REDS TO THE FOUR INSISTS STEVE CLARKE

STEVE CLARKE believes Liverpool counterpart Brendan Rodgers is under pressure to secure a top-four finish this season – an outcome he and Kenny Dalglish had been confident of achieving.

Clarke, the former Liverpool assistant turned West Brom boss, faces new Reds manager Rodgers tomorrow at the Hawthorns in a typical quirk of fate in the fixture list on the opening day of the season.

Dalglish was axed in May after the Reds finished eighth – 17 points off a top-four spot – and, after initially staying on to hold the fort, Clarke has revealed for the first time that he was sacked too.

The Anfield hierarchy have insisted Rodgers is not under immediate pressure to deliver Champions League football, but Clarke is calling their bluff.

He said: “I don’t believe that. A club like Liverpool have to be challenging for the top four. I don’t think they can accept anything less.”

Clarke, appointed at the Hawthorns in June, launched a staunch defence of his time alongside Dalglish at Anfield.

“We didn’t quite get to where we wanted to be in the league but there were a number of factors in that,” he said.

 

“We were chasing two cups. Once the players realised they couldn’t get to the top four then they became a little disappointed in the league.”

Clarke added: “I actually got sacked by Liverpool. After they brought in Brendan, they must have decided to rejig the whole staff. That is part and parcel of football.

“But it’s now my first chance to be in charge of a team in the Premier League and that’s very exciting for me.”

James Morrison and Jonas Olsson are doubts for West Brom after picking up injuries on international duty, but Chris Brunt is winning his fitness battle following a calf problem.