Club captain Jake Livermore says the spirit in camp is “amazing” ahead of the start of the Sky Bet Championship campaign.
The Baggies visit AFC Bournemouth on Friday for their opening game, targeting three points on the night and a swift return to the top flight come May.
Livermore, who is set for his sixth season at The Hawthorns, believes morale within the squad has never been too much of an issue despite relegation from the Premier League last term.
And Jake believes the Baggies have all the right credentials to make the 2021/22 campaign a successful one.
He said: “The season feels like it’s come around very quickly because I’m ready and raring to go.
“It’s been an enjoyable pre-season with some good games against some different teams, and everyone’s ready to start.
“The target for me and all the boys is promotion. We need promotion and anything short of that will be disappointing, but with the players we have here and the added guidance of the manager and his staff, I feel we can achieve our aim.
“We feel good. The message from Val is clear and knowing what he wants and the responsibilities he expects us to carry out, I think it gives us a nice platform to build on and we can’t ask for much more than that.
“He sets really high standards and it’s good that we keep reiterating that because we have quality players in this squad and it’s just about putting that altogether with a system which works best for us.
“The spirit of this group has never been in question. The spirit is amazing.
“Every game this season is going to be tough and every team will pose a challenge for one reason or another. Bournemouth will be no different.
“We need to take points from every game and Friday will be a great game to kick us off.”
