'Be hungry, go on loan and take risks': Former West Brom midfielder Rob Davies on advice for young footballers
A former West Brom academy graduate has advised young players to go out and play as much senior football as they can - to give them the best chance of succeeding in the professional game.
Rob Davies, now 36 and retired from professional football, signed for Albion as a 16-year-old from Wrexham back in 2003, for a fee of £50,000.
He was handed his first professional contract by Bryan Robson and came close to making his Premier League debut in the 2005/2006 campaign - that ended in Albion being relegated.
He would turn out just once for Albion, in an FA Cup defeat at Reading, and left the club in 2007 to move to Spain, before going on to play for a handful of non-league clubs.
Speaking on the latest guest episode of the Baggies Broadcast, Davies, who only went out on loan once during his time at Albion, has urged other youngsters to go out and experience loan moves as much as they can, to give themselves the best chance of succeeding.
"At West Brom, I thought I would get a chance when we were relegated in 2006," said Davies, who now works in the construction industry.
"I thought I might go up the order, but I stayed where I was. Bryan Robson still had me involved in the squad, but other players came in, and I suppose managers want to sign players who are proven.
