PARDEW HOPES HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF IN DROP BATTLE
By PAUL SUART
ALBION fans will hope Alan Pardew’s history can repeat itself in the club’s fight for Premier League survival.
There’s a certain sense of symmetry between the Baggies’ plight and that of Crystal Palace three years ago.
In both instances, Pardew was appointed as the man to provide a quick fix with the two teams languishing near the foot of the table.
An FA Cup third-round win against lower-league opposition (Dover Athletic) in January 2015 kickstarted Palace’s resurgence under Pardew.
The Eagles won four games on the spin as they set off on a sequence of results that saw them climb away from the relegation zone.
Might Albion’s cup win over Exeter City provide a similar catalyst for Pardew’s Baggies?
His first Premier League win as Albion boss was long overdue, but will give the players belief they can drag themselves away from danger.
On the face of it, the 2-0 victory over Brighton at The Hawthorns on Saturday was achieved in a manner not unlike the wins Pardew’s predecessor Tony Pulis used to fashion.
Two goals, both from set-plays, and few scares at the other end where Albion defended manfully and meticulously.
“This team historically, especially under Tony, has been very strong with set-plays,” Pardew admitted. “But in the last six months it’s not been as strong.
“So we’ve put some new ideas in and changed it around a little bit, and also had players come back to us, particularly (Craig) Dawson, who’s a great threat. It was a great second goal.”
The hosts also conceded the lion’s share of possession, as was the norm under Pulis, but the shots count tells a very different story.
Albion registered 15 efforts, as is now the norm under Pardew, and fashioned any number of excellent openings that aren’t accounted for in the stats.
Pardew’s Albion are far more purposeful and positive and that approach might just start to be reflected in their results. He was quick to praise the fans for sticking with their team when, after 20 league games without a win, most would have given up the ghost.
The faithful were every inch the 12th man and wholeheartedly embraced the clappers left on their seats.
“The biggest highlight was the stadium,” Pardew said. “To be on the run we’re on, to have a stadium like that, we can count ourselves very fortunate.
“I thank them because it’s going to be massive going forward. If we can get a home crowd like that in the remaining games we’ll win enough. I like to think they’re an educated crowd and they’ve seen signs of it. But it’s no good seeing signs of it. We’ve got to win and we had to get the three points.
“There were a lot of facets to the game. Our work was reflected on the pitch and that’s how it should be.
“Work hard on the training ground and you get your reward on a Satur- day. They’ve done that for me and I’m really pleased for the players.”
The third game in Palace’s 2015 revival was a winning trip to the north-west. It’s Everton next for the Baggies. Can lightning strike thrice?
Meanwhile, Pardew has bolstered his backroom staff with the addition of Neil Cutler as new goalkeeping coach.
Cutler has left Walsall to return to the club where he started out as a trainee keeper in 1993.
The 41-year-old from Perton, Staffordshire, replaces Jonathan Gould, who left Albion earlier this month to rejoin former Baggies boss Pulis at Middlesbrough.
Cutler is a highly-regarded coach, despite never having made it as a player at the highest level. He failed to make a senior appearance for the Baggies before joining Crewe Alexandra in 1996.
He made a total of 234 appearances during his 12-year professional career.
A former England youth international, Cutler enjoyed coaching roles at Bury and Scunthorpe United before joining the Saddlers in May 2013.