Pardew close to sack after latest defeat
Alan Pardew, the West Bromwich Albion manager, was last night on the brink of losing his job after his side suffered their fifth successive Premier League defeat.
Troy Deeney’s late winner for Watford has left West Brom eight points adrift of safety at the foot of the table, and leaves Pardew clinging onto the job to which he was appointed at the end of November.
“People turn this into a personal situation,” Pardew said. “But this is about West Brom and not me. And if the consequences are that I lose my job, then that is what it is.”
Amid fears that Pardew’s relationship with his players had been irreparably damaged following an angry dressing room discussion last week, West Brom produced one of their better performances of his reign. But a series of missed opportunities and a defensive lapse cost them a point.
“I hope what we saw today will be enough,” Pardew said. “It is tough, we have nine games to play and there are still a lot of points to play for. If we can get a win that would change the dynamic. Today we can’t be frustrated with any of the performances.”
This was West Brom’s sixth consecutive defeat in all competitions, while Pardew has overseen just one victory in 15 league games in charge. West Brom have won three matches in 38 league games, dating back a year.
“I have no message for the board,” Pardew said. “I am employed to be the manager of this football club and I try to put out a team that has a chance of delivering the win. It did not happen today, but it was not for the want of trying. It is a tough business.”