Interviews

Moore: We won't underestimate Reading

ALBION will have to overcome a whole new set of challenges if they are to chalk up a fifth successive home league win on Saturday.

The Baggies tackle Reading at The Hawthorns looking for the perfect send off to the international break after another intense sequence of fixtures.

That two-goal comeback at Sheffield Wednesday in midweek has put them in good spirits but Head Coach Darren Moore knows it will count for nothing when the Royals test gets underway.

He is urging the fans to once again put the ‘crackle' into the Hawthorns atmosphere as the Baggies prepare to face a different opponent offering different problems. 

“It’s always good if you can make it a bit of a fortress and I hope the fans let their voices be heard tomorrow,” says Darren.

“But I keep saying it - this league is relentless and we know we’ve got yet another difficult game. The results Reading have had on the road have been impressive and they are not a team to be underestimated in the slightest.

“They come with their own strengths and their own way of playing and we’ve got to be at our very very best to keep the home results coming.

"The Championship throws up all sorts of different challenges for us to tackle during the course of the season and this is another one.”

Albion go into the match in fourth place, one point off the summit - but there’s a two point blanket that can be thrown over sixth to 15th which underlines the intensity of Championship battle.

His team are tackling it while also undergoing a process of change, something which Darren is keen to stress to supporters.

He added: “We’re in a process of change and we’re asking the players to adapt to new systems. There is new staff, new personnel in the building, everything is new and it’s important that we get the dynamics right.

“The closeness of the teams shows what the division is going to be like all the way to the end of the season. It will ebb and flow all the way and we’ve got to be at our best week in, week out. 

“Since Wednesday night, it’s been about getting the players in, getting some good food inside, get their recovery right ahead of another tough afternoon.

“It’s certainly exciting. It’s a bonus if the supporters are enjoying the football and if they are smiling while they are watching the games.”

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