baggies appearance against Manchester United this evening.

"I always enjoyed training and stuff, so that's never been an issue. But yeah, it's nice to be playing again. You get a lot more responsibility and the coaches ask me a lot of questions about how we did things at City.

"It's nice to feel the coaches want my opinion, and want my experience. My time at City and England and stuff like that is very useful."

For Lescott, the reunion with Irvine has proven to be everything he hoped for.

After establishing himself at City under Mark Hughes, his first-team chances became more limited under, first, Roberto Mancini and then Manuel Pellegrini.

Now, having been persuaded by Irvine to pick Albion over offers from Stoke and Hull, he is loving feeling the unqualified trust of a boss once more.

"There were options end of last season," he said. "I spoke to a number of managers and my decision process was based on the manager.

"It would have been nice to play for this club or that club, but it was more important to go somewhere where I was going to get the responsibility I feel I deserve.

"I said 'I have to play more regularly'. I spoke to Steve Bruce (Hull manager) a number of times, we got on well and I really enjoyed the conversations we had.

"I spoke to a couple of other managers as well – all British really. But when I spoke to Alan that swung it.

"I knew him, Keith Downing and Rob Kelly – I knew the whole coaching staff here from previous clubs. I spoke to them and it just kind of put my mind at ease.

"It was probably that that drove my decision over the club, and made it easier to say yes. I think it's hard for any player that's not been bought by the manager.

"A manager going into a club has got no allegiance to any player they haven't bought.

"They think 'he's from the old team so if he doesn't work out or I don't pick him he's not going to be looked upon as my mistake'.

"When I first went to City, results were there but we were still conceding goals. I remember I was getting some stick in the press saying 'he can't handle the price tag.'

"Mark Hughes took me to one side and said 'you're doing well, don't worry what anyone says'.

"It's a relief to know that someone who has paid so much attention to get you feels the same way you kind of feel.

"Again, that was the situation with Alan. When I was injured I was so frustrated and gutted for him that I couldn't show him.

"But he was just like 'take your time. I want you right, I don't want you 80 per cent fit, sitting on the bench. I want you to play.'

"That was a weight off my shoulders. He talks about being brave on and off the ball.

"In most teams, there is a level of technical ability that everyone has got and should have to play in the Premier League.

"It's just the belief that the top players have to take the ball under pressure when marked to go one-on-one defensively. That's what we're here to do."

Irvine's show of faith has put Lescott back at the heart of a Premier League squad after City's constant evolution saw their former defensive lynchpin relegated to a bit-part in his final two seasons.

He made 31 appearances when City won their first Premier League trophy in 2011-12, but started just 17 times in their unsuccessful title defence after Mancini splashed out on Matija Nastasic.

It was during that season that the ex-Wolves man first began to question his future, after some ham-fisted man-management from Mancini.

He recalled: "It was quite strange. The first I heard of it was an interview from Roberto Mancini saying I had lost confidence.

"I thought that was strange because we had won the league, I had gone to the European Championships and scored, and I didn't think my confidence could get any higher.

"I came back and he bought Nastasic which was warranted because we needed more players in the position.

"But when he said I had lost my confidence, I was like 'wow, if my confidence is low now I am struggling!'"

After Mancini's sacking and Pellegrini's appointment, Lescott was given permission to seek first-team football elsewhere.

But a pre-season injury to captain Vincent Kompany put any thoughts of a move on hold and he knuckled down at the Etihad Stadium and played his part in another title triumph.

He made 10 Premier League appearances but admits he felt less a part of the success than two years previously.

And it was his omission from the Capital One Cup final win against Sunderland that finally convinced Lescott his time at City was up.

"I played every minute in the competition and captained the semi-final, so then not playing in the final was the hardest part," he said.

"The manager just read out the team and my name wasn't in there. That was kind of hard having played all the minutes.

"Then he explained the reason why he didn't pick Joe Hart was because 'Pantsy' (Costel Pantilimon) had played more minutes.

"I just thought 'If that's the reason for him, why isn't that a reason for me?' That was the hardest thing to take – the reason for that is not the same reason I am not playing.

"I kind of knew it was time to go before that but that was the final thing. It was hard.

"Mentally that was of the hardest times, hearing that explanation and thinking logically 'how can that be the reason'?

"But I wouldn't say 'don't go there', like I have known previous players say. I would say 'go, enjoy it.'"

And Lescott admits seeing the core of Hughes' team broken up has been difficult after they laid the foundations for the successes funded by Sheikh Mansour's millions.

"The likes of me and Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez and Nigel De Jong were there at the start," he said. "Before everybody knew it was going to happen for us, we believed it was going to happen.

We were there to be a part of that. So then to just let us all go, it's probably the club progressing in the right way for them, but it is hard to see all the lads that were there originally have gone."

Despite losing his automatic place at City, Lescott remained a regular member of the England squad in the early days of Roy Hodgson's reign.

So he was gutted to slip out of the picture in the final build-up to this summer's World Cup.

He has not figured since but, even at the age of 32, he has not given up on a recall and he believes his move to Albion and a return to regular football can only help his cause.

"I'm a fan," he said. "I have friends playing in the team so watching the games is a different situation.

"But I have always thought – even before my debut here – that I could offer something and as long as I am playing that won't change.

"Roy hasn't spoken to me, I don't think he feels any need to. He is well equipped at the back and has been for a number of years.

"There's been no conversation and I've only played three games this season.

"Personally I feel they have gone well – but for me to say I should be back in the England squad straightaway would be disrespectful to the other players.

"I never ruled myself out. I missed pre-season so I wasn't getting carried away. If I continue to play the same level up to the next international game then, hopefully, I will be closer.

"I can understand the 'youth' philosophy going into Europe. But Jags (Phil Jagielka) is a day younger than me, so if that's the case I can't be too old!

"I still felt last season I could have played more games than I was given – but it wasn't to be.

"My decision now at the end of the last season was to go somewhere I could play more regular and, since I have been fit, I have done that."

Now, after impressive displays against Tottenham and Burnley and a solid outing at Liverpool, Lescott is preparing for his biggest Albion game to date against the club he helped City usurp as the best side in Manchester.

United have had their own well-documented defensive problems this season as Louis van Gaal finds his feet at Old Trafford, but Lescott insists the Red Devils remain a major scalp.

He said: "Injuries don't help. Centre-halves and defenders have to play together and be a partnership.

"We talk about Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao, but they can do anything spontaneous, off the cuff and win the game.

"As a defender you can't do that. I can't just all of a sudden go into midfield and do something and think 'that was great' because my mate at the back could be being roasted.

"It is a more of a unit thing and once they get that collective unit working and playing more together more regular they will be fine.

"It is strange seeing them struggle but every team has it and they just probably had their glory period a bit longer than most others.

"But I'm sure that sooner rather than later they will be back up there.

"They are still everyone's arch-rivals. If you ask any top team who their arch-rivals are they are going to say Manchester United.

"It's probably a harder question for them to answer but everyone respects what they've done in the past. In a way it's easier against top players because you have to concentrate for the whole game.

"You can't switch off, you have to stay fully focused. Give players like that half a yard and they score. It's going to be tough but we're confident at the minute."