Olsson: We're not soft

Published Sep. 9, 2010 3:15 p.m. ET

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Tony Mowbray's Baggies side finished bottom of the table two years ago, with the worst defensive record in the league. And Olsson, whose assured performance against Liverpool has earned him plenty of praise, said the team are still stereotyped by opponents. "I think that the general opinion on West Brom is that we can play football but we're a bit soft," he said. "I think that bringing in players like Paul (Scharner) will hopefully make that picture a bit different for some other teams. "We can play good football, which we've shown in the last few years, but I think the players are more experienced and we've brought in some signings that have experience as well. "Sometimes in games you have to kick the ball into the stands or be a little bit more clever. I think in that way we're stronger now." Roberto Di Matteo, who joined the club after Mowbray left for Celtic, said that this frailty was something that he has tried to tackle. He said: "We obviously knew about that reputation and we are trying to change the way other clubs perceive us. "We have recruited a few players that probably bring a tougher touch to us and a bit of physicality." West Brom were hammered 6-0 by Chelsea on the opening day of the season. But the Baggies bounced back, beating Sunderland at home and then going down 1-0 at Liverpool in a match that they could easily have drawn. Olsson revealed the Stamford Bridge drubbing shocked the team into action. He said: "Sometimes it's better to lose 6-0 than to lose 1-0, because you know there's going to be a reaction. "We showed the reaction against Sunderland and Liverpool." The Swedish defender is hoping the team will take the positives from Anfield into Saturday's game against Tottenham. He said: "We know we're going to lose some games this year, but it's about bouncing back as quickly as possible. "You can moan and whine about it for one or two days, but then you have to get on with it."