Brunt welcomes fresh start

Chris Brunt: Baggies midfielder praises the impact of new coach Steve Clarke

West Brom winger Chris Brunt believes the arrival of new boss Steve Clarke will herald a fresh start for all the players in the first-team squad.

The former Liverpool assistant manager was appointed as the successor to Roy Hodgson who departed the Midlands club for the England post at the end of last term.

Clarke will become the fourth manager Brunt has played under during his time at The Hawthorns, and is well versed in the positive energy that accompanies a change at the top.

Opportunity

"There will be a lot of players looking to impress the new head coach, which is similar to last season because Roy was still relatively new to the club," Brunt told the club's official website.

"We have a few players who might have thought their chance at the club had passed, but they now have the opportunity to fight for a place in a team that a few months ago, they might not have got in."

As fate would have it, Clarke will face his old team Liverpool on the first day of the campaign.

And the Northern Ireland international has underlined the significance of garnering wins in their opening games to ease Clarke into his new role.

"It's important that we make things as easy as we can for the new head coach," he added.

"As players we are all pretty responsible for our actions as it is, but we need to ensure we get the head coach off to a good start."