Lord of the Dance
Steven Reid considers coaching role after release by West Brom
Sport

Steven Reid considers coaching role after release by West Brom

STEVEN Reid will decide whether to continue his playing career or move into coaching, after receiving several offers following his release by West Brom.

The former Ireland international’s four year spell at The Hawthorns ended on Monday, with West Brom failing to renew his contract.

The club have instead offered Reid, who has achieved 23 caps, a coaching role with their academy team as an option for the future.

He also has the opportunity to continue playing, with keen interest from both newly-promoted Burnley and Wigan.

Reid established a good relationship with Burnley manager Sean Dyche when the pair were teammates at Millwall.

The midfielder also reflected on a season threatened by relegation, with West Brom only narrowly escaping a move down from the top flight at the close of the campaign.

"We are talking about a horrible season," said Reid. "It should have been so much better.

"We held Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham home and away, beat Manchester United and drew with Arsenal and Liverpool. And yet we nearly went down.

"As someone who has been in the top flight for so long, the thought of being in a relegated side horrified me because I am the type of person who would have remembered this one bad year rather than my 11 good Premier League seasons.

"That's just my make-up. I am a deep thinker – something that has been my greatest friend but also my worst enemy. It got me back from two career-threatening injuries – that ability to think things through and prove people wrong.

"The last four months have been so tough. It mattered desperately to me that we stayed up. I worked hard to get to play at the top level and then to overcome my knee problem.

"The pressure in the last month has been the worst I have ever known.

"I have played in the World Cup but nothing is as intense as playing a game where you know a defeat might send you nearer the drop zone."