A poll taken by supporters showed that he has the overwhelming support from the West Brom faithful, but he could do a lot more.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis before the match
Having finished their Premier League campaign in the top half, West Bromwich Albion fans – perhaps understandably – overwhelmingly backed manager Tony Pulis in a poll, with 81% of fans happy with his work, as reported by the Express and Star.
However, look a little deeper, and it’s quite surprising just how high that number is considering how things went for West Brom towards the end of the season, and even more so knowing that their shambolic collapse is an all too familiar sight.
West Bromwich Albion’s Nacer Chadli in action with Manchester City’s Leroy Sane
Incredibly, in the last nine Premier League seasons – Pulis has managed in all of them – as soon as his side, be it Stoke City, Crystal Palace or West Brom, has hit the magic 40 point mark, Pulis has won just six matches out of a possible 54.
It is a record that serves as a real blight on Pulis’ managerial achievements. He is notoriously strong at keeping sides up, but unable to push a side’s progress on into the top half of the table.
That was demonstrated again this season, as West Brom ultimately wound up finishing in 10th, despite the fact they were eight points clear of ninth with eight games to go, and were well on course to obliterate their previous highest points tally of 49.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis
Instead, the Baggies failed to win any of their last nine fixtures – meaning their last win came in mid-March – and didn’t really do much in the cups either, reaching the last 16 in the FA Cup and the third round of the League Cup. They finished on 45 points.
As a Baggies fan, it depends what way you look at it. On the one hand, the yo-yo days are gone and the club’s a steady Premier League club – which is everything they’d have wanted and more a few years ago, and Pulis deserves massive credit for that.
On the other hand however, the club clearly doesn’t have any real ambition while Pulis remains in charge, and if that record is anything to go by, fans can expect a similar end to their season next year. If that’s the case, then it’s very likely that the number of fans who approve of him will be significantly smaller in 12 months time.
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