West Brom pulled a blinder with signing that Tony Mowbray called a “model pro” | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion pulled off the excellent signing of Robert Koren, who was much appreciated by Tony Mowbray.

For three-and-a-half seasons, Slovenia international Robert Koren was an integral part of West Bromwich Albion’s squad, as the Baggies bounced around from the Championship to the Premier League.

Having joined from Lillestrom in the January transfer window of 2007 on a free transfer, with Albion pushing for promotion to the second-tier, there was little fanfare about his arrival, as more of an unknown quantity.

However, he immediately made an impact in the Midlands and became a fulcrum of the side for the next few years, earning plaudits from managers and supporters as he established himself as a fans’ favourite.

An unheard of acquisition at the time whilst still in the Championship, Koren went on to play just shy of 150 games across all competitions for West Brom, and is remembered fondly by Albion fans to this day.

Koren was a “model pro” at West Brom

Upon joining, the Slovenian midfielder almost instantly became a starter and a key man for Tony Mowbray’s side as they finished fourth in the second-tier in the 2006/07 season, with Koren scoring his first goal for the club in a 7-0 demolition of Barnsley on the final day.

Then, he stepped up in the big moments, too, with a couple of excellent performances against West Brom’s arch-Black Country-rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the play-off semi-finals, with Koren providing the assist for Kevin Phillips’ 65th-minute winner in the second-leg at The Hawthorns, to complete a 4-2 aggregate victory.

He again played very well in the final, too, creating a couple of chances for West Brom to equalise, but they eventually succumbed to a slender 1-0 loss to Derby County in the first play-off final at the new Wembley Stadium.

Despite that disappointment, Koren remained a key man for the Baggies, and it was perhaps an ideal opening few months to his time with the club, as he not only settled but thrived, and was able to head into the next campaign with six months of successful English football under his belt.

That will only have helped him in his second campaign as he starred under Mowbray, with West Brom winning promotion to the Premier League as title winners.

From midfield, Koren notched nine goals in 40 Championship appearances, and also scored in the FA Cup as the Baggies reached the semi-finals, only to lose by a goal to nil at Wembley Stadium against eventual winners Portsmouth.

He missed the start of that season due to an eye injury, but his performances throughout - especially immediately after returning from the injury - earned him wide rave reviews, and especially from his manager Mowbray, who described him as a “model pro”:

Mowbray said: "He epitomises what a good pro is. He trains how you want him to play. Robert also brings versatility to our squad. Whatever role you ask him to perform, he applies himself 100 per cent."

Koren continued to show quality in the Premier League

As they returned to the Premier League for the 2008/09 campaign, West Brom lacked quality around the park and eventually succumbed to a fairly humbling relegation.

They finished rock-bottom, but did finish just three points off safety despite collecting just 32 points, with a couple of victories at the back end of the campaign, against Sunderland and Wigan Athletic, showing some signs of life.

Koren made the most appearances of any outfielder for the Baggies that season and their relegation was put down to it being in spite of his quality and endeavour.

As Koren starred in Slovenia’s qualification campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in the autumn of 2009, he picked up where he left off in the Championship, albeit not necessarily always a guaranteed starter this time around.

He still played a key role with 26 starts and eight substitute appearances as they again gained automatic promotion back to the top-flight, and his brace against play-off chasing Leicester City in early-April in a 3-0 win stands out as crucial for the Baggies, who finished the season without a defeat in their final 12 matches.

The summer of 2010 saw Koren represent Slovenia in South Africa and also end his time with West Brom, moving on to Hull City, where he would again become a fans’ favourite for the Tigers.

Having been an unheralded and unknown addition to their promotion chasing squad in 2007, Koren went on to establish himself as a key man for West Brom, and provided some memorable moments in some very memorable campaigns for Albion supporters.