Pardew’s learning fast about the size of task ahead
ALAN Pardew must be wondering what he has let himself in for. Opening games against Crystal Palace and Swansea gave the new Albion head coach the perfect opportunity to get off to a flying start.
Instead, a disappointing draw and morale-sapping defeat have quickly ended any hopes of a ‘bounce’ often associated with the appointment of a new boss.
Make no mistake, it’s not Pardew’s fault Albion lost 1-0 to previous basement boys Swansea at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday. He’s only been at the club a week.
He started with three strikers in an attempt to take the game to the struggling Welsh outfit and made positive substitutions when it was going to plan.
He even said after the game: “I played every attacker I had available.’’ Sadly, it wasn’t enough.
Pardew might not have got off to the flying start he would have wanted, but neither did David Moyes at West Ham – and look what happened to him at the weekend!
A Hammers win against Chelsea was the last thing anyone expected, which just shows how unpredictable the Premier League can be at times.
Given time, Pardew should be able to create a free-flowing side who can attack, entertain and get the necessary results to lift them away from relegation bother.
In spells at Swansea there were positive signs. Albion played some exciting counter-attacking football but those moments were few and far between.
The so-called easier games have passed Albion by with very little return and there’s a genuine worry a relegation battle is on the cards as Christmas approaches.
As it stands, all is not lost, but there is an almighty mission under way.
Pardew really has his work cut out with this group and needs his flair players back sooner rather than later.
James Morrison is not the longterm answer to Albion’s problems but they certainly play better with him in the team.
Nacer Chadli and Matt Phillips add pace and panache, while Oliver Burke needs to start showing what he’s made of.
The January transfer window could also be very important. If Jonny Evans leaves, as expected, Albion need to re-invest the money they receive for him in a solid replacement.
But they also need to freshen up the forward line. There’s no pace and the players look scared to take on their opponents.
Pardew isn’t scared to bump them up, though. He’s a positive-thinking manager who will pump ideas into them in the weeks ahead. Then it’s down to those who get the nod to deliver the goods.
Meanwhile, Pardew is ready to get into his players’ heads to halt their slide.
The boss, who replaced Tony Pulis last month, is trying some positive mind games.
“I’m the psychologist – I’ve told them and I’m sure they’ve got the message,” he said. “I can’t play, though, and your experienced players and younger players need to understand where the game how will we see it through.
“This group is intelligent enough to grasp that – and over the years this team’s been very good at it actually – it’s only in the last three months that they’ve found it a problem.
“I think it’s important you have a dialogue with players, try to know how they’re feeling and what emotions they’re going through in certain situations.
“It’s important to try to address certain players’ mistakes that they have made and not bury your head in the sand about it and ignore it – you might as well face it.” is and