West Brom boss Carlos Corberan turns to desk picture of grandfather when times get tough

West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan only needs to look at the picture on his desk when times get tough.When he does, he dusts himself down and reminds himself he is doing the job he loves.That's because the picture is of his grandfather, an extraordinary man, who went to work as an eight-year-old to provide for his family.The death of his own father meant he was the head of the house and expected to look after his mother and siblings.Later he would drive Carlos, at the time a young goalkeeper, to countless training camps and matches - using the time to share his wisdom and shape the values Carlos still holds today.

'King' Carlos is the name West Brom fans have given him but he sees himself far from royalty.He said: "I am a normal coach, I have to work very hard and that's what I try to do with myself and my players because this is my belief that we work hard and perform well."

There are currently three managers from Spain plying their trade in the West Midlands.

As well as Carlos Corberan at West Brom, Unai Emery is head coach of Aston Villa and Julen Lopetegui is manager of Wolves.

And Carlos has spoken about the strength of his fellow compatriots.

He said: "It's not happened many times that we are from the same country. I think both are top managers, I cannot put myself in the same level of them.

"Emery has achieved so much in his career especially with Seville and Villarreal, it's unbelievable and something of another level.

"Lopetegui has been the coach of the national team of Spain and he has been making amazing work across many seasons.

"I am starting my career as a manager, but of course only when you are from the same country you have a specific relation.

"In this case more with Emery than with Julen because we have more people that are connected in both, but of course they are two very good coaches that I try to learn from them."

Since coming into the West Brom fold, Carlos has spilt his time between being on the training ground and with his wife and son at home.

He said: "This is my life, they are two things that I love to have.

"My son is one-years-old and it's true that I don't have the memories that I would like to have with him, but at the same time this is what our job demands.

"We have a lot of responsibility with this work, we can affect the feelings of many people."

Prior to the break for the Qatar World Cup, Corberan saw a sharp turnaround in West Brom's form with three wins on the bounce.

After the conclusion of the tournament, the Baggies followed that up with a win over Sunderland and then went on to win four out of their next five games.

Carlos puts it down to hard work and says he is inspired by the values and strength of his late grandfather.

He is someone he has always looked up to, having a huge influence on his football career and his life.

He said: "It's true. I think that the values someone can have can get from the family are the most important values.

"I am lucky to have an amazing family. The positive is to develop as a person, to respect everyone to love the people that I work with.

"And to have a lot of humility and work very hard to achieve something that you want to achieve.

"For me that's the key. We do the things depending on the values that we have."

Carlos's grandfather passed away a couple of years ago, but the memory of him is vivid in the coach's mind.

Carlos's grandfather was a child when he lost his own father and he had to work hard to support his mother and siblings.

And the picture he has of him on his desk is what he turns to for inspiration, to remind him of his sacrifice when he feels the stresses and strains of the job.

He said: "When I was a child I was always travelling with him, he always made the sacrifice to help me become a professional goalkeeper.

"And in this moment car with him I receive some of the main values of my life.

"He was like a man when he was a child. So that has always reminded me that in some moments of your work you have responsibility.

"I have one picture of him in there (in my office) to remind me that I am doing what I love to do. I can put the heater on, I can put the air conditioning on and I cannot be more comfortable.

"Of course when you are a coach you have your problems, but I can only be pleased for the opportunities that I have had in my life and for the opportunity I have right now.

"So this picture helps me a lot, to never complain of the sacrifices that my life has, because these sacrifices are a pleasure at the same time.

"The sacrifices that he had to do when he was young were no pleasure. They were sacrifices that he always tried to avoid for me when I was a child.

"So you can only feel proud and respect your values, giving the best to you and giving the best to the next generation that have been in the family."