Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Axe Pulis & it could go from Bag to worse
FORMER ALBION No.2 GIVES WARNING OVER CALLS TO SACK THE HAWTHORNS BOSS
TONY PULIS’ long-term ally Dave Kemp has warned West Brom that axing the Welshman could backfire.
Pulis is under huge pressure at the Hawthorns after two wins in 20 Premier League games dating back to April.
A 1-0 loss at 10-man promoted Huddersfield just before the international break saw
Albion fans turn on Pulis.
It has left the Baggies
16th, just one point above the drop zone ahead of champions
Chelsea’s visit today.
Right-hand man
Kemp, 64, worked with
Pulis (right) for more than a decade at four clubs until retiring in July when Gary Megson succeeded him as No.2. They never experienced a relegation and he says axing Pulis would be a huge gamble.
Kemp said: “People are assuming everything is going to get better if they make a change, but they might be in for a shock. He would be hard to replace – he is a top Premier League manager.
“If they have had enough of him then fine, but who are you going to get who is going to do better?
“I am sure if left alone, he will sail the ship in calmer waters and everything will be fine. We moved the club forwards and you would hope it will continue doing that.
“It is just a bump in the road if they leave things as they are. It is a cycle, there will be good games coming up soon. Who is to say they don’t beat Chelsea on Saturday in a great game?” Pulis and Kemp’s feats include taking Stoke into the top flight and Europe via the FA Cup Final. They also kept Crystal Palace up against the odds in 2014 when Pulis was named Manager of the Year. Then they saved Albion in 2015 before coming 14th and then 10th last term.
But Pulis recently said managers’ “shelf-lives” are getting shorter in the face of increasingly demanding fans.
Kemp, now living in the US, said: “He is a big boy, he can take criticism.
“His attitude would probably be similar to mine at the moment in that if they have had enough, fine. But if they want him to carry on, he will.
“Fans today, they all think they should be doing better than they are.
“But West Brom are in a much healthier position now for him.”
Fans have emailed the club to complain about Pulis and moaned about him going to Barbados in the international break. Kemp responded: “That is ridiculous. You do need a break, it is a very stressful job.”