Source: Team_Talk
Di Matteo hails 'fine servant' Robbo
West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo has denied that there is bad feeling towards Paul Robinson, who returns to The Hawthorns this weekend.[LNB] The Baggies take on the Trotters in the Premier League on Saturday as Robinson returns to the club where he spent seven years as a player.[LNB]He did not spend long at The Hawthorns under Di Matteo as he looked to engineer a move to the top flight, but the Italian coach insists he was a fantastic servant to West Brom.[LNB]"I didn't work with him for long," Di Matteo told the Birmingham Mail. [LNB]"On the first day I met him I went 'hi Robbo' and he basically said 'Yeah, gaffer I want to leave'.[LNB]"I said 'I'm pleased to meet you too, come and see me after training'. That was our introduction.[LNB]"He's said sorry about it since then but I think it was just his strong belief he wanted to play in the Premier League.[LNB]"It was the same with Jonno (Jonathan Greening) as well. He wanted to stay in the Premier League.[LNB]"He was a fantastic servant but didn't want to be here with us. It was an easy decision then for the club to let him move on."[LNB]West Brom produced a remarkable performance last weekend as they secured a 3-2 victory away at Arsenal.[LNB]But Di Matteo has warned against complacency ahead of the Bolton match, saying the fans should not just expect an easy three points.[LNB]"I hope the fans understand our position and see that Bolton is a difficult game," he added. "It's one of the teams that is a competitor, even though they've been in the Premier League for many years.[LNB]"If we want to have a good season we need to be competitive against teams like them. I hope the fans don't get carried away by the Arsenal result.[LNB]"The way Bolton play is a bit of a mix. They can go very direct, as they have been for many years.[LNB]"They're trying to mix it up and I think Owen Coyle has said that.[LNB]"It will take time for the club to match his philosophy - as it happens when you go to a club who are used to something different."
