West Brom's Paul Scharner has no divided loyalities as he prepares to return to former club Wigan.
Baggies midfielder will offer tips on how to beat old club if asked
West Brom's Paul Scharner has no divided loyalities as he prepares to return to former club Wigan.
The 30-year-old spent more than four years with the Latics before joining the Baggies on a free transfer during the summer.
He says he is prepared to use his experience of the Wigan set-up to West Brom's advantage if required, but believes boss Roberto Di Matteo will have a game plan already up his sleeve.
He said: "If they ask me then I have lots of tips in my pocket. But I think the gaffer will analyse Wigan very well and then we will have a good set-up for the game.
"I am excited because I played for four and a half years for Wigan. It was my longest spell at a club since I was a professional footballer.
"I am looking forward to meeting all my ex-colleagues."
Slow start
While the Latics currently sit in the drop zone after a slow start to the campaign, Scharner is not under-estimating Roberto Martinez's side.
He said: "Actually it's quite similar picture to the seasons before - a very slow start.
"At the moment they are in the relegation zone, but I think they have good potential in the squad to stay in the league."
At just 30, Scharner is the oldest player in the West Brom squad, aside from player/coach Dean Kiely, which he believes is a positive.
"This shows just how much potential is in the team," he said.
"I'm enjoying it. You can't fight age, just look after your body, so that's what I'm doing."
Despite a good start to the campaign, Di Matteo believes his team still has not reached it's full potential.
He said: "We perform certain aspects of the game very well, but we still have to manage ourselves better during games.
"We're still making too many mistakes in my opinion, but I think that comes with the fact that we are new to the league, and we still have to learn. We're a work in progress."
Di Matteo added supporters should keep the team's status as newcomers in mind as the season progresses.
He said: "They can enjoy themselves, but let's not forget our identity - who we are, what our aim is and where we come from.
"I hope they are excited and enjoying what we're trying to do, but it's a very difficult league and we're happy that we have got the points we have so far.
Crazy
"It's a crazy league, with some unexpected results, and that's the way this season is going to go."
If the Baggies do go behind at the DW, the West Brom boss believes they have the capacity to get back into the game.
He said: "We have the strength and the resilience to come back, which is very difficult in the Premier League."
