'I know he will be joking' West Brom boss Carlos Corberan's Neil Warnock respect after agent claims
Carlos Corberan poured cold water on the subject after a claim from experienced Huddersfield boss Neil Warnock that the Albion head coach needed 'a good agent' to land the job.
Warnock, who took on the Championship survival job at the John Smith's Stadium last month having previously retired, stoked the fire ahead of tomorrow's clash at The Hawthorns by suggesting the Spaniard's representation had to work hard to earn their 39-year-old client the Baggies job after Corberan was dismissed by Olympiacos in Greece.
The former Sheffield United, Cardiff, QPR and Middlesbrough boss, who has managed 16 clubs in all, said he would've 'snapped hands off' to come out of retirement to take over a talented Albion squad ailing at the foot of the table.
Terriers boss Warnock, at 74 a veteran of more than 1,800 matches in management, also hinted Corberan's link with the previous vacancy at Leeds United showed 'how many managers are around'.
Corberan, though, did not rise to the comments and responded with poise and class ahead of the contest against the side he took to the play-off final last term. The Baggies boss, whose Albion record reads 13 wins from 22 amid an almost unblemished run of home results, said he only has respect for Warnock's career and longevity in the game.
"Yes I am very happy with my agent because of course we have a good connection!" Corberan smiled.
"These comments are just part of the game, right? But I am fully focused in just preparing the team for what happens tomorrow.
"I know that he will be joking with these comments but I have like I told you a full respect for somehow who has in his back the number of games he has managed, he has achieved a very important thing in the country, a very difficult thing to achieve.
"I have a lot of respect for every coach that makes a career like the one he has."
Albion's former Terriers head coach added: "Everyone faces or approaches the game in different ways, I like to approach the game with the team with what we expect for tomorrow, with their type of attack, because they have changed things with him.
"I think part of the behaviours the coach try to implement I've seen is very obvious. The work he started three weeks ago you can see now in the pitch. My mind is only focused in game preparation, tactical preparation for tomorrow."
Warnock's side sit second-bottom of the Championship six points adrift of safety with 11 fixtures remaining. The eight-time promotion winner has won once from four matches in charge so far.
The Yorkshireman has a colourful relationship with Baggies fans. He was Blades boss in the infamous Battle of Bramall Lane in 2002 and his return to The Hawthorns often draws a reception from the home stands.
Corberan told the Express & Star: "Everyone manages training, matches, press conference in different ways, but someone with his number of games I respect a lot.
"It's part of the job behaviours, I don't know, but I have a lot of respect for the job he has done and hopefully one day I achieve the same number of games!"
The head coach insisted all he is interested in focusing on is his side ahead of another crunch home clash in a push for the top six.
"I admire people that have that number of games, so I feel very pleased I am starting my career as a coach and have the opportunity to play against big managers, people that have been in the Premier League and achieving success in the Championship," he said.
"It made me realise how big the job we have, it makes me feel very pleased and motivated to play against all the best managers in the world.
"Being honest when we talk about these things it looks like we talk about the managers, and we talk about me, it is not about me it is one game of West Bromwich where our players will go for three points.
"These things are not part of the game, the only important thing in football is what our players achieve on the football pitch. We are working very hard to see players working well. To have players perform well takes time and I only think of these things – sometimes you don't even find the time to think because in a very demanding period you have to prepare the games."
