Jonny: Taxi link not fare
® JONNY EVANS says his headline-grabbing taxi trip in Barcelona was not behind West Brom’s season going off the rails.
The Baggies skipper, along with team-mates Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill, landed themselves in hot water last month.
The quartet stole a taxi outside a fast-food chain at 5am during a training camp. West Brom have lost five successive games since then and the Premier League’s bottom team look destined for the drop.
Asked if it was a defining moment in a woeful season, Evans said: “I don’t think it has reflected anything on the pitch.
“People try and relate things that aren’t always relatable.
“But before we went to Barcelona and before the manager arranged the trip, I think we were bottom of the league.
“Our performances throughout the season haven’t been up to scratch. We haven’t got enough points on the board.”
Friendly
Despite the fallout from Barcelona, boss Alan Pardew decided not to axe the players involved.
The Northern Ireland star added: “It’s very difficult but it is important to keep your head and stay focused on your job on the pitch.
“We have quite a settled changing room and harmonious dressing room and we are all very friendly with each other.
“That has been a big positive for us. The place isn’t completely crumbling like things have been reported on the outside.”
Albion are 10 points from safety with seven games to play following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth.
But Evans is refusing to throw in the towel.
He said: “There were a few tears after the game at the weekend. Going into it there was a lot of hope and optimism we would get something from it and try to turn the season around – even at this late stage.
“We were upset. We were ahead and then the game swung in the last 15 minutes. It has been the story of our season and it’s hard to take sometimes.
“A lot of people have been writing us off and I understand with the position we are in, it will be very difficult to get out of. But it’s not like we have got to the point where we have accepted relegation.”