The Chris Lepkowski Column: West Brom managerial appointment is no shock
Jul 1 2009 by Chris Lepkowski
Irvine was highly spoken of but didnt convince Albion, which left Di Matteo, although we must not necessarily assume that he was the last man standing.
He impressed during his interview. He blew our socks off was how one source put it. Those close to the MK Dons club claim hes thoughtful and his sides like to attack. He seems to be an attacking 4-5-1 man, whose teams include a holding midfielder and a couple of wide men. Now where have we seen that recently? Its not necessarily all about passing, attacking play. Unlike Tony Mowbray he appreciates the times where games need to be killed off, rather than opened out.
Fans wont see a ranter on the touchline. When the MK Dons were involved in their play-off semi-final shoot out defeat to Scunthorpe, the 39-year-old was calm, controlled. There were few outbursts of emotion.
The very name itself - that of a man who became a hero at Chelsea, won 34 Italian caps, trophies in Italy and scored in two English FA Cup finals - ensures a spot of kudos for Albion. He was forced to retire at 31 due to a leg injury and turned his attention to coaching.
As recently as three weeks ago he was shortlisted for a job at Swiss club and Europa League qualifiers Basel, only to be denied because he had yet to acquire the remaining coaching badge needing for European competition, which hes currently working towards.
It is a step into the unknown for Albion. Its a gamble which could backfire and, if it does, then inevitable questions will be asked of the chairman for his decision to appoint Di Matteo.
But those are for another day and may never even get asked.
Hes inexperienced, no doubt, but then so was Roy Keane when he took Sunderland up. And Di Matteo already has the players at Albion to work towards a similar goal.
His first task will be to restore a winning mentality.
Signing players and convincing some of the current squad to stay might just have got a little easier given the personality involved. And you suspect his contacts book wont be too bad either.
Think about this before you pass judgement - its not necessarily a bad appointment.
Albions profile is back on the rise and without a ball being kicked.
