Boss eager forward gets fair chance to 'entertain'
STEVE Clarke has called for more protection from officials on the pitch for ‘entertainer’ Stephane Sessegnon.The Hawthorns boss felt the Baggies’ record signing came in for some tough treatment in the Britannia Stadium stalemate.
And he is determined to ensure the Benin international is given a fair chance to showcase his talents on the Barclays Premier League stage.
“Stephane has got great talent,” said Clarke.
“He’s an entertainer, he can create something out of nothing.
“I was a little bit disappointed he didn’t get enough protection on the pitch yesterday.
“He was fouled an awful lot and he didn’t get too many decisions.
“If you want to have an attractive product, and you want to encourage creative players, then you surely have to give him a little bit more protection.”
Sessegnon almost had the last laugh as he came close to snatching all three points at City with an early goal-of-the-season contender, only to be denied by Asmir Begovic.
“It was a great run and dribble and I’m sure we’ll see it a few times – but it would have been much better had it ended up in the back of the net,” Clarke added.
“You have to give credit to the goalkeeper because he stayed big.
“When you come away from home and the goalkeeper wins man of the match it gives you a pretty good idea where the balance of play was.”