New West Brom boss Alan Pardew is happy his first game in charge will be against Crystal Palace.
Palace manager Roy Hodgson is still thought of very warmly at Albion for guiding the club to 11th and 10th-place finishes with an attractive brand of football before taking the England job.
And Pardew is optimistic he will get a positive reaction from travelling fans for his history with the club as a player and manager.
"I hope I get a good reception because I always had a fantastic relationship with them," he said. "They're great fans and I will make a point of giving them a little wave.
"Roy did a really superb job here and I played against him. I have always admired him. He's a coach who has a great knowledge of the game and is an educated man on and off the pitch so you can't help but respect the guy.
"I think it's important for our fans that we have a positive stadium. That's definitely going to help us."
Pardew said he still respects Palace chairman Steve Parish even after being dismissed.
"He has a job to do and he made decisions that he felt were right for the club. Like the decisions I make with the team.
"He might have not necessarily agree with them but those decisions we both respected."
Source: tribalfootball.com