Baggies weighed down by top-flight start
Monday, 16 Jun 2008 11:47
Kevin Phillips will need his scoring boots in the Premier League
Championship success will be swiftly forgotten as West Bromwich Albion begin life in the Premier League with an opening day trip to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
And with Everton, Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United to follow, points could be hard to come by for the Baggies.
The recently-released fixture list shows the Championship winners rebounding from a nerve-wracking trip to Old Trafford with a so-called 'six-pointer' at probable fellow relegation candidates Hull City's KC Stadium and a midweek journey to face Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United.
A nightmarish November - with fixtures against Liverpool and Chelsea - grows easier with clashes against Stoke City and Wigan Athletic.
But the Black Country side will do well to pick up points over Christmas, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur set to test Tony Mowbray's men.
Staying in the top division could be a tough prospect and West Brom will do well to pick up points at home to Wigan and Liverpool before a final-day battle away to Blackburn Rovers.