West Brom given unexpected survival hope as Tim Sherwood delivers emphatic verdict

Follow us on Google Discover

West Bromwich Albion may be cut adrift at the bottom of the Premier League but all is not lost according to Tim Sherwood.

West Brom slipped to a 2-1 defeat in the relegation six-pointer against Huddersfield last time out, a result which left them rooted to the bottom of the table on 20 points with just 10 games remaining.

The club is in crisis on and off the pitch after the Barcelona debacle and ensuing fallout while Alan Pardew’s appointment failed to provide a “new manager bounce” the club hoped for after just one league win in 14 since he arrived at the Hawthorns.

The Baggies are seven adrift of safety and being increasingly tipped to drop down to the Championship 13 years after the club’s famous Great Escape in the 2004/5 season.

Pardew’s side are being written off by all and sundry.

But former Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood was surprisingly optimistic when he delivered an emphatic verdict on their chances when appearing as a guest on Sky Sports’ The Debate.

“No not at all, not at all,” Sherwood told The Debate when asked if West Brom faced an ‘impossible situation’.

“They need a win as soon as possible but they will get confidence from that and hopefully get the bounce that we talked about. I watched their game on January 13th against Brighton and they won 2-0 and that game I thought they played excellent… and I thought that was the turning point but it hasn’t materialised. They got a great result at Anfield in the FA Cup.

“I believe they’ve got a good blend there of experience and youth players and in (Salomon) Rondon and Hal Robson-Kanu I believe they’ve got goalscorers.

“I give them a chance, I really do and I think you have to believe, the players have to believe, because none of them want to play in the Championship, and you’ve got to fight right to the death.”

Quite what fans will make of Sherwood’s verdict remains to be seen, particularly as Rondon and Robson-Kanu only have six league goals between them all season.

But it is a rare bit of optimism in an otherwise gloomy season for the Hawthorns side.

If West Brom are going to survive, the next five games will be crucial.

The Baggies face Watford, Leicester City, Bournemouth, Burnley and Swansea City in consecutive games before a tough run-in which includes Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs.