West Bromwich Albion FC

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Baggies back struggling Donk

05 Nov 2008 - 09:19:55

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West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray has backed defender Ryan Donk to recover quickly from a couple of nightmare displays for the Baggies.

The 22-year-old Dutchman has conceded penalties in his last two games and was replaced at half-time of the 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers last weekend.

Mowbray told the Birmingham mail: "It's a tough little period for Ryan and the last thing he needed was what happened on Saturday.

"He's got to get his head down and work hard. He's a professional footballer so there's nowhere for him to hide.

"Leon Barnett is struggling and Abdoulaye Meite is struggling, so Ryan has to stand up big and be ready to go again.

"I made the change at half-time not because of anything Ryan had done, but because of the way the referee was officiating the game. He had been booked and the official was of a certain mindset.

"I got the impression that just about anything could happen and I didn't want to give him an opportunity to send Ryan off.

"Ryan's our best option at this moment, depending how he is in training this week and how it affects him mentally.

"Hopefully he will react in a positive way and be ready to give us a big performance this weekend."