Kanu: we need to gamble for our future

Kanu believes it is finally time for West Brom to enter the risk business if the club are to retain their Premiership status this season.

Kanu believes it is finally time for West Brom to enter the risk business if the club are to retain their Premiership status this season.

The Baggies made it three consecutive draws with last night's goalless encounter with Newcastle at The Hawthorns, but remain rooted to the foot of the table and are now five points adrift of safety.

Boss Bryan Robson was at least able to savour his side's first clean sheet since his appointment in mid-November, and he believes he now has a platform on which to build a survival bid, which may be strengthened this week with the signing of Argentina midfielder Matias Almeyda on a free transfer from Brescia.

But it is victories that are now required if Albion are to mount their climb out of the relegation zone, and with just 16 matches remaining, Kanu feels risks have to be taken.

"The confidence is coming back into the team and we have this mentality that instead of losing, we don't think we are going to get beat," said Kanu.

"If we keep on thinking like that then we will win games. But we have to start turning the draws into wins because although the draws are good, they're not good enough. We know that.

"We know there are many games we could have won this season, and that's what has made it so disappointing, particularly as we have given goals away in the dying minutes.

"So every game now, we are not going to sit back and wait for teams to come at us. They will be open, we will have to take a risk and see what we can come up with.

"If we are to survive then we have to take risks. That's our only hope. It's not that we have to take risks and open up at the back, but if we are to win then we have to take risks.

"We can't afford to have a mentality where we sit back and are happy with a point. A point is no good in the Premiership. You have to win, so we will have to go on and try and win."

The next five league matches would appear to hold the key to Albion's salvation hopes because they face the four teams currently directly above them in Fulham, Crystal Palace, Norwich and Southampton, while they also host 10th-placed Manchester City.