I’M BETTING ON FULHAM FOR PROMOTION
FED-UP PARDEW READY TO DITCH OLD GUARD AND THROW IN KIDS
ALAN PARDEW has taken off the gloves at bottom club West Brom in a bid to shake the club’s “dysfunctional team” into life.
Rock-bottom Albion are cut adrift and appear doomed to the drop ahead of today’s trip to Bournemouth.
Pardew publicly criticised his players for giving up in a seventh successive loss – 4-1 at home to Leicester.
He has since fined midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak for swearing and snubbing his handshake when subbed.
It was the latest incident of Pardew’s stormy reign since Today Mar 31 Apr 7 Apr 14 Apr 21 Apr 28 May 5 May 13 he succeeded Tony Pulis (below) in late November.
He is battling playerunrest but has pledged to pull no punches to kick-start the club’s unlikely survival bid.
Pardew assessed: “Sometimes with a dysfunctional team it doesn’t quite work out. But we’ve got to show fight.
“I was critical of them last week because the last 20 minutes was very uncomfortable, watching one of my teams not being focused and not fighting to the end. “There were a few players last weekend who I genuinely felt should have done a lot better. I’m not in the process of putting kid gloves on and trying to protect them – it’s about facing the reality of where we are.
“It’s basically about players performing and we’re getting into a period now where the senior players need to deliver. “Otherwise if we’re not in with a shout of staying up then I need to start looking at the future and maybe a few younger players.” Pardew Today Bournemouth (a) PL Mar 31 Burnley (h) PL
Apr 7 Swansea (h) PL
Apr 15 Man Utd (a) PL
Apr 22 Liverpool (h) PL
Apr 28 Newcastle (a) PL May 5 Tottenham (h) PL May 13 Palace (a) PL laid down the law this week with Krychowiak despite the Pole apologising for his reaction when subbed.
Krychowiak, 28, refused to shake Pardew’s hand when he was brought off and Sam Field, 19, sent on in the 59th minute at 1-1.
It infuriated Pardew who publicly slammed Krychowiak, who earns £100,000-a-week on loan from Paris Saint-germain.
Pardew added: “Grzegorz has apologised to me on Tuesday and to my staff, which is unusual. I said to him sometimes an apology is not enough so I have fined him.” The club disciplined Gareth Barry, Jonny Evans, Boaz Myhill and Jake Livermore for breaking a curfew at a training camp in Spain in February and allegedly stealing a taxi.
Pardew held frank talks with Albion’s new CEO Mark Jenkins amid continued uncertainty over his future.
Albion want Pardew to soldier on until July 1 when his £2million-a-year pay will half in the Championship if they go down so they will save £1m if they sack him on a pay-off of 12 months’ money. MARCUS BETTINELLI is boldly backing Fulham to win all their remaining games and achieve automatic promotion.
The in-form Cottagers are unbeaten this year. Their charge up the table mirrors last season’s storming late run, which ended in play-off heartache.
But the keeper (above) believes his team-mates have not left their charge too late as they look to go one better.
Fulham can close the gap to five points on second-placed Cardiff, who play tomorrow, with a west London derby win over QPR today.
Bettinelli said: “We are only thinking of the top two. Although we know it’s going to be tough as Cardiff are currently in that spot and are a good side, it’s very much achievable.
“We know we are in a good place and we fancy ourselves in every game with the way we are playing.” Championship: Bramall Lane, 3pm