Under-fire Pulis refuses to argue against West Brom sacking him
Tony Pulis has built a career on being a fighter, but he sounded like a beaten man after watching West Bromwich Albion fall to a humiliating fourth successive Premier League defeat that left him on the brink of the sack.
With the club’s Chinese owner, Guochuan Lai, in the stands, the home fans could not have made their feelings any clearer as they worked their way through a list of “Pulis out” chants that increased in volume after each goal.
Pulis chose not to argue against the calls for his head and admitted that West Brom chairman John Williams had spoken to him in the dressingroom following the latest loss, but would not reveal what was said.
It seems like a question of when and not if the axe falls.
“What is the right decision for the football club, that’s the most important thing,” said Pulis. “It’s not about me, the chairman or the owner. This club will be here long after I have gone.
“I have been in the game long enough to know what happens if you get on a bad run, and a decision has to be made that is right for the club.”
Pulis travelled straight down to Bournemouth to meet friends on Saturday night, and added: “I met with the owner last night [Friday] and he is a really good person. John came in the dressing-room after the game, but what we spoke about will remain private. We will see what happens.”
Pulis had used his programme notes to try to remind the West Brom fans, and possibly Lai, what he feels he has achieved during his time at the club.
But the only fact that mattered to the fans who chanted “Tony Pulis, get out of our club” was that this was an 11th game in all competitions without a victory. They want a change and they want it now.
West Brom’s difficulty is the fact that they first need somebody to get them out of a relegation scrap and Pulis would normally be considered the perfect man for that particular job.
Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto di Matteo were both sacked by Chelsea following defeats to West Brom, but current head coach Antonio Conte must love a trip to the Black Country.
Conte’s Chelsea team clinched the Premier League title at the Hawthorns in May thanks to a last-gasp goal from Michy Batshuayi, but this game was over after just 38 minutes.
Having started brightly, the home side collapsed once they went behind in the 17th minute to an Alvaro Morata goal. Eden Hazard’s shot was well saved by Ben Foster and Chelsea’s record signing reacted quickest to steer the ball into the net.
Hazard celebrated the goal by going to the home fans, who had accused him of feigning injury a few minutes earlier.
The Belgian got his ultimate revenge by finishing off a wonderful move to double Chelsea’s lead shortly afterwards. A Cesc Fabregas pass was beautifully flicked through by Morata and Hazard beat Foster to the ball to score.
The assist was the 12th Premier League goal Morata had been involved in since arriving in the summer, scoring eight times and making four others.
Hearing the West Brom fans join the Chelsea travelling support in singing “You’re getting sacked in the morning” will have hurt Pulis – but not as much as the manner in which his team conceded a third before half-time.
Fabregas found Marcos Alonso completely unmarked at the back post with a free-kick and the left-back could not really miss. For a man who prides himself on set-piece organisation, that felt like game over for Pulis.
Alonso’s goal sparked chants of “Get out of our club” and “Tony Pulis, your football is s---, with boos ringing out around the Hawthorns when the halftime whistle went.
Needing a miracle to get his team back into the match, Pulis sent on defensive midfielder Claudio Yacob for the second period but it was not long before things got even worse.
Foster managed to stop one Hazard shot with his legs, but the forward netted his second and Chelsea’s fourth goal just after the hour. Once again, it was far too easy.
Fabregas played a perfect pass over the West Brom midfield for Hazard, who held off Ahmed Hegazi and checked back before firing the ball into the net.
The goal sparked a mass exodus among the home fans and those who stayed attempted to reinforce their point to Lai by chanting “We want Pulis out”. It will be a surprise if they do not get their wish.
A comfortable win was the perfect preparation for a Champions League trip to Qarabag for Chelsea, but Conte is unhappy with the fixture scheduling.
“We are going to play Qarabag and we will land at 5am or 6am on Thursday morning, and then we play a great game against Liverpool on Saturday,” said Conte. “Is it normal? I don’t think so. If someone wants more balance then they must pay great attention to the fixtures.”