Club News

Level-headed Clarke gets Mourinho text

But Baggies boss keeping smiles under wraps for now

STEVE Clarke may have had Jose Mourinho texting him to congratulate him on Albion’s outstanding season so far – but the Baggies boss insists you will be hard pushed to catch him smiling too much!

The ‘level-headed’ Baggies boss was speaking at today’s pre-match press conference ahead of his high-flying side’s game at Swansea tomorrow (ko 7.45pm).

And when asked if he said at the weekend he was ‘mildly pleased’ to be third in the Barclays Premier League table after 13 games he quipped: “I probably did say that.

“I do believe the cameras caught me smiling at the weekend.

“I'll need to be more careful in the future!

“I'll get lifted by it all when we get to the last weeks of the season.

“If we are still in a good position then, then I'll enjoy the moment.

“At the moment I just have to keep working game to game.

“I know it is boring for you guys and you want me to get carried away and say 'we are going to do this, that or the other.'

“We are not, we are going to approach the next game, work as hard as we can, and, as we've done in every game this season, try and get a positive result.

“I don't think I'm a grumpy person.

“I can be quite serious at times because it can be quite a serious business at times.

“But when I have to relax and smile, I can do that as well.

“I try and keep my feet on the ground.

“I have to do that.

“The Barclays Premier League is a difficult league.

“We’ve had a fantastic run and we’re in a good place but we’re not even into December yet.

“There is a long way to go and we can’t get carried away.”

Clarke was delighted to receive a message from his former Chelsea boss and now Real Madrid chief before the Sunderland game.

But he once again insisted he is very much his own man.

“He sent me a little text before the game at the weekend," he added.

“It was a nice text.

“There were some good things in it but I’ll keep it private.

“They were words of encouragement just to keep it going and keep working.

“I always said, when I took the job, although I’ve worked with a number of top coaches, I would just be myself and that’s what I try to do.

“I’m quite a level-headed person and I try to convey that to the players as well.

“We’ll just try and stay on the same path.”