Football
PA Sport 6y

Tony Pulis would 'understand' if he was sacked by West Bromwich Albion

Under-pressure West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis has said he would understand it if he got the sack.

West Brom have won just four of their last 25 games in a run stretching back to last season, and face Premier League champions Chelsea at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

They are winless in their last 10 outings, having claimed victories in their first three matches, and sit a point above the relegation zone with Chinese owner Guochuan Lai flying over to watch this weekend.

Pulis has been in charge since January 2015 but said at a news conference that if the axe came it would not be unfair.

"No, not at all," he said. "If the club decide what they decide, I've got great respect for the football club, the supporters, the chairman, the board -- it's just life. It's the way it is. If you don't get results, you're under pressure.

"I understand the more you give, the more people want. We brought in a lot of good players, players we hoped would gel straight away, and we've been unfortunate.

"[Nacer] Chadli, [James] Morrison and [Oliver] Burke are all players who can create and score and we've not had them.

"Like every team, if you don't have your best players, especially at the top end of the pitch, you're going to struggle.

"People say the football's been boring but the last two games at The Hawthorns have seen nine goals scored.

"People tell me we're this, that and the other. Look at the league -- there are four or five teams who have scored fewer goals than us.

"And one of those teams is my hometown club Bournemouth and everyone tells me what great football Bournemouth play and Eddie [Howe] has done a fantastic job down there."

Pulis has often spoken of his frustration at not having a full squad at his disposal, which he believes explains their recent struggles and why fans have called for his head of late. But, despite having said he would understand if he was sacked, he hinted the Baggies would find it hard to replace him with a better manager.

"If I left tomorrow I'd put my record on the table and put it in front of anybody and see what they think of what I've done here in three years," he said. "Yes we're on a bad run and everything is determined by the next game.

"No one ever looks back and sees there was [Georgios] Samaras, [Silvestre] Varela, [Sebastien] Pocognoli, [Cristian] Gamboa -- 11 players were bought that summer [2014, before his appointment the following January] and not one made a profit.

"I'm an experienced person and not a young boy. At times if you're a young man and you're fighting through something you're never going to get through, then you don't see anything else. But I know the game, I know the score."

Pulis is without midfield duo Chadli and Morrison, the former having picked up a hip injury after international duty and the latter having undergone Achilles surgery.

The manager added: "James won't play for the foreseeable future. We're very, very disappointed that Chadli has come back after playing two games for Belgium and has ended up getting an injury in training."

^ Back to Top ^