Super Kevin Phillips eager to see good times back at West Brom

The former striker, a goal hero at both The Hawthorns and Stadium of Light where the Baggies resume their league campaign on Monday, was saddened and at a loss as to Albion's plight near the bottom of the Championship.

Phillips enjoyed two goal-laden seasons as an experienced frontman in Albion blue and white and warned the club's treacherous position this term is an example of what can happen with a mix of off-field and recruitment issues.

He sees two former clubs lock horns in the north east on Monday evening with the former England international's loyalties divided. North east-based Phillips, now flying high as manager of table-topping non-league side South Shields, is on television punditry duty on Monday evening.

Phillips does see 'light at the end of the tunnel' for the Baggies under head coach Carlos Corberan – and time left in the Championship season to turn the season around.

"No-one envisaged them to be where they are," Phillips told the Express & Star. "Certainly with the players they have in the squad, at times when I've watched them this season you're thinking 'how are they down where they are?'

"Of course there was Brucie in charge who is vastly experienced at getting teams out of that league, you kind of thought it was a no-brainer.

"But it just shows in football, sometimes it isn't always what it seems to be, you have to try to get that balance right.

"I'd say the Baggies fans are really frustrated, as they probably see what I've just said. But there's been a change and the new man has got off to a decent start and it's a big game on Monday against Sunderland who've hit a bit of form.

"There's enough games left in the season now for West Brom to have a really good run, whether they can make that top six remains to be seen, but it's been done before and that's got to be the ambition."

'Super Kev', who finished with 46 goals in 81 games for Albion as well as a host of player of the season awards, added: "One hundred per cent I was feeling for the fans. Although I don't do social media, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise the supporters have been disappointed and frustrated.

"Because, certainly when I was there – I know it was a long time ago – but even since then they've been used to seeing good and winning football played at The Hawthorns.

"But it's a lesson for everybody, if you don't get it quite right with your recruitment and with issues off the pitch then it can affect you and that's certainly happened.

"The quickly that can get resolved and the team get back to winning matches is what supporters want to see.

"I never want to see them drop out of that league, because it's so difficult to get back, I want to see them challenging for and in the Premier League because they're a big club and right up there as one of the first results I look for after our games.

"Hopefully they've turned a corner, they finished before the break with an excellent result at home to Stoke, I gather Carlos is up for manager of the month, hopefully there's light at the end of the tunnel to build on that.

"They've had good time to prepare, rest and recover, work on the training ground and be ready to go again."

Phillips does not lay all of the blame of Albion's plight with former boss Steve Bruce, who was axed in October following the dire start to the campaign.

"You can't blame it all on Brucie, he came and did his best, it's probably clear there are issues there to be sorted," he went on.

"When an experienced manager like Brucie comes in and couldn't quite get it right, you think is it things that run a little bit deeper than that?

"With the new manager coming in they need to give him time to try to turn it around and bring his players in during January and move people on, it's still a transitional period.

"The most important thing is to stay in the Championship, because we've seen it happen to big clubs before, ie Sunderland, because if you don't get it right and think you'll stay in the league just because you're in a big club it can bite you on the backside, that happened to Sunderland and it took them four years to get out of League One."

The former Leicester, Stoke and Derby coach, a six-time promotion-winner as a player, admits the word within the game is a positive one on Albion's new head coach Corberan, who he was impressed with from afar while the Spaniard managed at Huddersfield.

"I've seen him from afar and people talk in football, technically and tactically he's meant to be very, very good," Phillips said.

"He knows the game, and it's clear with the three wins and clean sheet there has clearly been a lot of work on the training ground in terms of defensive shape in and out of possession.

"When you're in a bad run of form you try to shore up that defence, go back to basics with defending and work from there forwards. We know there's quality in the team and frontline to create and score goals.

"History shows teams have done it, I remember Roy Keane getting Sunderland promoted after coming in with them near rock-bottom, Steve Cooper at Forest, stories you can draw on.

"You can't focus completely on that, take the cliche of each game as it comes, but before you know it you've strung five, six or seven results together and you're not a million miles away."

Phillips, 49, remains in contact with Corberan's opposite number on Monday, Black Cats chief Tony Mowbray, his Baggies title-winning boss.

"Tony's a great guy, we had a good conversation at Sunderland's training ground a couple of weeks ago," he added. "He loved every minute of Albion.

"He's done very well since going in at Sunderland, it's two managers going head-to-head who are in good form with good experience, I've got the utmost respect for Tony Mowbray."

Whether it continues on Monday night on Wearside, or a little bit further down the line, Phillips wants nothing more than Albion to turn things around.

"A lot has changed at the club since I was there, which happens," he said. "But for me I just want to see those supporters boing boinging, jumping up and down with their back to the team when they've scored, it's a fantastic place to play when it's rocking and buzzing.

"It's a great atmosphere and I want to see those good times come back and there are signs with the three results they can kick on."