West Brom are currently rock bottom of the Premier League table. Now current boss Alan Pardew cannot take all the blame for the Baggies demise this season.
However, when the Midlands club appointed the experienced boss, they were still in with a chance of escaping the drop. The Baggies are now seven points from safety, having won just three top-flight games all season.
Since Pardew’s appointment, the Midlander’s have won just once in his 13 Premier League games in charge. In truth, things could not get anyway worse for West Brom, especially after Taxi gate in Barcelona involving Boaz Myhill, Jake Livermore, Gareth Barry and Jonny Evans, supposedly experienced professionals.
Newspaper reports claim that Pardew has just two games to save his job. I have say, I very much doubt he has the managerial acumen to turn things around.
Ego is bigger than his managerial ability
I do not know Alan Pardew personally. However, from the interviews and word of mouth I get the impression that the 56-year-old has a massive ego and a cocky personality that usually comes with a big ego.
To be honest, Pardew has never done anything fantastic at any club. His biggest achievement in the top-flight was getting Newcastle to fifth-place in the Premier League table before it all fell apart in the north east.
It also all fell apart at Crystal Palace, despite Pardew being something of a cult hero from his playing days with the Eagles. His achievement have been nothing really that special.
Why West Brom thought he would be a good appointment, I am not sure. It seemed the majority of the fans were not happy with his appointment in the first place. He would not have been the first choice of most Baggies fans.
The same old managerial faces
Pardew is one of those mediocre British bosses who just seem to get highly paid jobs, despite their failings at previous clubs. He is a mediocre boss, who somehow manages to get Premier League jobs.
Premier League clubs appoint these bosses because they are seen as a safe pair of hands. However, Pardew’s appointment has backfired badly and the team looks in major trouble.
Clubs like West Brom are scared to take a gamble with a younger or lower profile boss when it comes to appointments. It is seen as a gamble. However, Swansea took a slight gamble with the appointment of Portuguese boss Carlos Carvalhal. That has not turned out too badly for the Swans, whereas Pardew’s appointment has been disastrous.
Heading for the Championship
West Brom have been a good solid Premier League club and team for a while now. However, the Baggies are now odds of 4/11 to suffer relegation and Pardew has to take a huge slice of the blame for the drop, if indeed they suffer relegation.
Nothing the Baggies have produced in recent weeks suggests that they have the fight or quality to get out of their current situation. It looks like the Baggies could finally return to the Championship in the near future.
If Alan Pardew does somehow save the Baggies from relegation, then it will only be the boss making up for the damage that he is partly responsible for in the first place. I will eat a bit of humble pie if that does happen.
However, I believe the more likely scenario is that Pardew leaves the Midlands club in the next few weeks. Then it will probably be too late for the Baggies to save themselves and they will suffer relegation.
In typical Pardew fashion, he will probably then manage to talk his way into another Premier League job. It would be frankly bemusing if he did. However, for some bizarre reason, English top-flight clubs believe he has something to offer, other than failure.
