Why Alan Pardew Is A Worthy Candidate To Succeed Tony Pulis At West Bromwich Albion
Alan Pardew is emerging as a serious contender to take over at West Bromwich Albion, after the sacking of Tony Pulis. The Baggies took the decision to sack Tony Pulis after three years in charge on Monday and are now on the lookout for a new permanent successor to the Welshman.
Gary Megson is currently in charge at the Hawthorns in a caretaker role but ahead of such a busy winter schedule, West Brom’s board will undoubtedly look to appoint a new boss as soon as possible. They are said to be keen on appointing a manager with experience in the English top flight.
Pardew certainly fits the bill, as he has vast experience in the Premier League, after spells with West Ham, Charlton Athletic and Newcastle. The 56-year-old has been out of football since being fired by Crystal Palace last year and is keen to return to management. He has been working as a pundit for Sky Sports this season and admitted to being interested in returning to West Ham before David Moyes was appointed.
Any manager that takes over at West Brom will have a massive task at his hands. Results will be everything but the style of play is something of a bother amongst the Albion fans. Pulis’ uninspiring and lacklustre brand of football coupled with poor results plotted his downfall. With just two wins in 21 Premier League games stretching back to last season, and the club currently at 17th place in the table, Pulis’ sack was inevitable.
Now, West Brom are in dire need of fresh ideas and an attacking brand of football, to say the least. Given the current scenario and managers who are available with Premier League pedigree, Pardew holds the ability to steady the West Brom ship. He also enjoys a close relationship with current West Brom technical director Nick Hammond, having worked alongside him at Reading.
The appointment of Pardew for the short-term and the experience factor makes him a rational choice for the Baggies board. In his managerial career, after an initial spell with Reading, Pardew gained promotion with West Ham through the Championship play-offs and immediately led his side to a 9th place finish and the FA Cup final, which they lost to Liverpool on penalties.
He guided Newcastle to a 12th place finish in the 2010/11 campaign before leading the club to a 5th-placed finish, winning the Manager of the Season award in the process. After finishing 16th and then 10th in the next two campaigns, he left the Magpies to take the job at Palace.
Having taken over at Selhurst Park with the Eagles in the relegation zone, Pardew managed to guide them to a 10th place finish at the end of the term. A 15th place finish in the 2015/16 campaign was accompanied by an FA Cup Final appearance at Wembley, but Palace lost the final against Manchester United and the Englishman was sacked last year in December, with the Eagles at one place above relegation.
Pardew’s sacking at most of the clubs was not exactly down to his style, but the biggest reason is that his teams were underperforming. The fact that results weren’t going to get a lot better meant there was only one possible solution – fire Pardew.
Thus given his history, Pardew would be an enterprising appointment for West Brom. If he manages to repair the hapless Albion defence unlike Pulis, there is every possibility of the club avoiding the drop this season.