LIVID PULIS OFFERS NO DEFENCE

TONY PULIS hit out at West Brom’s shambolic defending after their defeat to Swansea. Jonny Evans’ first-half header had given the Baggies the lead at the Liberty Stadium. But slack marking allowed Jordan Ayew to level in the second half and Fernando Llorente’s late header – his 15th of the season – sent the visitors to defeat. Pulis (above) said: “It’s disappointing. The final games of this season have highlighted the fact we need to be much better in the most important areas of the pitch. “We had our chances to win the game in the first half and their first goal is a third division goal. “Our marking is absolutely shocking. We have been leading games this year and, if we had been more stubborn, would have won or even drawn some of those matches.” West Brom’s final-day defeat saw them finish the season in 10th place. After a strong start to the campaign, Pulis’ men have struggled since Christmas. They once again failed to hold on to a lead as the Swans came roaring back to make the most of their opponents’ mistakes. The Baggies weren’t helped by Salomon Rondon missing a gilt-edged second-half chance. After shrugging off Federico Fernandez, the striker dawdled and Leon Britton recovered to block his shot. It proved a costly miss as Ayew and then Llorente hit back. “The opportunities were there to put the game to bed,” added Pulis. “Even if you are not creating chances and you go 1-0 up, I expect my team to be able to defend a lead. “To finish 10th with the smallest squad in the Premier League is still a fantastic achievement. But the biggest disappointment is that we had the chance to finish eighth. “I know that sounds greedy, but I wanted it for the players.”