Pulis: No extra heat after summer spree
TONY Pulis insists he feels no extra pressure having been backed by the Albion board with a club-record budget during the summer transfer window.
Irate fans called for the manager’s head after the dismal defeat at Southampton extended West Bromwich Albion‘s winless run to eight games in all competitions.
The result leaves the Baggies peering nervously over their shoulder just two points above the bottom three.
West Brom are yet to click despite having splashed out an unprecedented £36.75 million on five permanent transfers and a loan fee.
Another £5 million was committed to cover the wages of Polish star Grzegorz Krychowiak, who signed on a season-long loan from Paris Saint Germain in August.
Craig Shakespeare and Ronald Koeman lost their jobs after Leicester City and Everton respectively made poor starts to the season hav- ing spent big in the summer. But Pulis does not feel Albion’s summer expenditure has ramped up heat on him from owner Guochuan Lai or chairman John Williams, who was at St Mary’s on Saturday.
“I don’t think it’s spending money,” he said. “I think you have to spend money and try to improve.
“It’s just about getting the right players in and getting the right balance within the group and the team and results are everything.
“It’s a results-based industry and, irrespective of what you spend or don’t spend, people take a view on the results you’re getting.
“Outside the top six your results are going to fluctuate, you’re going to have real lows and real highs and that’s the way it is.
“It’s very rare that you have a whole season in calm waters and it’s how you react to those highs and lows that determine where you end up.”