Roberto Di Matteo suits West Brom's European blueprint

Jul 5 2009 by Robert Tanner, Sunday Mercury

“He will always have the final say and that is crucial.

“My role is to help the manager as much as possible. For example, I will field all the agents’ calls for the manager. That is so time consuming and there are so many pressures on the head coach or manager in the modern game at the top level.”

Ashworth, who was a professional player with Norwich City, said the club opted for their continental model after looking at how smaller clubs across Europe were able to compete every season with the heavyweights in their leagues. Chairman Jeremy Peace looked at the systems in place at clubs like Udinese of Italy and Ashworth has visited Villarreal of Spain to see if they can use a similar system to make Albion a force in English football without the need for a rich benefactor.

“The whole idea is to be able to punch above our weight,” he said.

“We haven’t unlimited funds and haven’t got an investor, like a lot of clubs in the Premier League do.

“We have to try and recruit properly, coach properly and develop players internally to compete with the teams at the top.

“I am still new to it. I have only been doing it for 18 months and I have a background in youth development.

“During that time I have been to five or six clubs on study visits. I have taken away different ideas about the role of a sporting director.

“I have been to Inter Milan and Villarreal, to see how it works and we believe it is the way forward.”

Ultimately, the key to the system is having the right man as head coach and Ashworth is convinced Di Matteo will prove to be a superb appointment.

Di Matteo has only one year’s experience as a manager at MK Dons, but Ashworth said they had seen enough from their performances to convince them the former Chelsea midfielder was the right man.

“They played good football and that was one of the things that attracted us to him,” he said.

“There would be very little point in someone coming in here and trying to play another way with the players we have got.

“We don’t want to be the kind of club that keeps changing managers and having to start from scratch every time.

“We want to adopt a club identity and Di Matteo fits our blueprint.”