The West Brom manager has been highly praised after guiding his team to promotion and then steering them into the top half in the early stages of the Barclays Premier League campaign.

The Baggies have also reached the Carling Cup quarter-finals, but former Chelsea and Italy midfielder Di Matteo is not kidding himself that the early achievements are any indication of what is to come later in the season.

And so rather than ponder his next step in management, as several of his Premier League counterparts battle to stay in their jobs, the former MK Dons boss is keeping his focus trained on the task in hand.

He knows there will always be speculation, but when asked about being linked to bigger clubs he said: "I don't read papers, in good times or bad times.

"It doesn't affect me at all. I have a job and I like my job and I need to win games. I'm going to try my best to win games.

"I can achieve my ambition by doing a great job. That's why I work very hard and prepare my team to the best of my knowledge and ability to win the next game.

"I'm not fussed by all the surroundings. I'm quite boring actually and simple in that way.

"I need to win games. That is my aim and my focus. Winning helps to keep the chairman off my back."

Di Matteo believes there is no special cause to be worried about his future.

Asked about his current deal at the Hawthorns, he said: "My contract situation is not an issue. I have a rolling contract. It suits everybody."

West Brom go to Blackpool on Monday for a meeting of clubs who climbed out of the Football League in the summer.

Like Blackpool manager Ian Holloway, Di Matteo has taken a positive approach to life in the top flight and considers that the only way to tackle the Premier League establishment.

A tremendous victory at Arsenal and a draw at Manchester United may have shocked most observers, but not Di Matteo, although he is careful to look at the bigger picture.

"We dont go into any game with fear. We have respect but no fear," the 40-year-old said.

"But if you want to do an analysis of the away games we've played so far you would have to include Chelsea and Liverpool.

"At Chelsea we got hammered [6-0 on the opening day of the season], at Liverpool we were probably unfortunate to lose but we lost.

"We went with the same attitude and mentality, at Arsenal we worked hard, at Manchester we worked hard. We try to go to win every game.

"We have a philosophy of how we want to win games. We do adjust it and adapt it a little bit, considering the opposition and the players we have available."