English Premier League: West Brom vs Hull City

London: West Brom begin life after Steve Clarke with a home clash against Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Clarke was sacked on Saturday after Cardiff City consigned Albion to a fourth consecutive league defeat.

That result saw them drop to 16th in the Premier League and extended their winless run to six matches.

West Brom have won just once in all competitions since September and with just eight wins in 38 matches in 2013, Albion opted to relieve Clarke of his duties.

Caretaker head coach Keith Downing will take charge for the visit of Hull and he will be eager to mastermind an upturn in fortunes.

The Hawthorns outfit are just two points clear of the drop zone and defender Steven Reid has called on the club`s experienced players to take responsibility in a difficult period.

“There is a big group of us now who are over 30,” Reid told West Brom`s official website.

“I think we are going to play a big part as well. It`s important as experienced players you try and look after things in the dressing room a little bit.

“I think we`ve got a good enough group in terms of experience to see his difficult period through. As a dressing room, as staff and as players we all need to get together.

“We know what this squad is capable of – we finished eighth last season, our highest Premier League finish, and to be where we are now, yes we need to take responsibility.”

Downing can call on first-choice goalkeeper Ben Foster after the England international completed 45 minutes in an Under-21 match on Sunday following a spell on the sidelines with a foot injury.

Striker Victor Anichebe is likely to return from an illness, while Nicolas Anelka (groin) could also feature.

Hull are 12th in the Premier League table on the back of an excellent home record that has seen them concede just three goals in eight fixtures at the KC Stadium.

Goalkeeper Allan McGregor has been an inspired acquisition for manager Steve Bruce, while Curtis Davies and Ahmed El Mohamady have both starred this season.

Hull have struggled on their travels in their return to the top flight though, winning just once, and they have lost four of their last five games on the road.

The match could come too soon for Hull duo Stephen Quinn and Sone Aluko, who are battling hamstring and calf problems respectively, while Joe Dudgeon (knee) is not expected back until February.

The two sides have only played each other twice in the Premier League, with Hull winning 3-0 at The Hawthorns in October 2008 before a 2-2 draw in the return fixture.

Goal.com

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