West Brom sit six****th in the Premier League table, with two wins from 11 games - and Tony Pulis has defended his managerial record.
"The big thing is with pressure and everything else, last year we were one result worse off than we are this year," the West Brom boss said.
"We stayed eighth more than any other position last year and ended up finishing 10th. It was only the third time in the club’s history that this club has finished 10th in the Premier League.
"It is only the second time since 1967 that this club has finished top midlands club.
"We have played kids in this group since I have come in for three years – they have made 89 appearances the youngsters. Again, nobody else has done that.
"The record goes on and on and on."
He has obviously done his homework for this presser and you can't argue with the 10th placed finish last year. But if you set your team up to play the way he does and don't get results you are open to criticism.
Also, 89 appearances from youngsters sounds a lot? Sam Field and Leko have played a handful of games each, who else am I missing?
He defends his record but he defends everything. He might be wrong on the 1967 thing as we finished third in the 70,s on the last game of the season. I am more than likely wrong but I cor be bothered to check.
The rest is just selective rubbish that can be counteracted with more damning stats.
Sick of the bloke's voice in all honesty.
1. Lovely, but to what end? Have we progressed during this window of opportunity? No, despite improvements to the squad you have single handily failed to utilise the resources at your disposal to optimum effect. Correction, any effect.
2. Whoopy fkn doo, not much in the way of competition was there really? You've been fortunate enough to be Albion boss when the Vile and the Dogheads have generally been truly woeful.
3. You have the best crop of youth at your disposal that we have had for many a year, as such you had a wonderful opportunity to freshen things up by playing the youngsters more. Many first team players were clearly stale over the final eight games of last season. You chose not to play the youngsters more and cited chasing seventh for not doing so. You then cited wanting to maintain eighth as further reason for not playing them as you didn't want to place them under too much pressure or expectation. That worked out well.
4. Only because you choose to keep on playing the same old tune, change the record Tony, you're becoming more boring than your 'tactics' which are only just about digestible when results go our way. On the whole I don't think we play as badly as many on this forum suggest, but then we don't play anywhere as well as you would have us believe either. The 'quality' and effectiveness of our displays should not be measured by how profligate our opponents are in front of goal.
In short get you finger out, stop talking sh ite and get on with the job that you're paid very handsomely to perform, as opposed to telling us all how lucky we are to have you.
Self praise is no praise.
Over to you.
Don Howe
Ron Wylie
Nobby Stiles
Ron Saunders
Brian Talbot
Bobby Gould
Dennis Smith
Brian Little
Alan Buckley
Ray Harford
Roy Hodgson
The list of managers who played the "free flowing Albion way" is truly f u c k I n g endless Des over the lat almost 50 years!!
Johnny Giles
Ron Atkinson
Ossie Ardlies
Tony Mowbray
These are the only four managers I can remember playing what I would call "proper football" if you're talking about attractive, easy on the eye football in an attacking sense yet Mowbray and Ardiles had no idea how to defend.
"Rose tinted specs time" I'm afraid....we're begging to sound like West Ham fans!
Don Howe
Ron Wylie
Nobby Stiles
Ron Saunders
Brian Talbot
Bobby Gould
Dennis Smith
Brian Little
Alan Buckley
Ray Harford
Roy Hodgson
None of these managers played one up front and a back 7/8.
Talbot, Buckley, Smith & Harford I would describe as footballing managers, played the ball round under them, we just weren't very good. Lack of investment.
Gould liked to lump it but had good attacking players (well Taylor) playing as well as attacking midfielders. Hodgson; always 4-4-2, as were the others. (not sure about Saunders, he seemed uninterested from day one). We played some rubbish under them but at least went out to win.