Report: Key WBA figure tells star players to ‘forget’ this result and to ‘bounce back’ from it

Slaven Bilic has sent a rallying cry to his West Brom squad following their shock 1-0 loss to Wigan Athletic on the weekend which allowed Leeds United to gain ground on the Baggies.

Speaking to The Express and Star, the Croatian manager urged his players to forget about the result on Saturday which has again changed the landscape of the top half of the Championship table, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side now just a point behind West Brom in the standings.

West Brom’s form is seemingly looking likely to take another wobble with the Baggies losing to a side near the pits of the Championship table, but Bilic is seemingly adamant that their fortunes will again turn for the better once a number of first-team players have had a rest, with the Albion playing seven games in February in all competitions.

Are West Brom going to bottle their position in the top-two? Yes Vote No Vote

The former West Ham boss said: “We haven’t had many off days. I told that to the guys after, you can imagine the dressing room was very flat and silent. But I told them there is no time to be down or to be doubting yourself. No, no, no. I want to see happy faces on the training ground and everyone determined to do what we have to do. We can’t say ‘okay’, of course not – it was a great opportunity. But forget it, bounce back. Don’t doubt anything. In the coming weeks, we have to show quality, energy, character. We have to.”

The race for automatic promotion in the Championship is one of the tightest and most intense in European football, and Bilic is seemingly aware of the challenges that lay ahead of him when it comes to getting West Brom past the finishing line and back into the Premier League after two years away from the English top-flight.

West Brom have, for the most part, been the best team in the Championship this season, and although this weekend has proven to be another stumbling block in a long and torrid campaign, Bilic knows how to ride this storm out, and the Baggies will seemingly come out the other end unscathed once their key players receive their well-deserved rest.