PARDEW D-DAY
Baggies boss gives in to player power
ALAN PARDEW is set to bow to player power at West Brom, in a last roll of the dice to keep his job, and stop Albion’s freefall towards relegation.
Pardew is on the brink at the Premier League basement club, who are seven points adrift, after a disastrous three-month reign.
The ex-West Ham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace boss has had a nightmare in The Hawthorns hotseat since replacing Tony Pulis in November.
He has won just once in 14 league games and is set to be sacked if the Baggies lose at Watford on Saturday.
Pardew, 56, has upset and frustrated Albion’s players with his uncompromising style and recent dogged 4-4-2 tactics.
It all boiled over in a dressingroom rant by veteran Chris Brunt, after their latest loss at home to promoted Huddersfield.
Brunt, who came off the bench, criticised boss Pardew after complaining Albion were predictably overrun by the Terriers’ five-man midfield.
But Mirror Sport understands long-serving creative ace Brunt is now in line for a recall to the starting line-up at Vicarage Road this weekend.
Pardew is expected to return to the 3-5-2 formation, which served Albion well in their best result under him, at Liverpool in the FA Cup.
The Baggies won 3-2 in the fourth round on January 27 and Brunt , who has assisted four of the club’s last six league goals, impressed.
It also saw Pardew (right) deploy a three-man central midfield, which gave veteran schemer Gareth Barry, 37, more protection in the engine room.
Ex-Manchester City and England ace Barry has been Albion’s best and most consistent player for most of the campaign. But he has drastically lost his form since being caught up in the club’s “Taxigate” scandal in Spain, for which he, Jonny Evans, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill apologised.
Albion’s squad were unhappy with Pardew for taking them to Barcelona on a three-night trip over Valentine’s Day.
The intended winter break has done nothing to stop the rot, which has now stretched to five successive defeats in all competitions, as the Baggies boss has gone 4-4-2.
Members of the squad feel Pardew, an LMA manager of the year in 2012, has lost his touch, after just seven wins in his last 52 Premier League games with West Brom and Crystal Palace.
He believes the Baggies are suffering from a long-term malaise, which set in 12 months ago, long before he joined. Albion finished last season with one win in 12 games then, this term, won just two league games before Pulis was axed.
Successor Pardew, under contract until 2020, has been trying to get Albion to be more positive and make them play on the front foot.
He has not been helped by a hamstring injury to new loan striker Daniel Sturridge, who they were pinning their hopes on.
But new CEO Mark Jenkins, recently back at The Hawthorns after chairman John Williams and chief executive Martin Goodman were sacked, is likely to wield the axe if Albion suffer another reverse this weekend.