Saturday 22 November 2014 10:35, UK
Alan Irvine says his West Brom side will be model professionals when they travel to Chelsea for the first time since Jose Mourinho's infamous 'Mickey Mouse' jibe.
The Portuguese coach levelled the insult at Albion defender Jonas Olsson as tempers ran high following a controversial 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge last season.
West Brom had been on course for a shock 2-1 win over the Blues until a hotly-debated penalty in added time denied them. Matters boiled over in the tunnel at full-time, prompting Mourinho to make his alleged put-down.
Irvine, who took over as head coach at The Hawthorns this season, insists the matter is firmly in the past and believes his players will already be sufficiently motivated for Saturday's clash.
"The Mickey Mouse thing hasn't been mentioned by any of the players but one or two members of staff have mentioned it, more as a story than anything else," he said.
"Things happen and things are said in the heat of the moment. We aren't a Mickey Mouse club.
"We're a club that are run extremely well, a club that have fantastic support and you can't be a Premier League club and be a Mickey Mouse club.
"I don't see an awful lot in it. People say and do things in the heat of the moment and perhaps regret them later.
"The lads don't need to motivate themselves in any other way because of the magnitude of the game.
"It's a game they should all be looking forward to.
"When you're a young lad and you dream of being a professional footballer you dream of playing in the biggest games and this is a really big game for us."
Former Everton assistant manager Irvine has demanded his side attack Chelsea instead of 'parking the bus'.
"We can't be passive," he said. "If we sit back and let them have the ball and try to soak up pressure for 90 minutes then eventually they will open us up.
"If you sit back and don't take the opportunities to put them under pressure with and without the ball eventually they will probably win."
