NEW BAGGIES BOSS PARDEW TARGETS TROPHIES
LONDON: New West Bromwich Albion boss Alan Pardew (pic) set his sights on winning silverware after first addressing the immediate priority of pulling the Chineseowned club away from the English Premier League danger zone.
The former West Ham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace manager has agreed a two-and-ahalf-year contract at the Midlands club, languishing just two points above the relegation places before the latest round of fixtures.
As the season nears its halfway stage, fellow Premier League strugglers Everton were set to appoint former England coach Sam Allardyce as their new boss.
West Brom sacked Tony Pulis last week after they went 10 Premier League games without a win – the fifth managerial casualty in the English top flight this season.
Pardew, who took Crystal Palace to the FA Cup final in May 2016, has not managed since being sacked by the Selhurst Park club just seven months later but he returned in bullish mood.
“My best teams play on the front foot and try and put teams under pressure,” said Pardew.
“Sometimes they get a bloody nose doing that and that’s what I’ll deliver here at West Brom.
“The immediate concern is to halt this run, get some points on the board and get ourselves in a position where we can try to attack the top 10 if possible.”
The 56-year-old, who is adding his former assistant at Newcastle, John Carver, to his backroom staff at the Hawthorns, had widely been expected to be named Albion’s new manager and he takes over with the club winless in their past 12 Premier League games.
Pardew said his immediate concern was to halt the club’s wretched run but ultimately he is aiming higher than mere Premier League survival.
“I think the most important thing is, and it’s so difficult in the Premier League, to have ambitions to win the league, to win trophies, because you have six or seven clubs whose finances are way above the level that we’re working at.
“It’s very difficult to break,” he added.
“We almost did it of course with Palace in the FA Cup so you have to have those ambitions to try and win a trophy, as difficult as it is.”