Ben Foster is backing West Brom to be crowned kings of the West Midlands again this year despite losing their manager to the England set-up.
West Brom man kept 10 clean sheets in the Premier League
Ben Foster is backing West Brom to be crowned kings of the West Midlands again this year despite losing their manager to the England set-up.
Roy Hodgson guided the Black Country club to 10th place last season ahead of rivals Stoke, Aston Villa and relegated Wolves with on-loan Foster being named player of the season.
And when Steve Clarke replaced Hodgson as manager he wasted no time in making Foster's year-long loan deal from rivals Birmingham permanent.
The fans quickly welcomed Foster as 'one of their own' despite his time with their rivals where he lifted the League Cup.
Now Foster wants to repay them by urging his team-mates to continue where they left off in a bid to win the bragging rights for the fans again next summer.
"You've always got to be looking to improve," he said on the club's
official website.
"Tenth was a great achievement for us and the fact we finished as the top Midlands team was a massive thing for the fans. That's something we've got to try and do again
"From a playing perspective, we're going to be looking to do as well as, if not better than, what we did last year.
"Obviously, I had a really good season the year before at Blues and they've got a special place in my heart.
"Winning the Carling Cup with them was a big moment in my career and I'll always have fond and very special memories of being at Birmingham.
"But I now have the opportunity to continue my working relationship with our goalkeeping coach, Dean Kiely, and also work with the new gaffer.
"I've heard a lot of good things about him and he comes with a great reputation, having worked with some of the biggest teams in Europe and alongside some of the best managers.
"He's obviously got something about him and I'm looking forward to working with him."
