Former West Brom boss Alan Pardew has held his hands up and pointed some of the blame for his failed reign at the club at himself but also at the players who were involved in the infamous taxi incident while he was manager.
The 57-year-old spent just over four months in charge of the Baggies, sitting in the dugout for 21 games, before finding himself shipped out the door at the Hawthorns, with the club eventually suffering relegation from the Premier League to the Championship.
Reflecting on his time as Tony Pulis’ successor, Pardew insisted he had to take some of the blame, including for not knowing the squad well enough before his arrival, but insisted that the controversial episode in Barcelona played a big part in the club’s downfall.
He told Sky Sports’ Goals on Sunday: “They gave me everything in terms of backing but sometimes it just didn’t work out, the mix of me and the players.
“As an experienced manager, you have to hold your hands up and say ‘I made some decisions there that didn’t work out’. I probably didn’t know the squad and the way I played to the way Tony plays was very different. I certainly put some blame at my door too.
“The Barcelona thing was a terrible incident. The players let themselves down, let the club down and let me down, and from that moment forward we never got results that banished those thoughts.
“The senior players involved were a big core part of my team. (Dropping them) was a decision that some of the players in the dressing room thought thought I should have, and some thought I shouldn’t have. Obviously we didn’t call it right.”
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Opinion
Pardews short reign in charge of West Brom was one of the biggest factors which led to their ultimate relegation last season, and had he not taken blame for the drop then there would have been some stern words from fans being sent his way. He managed just three wins in his 21 games in charge, two of those coming in the cup and just one in the Premier League. He might be able to point the finger at the incident which happened in Spain – where a number of first team players were found to have stolen a taxi – but the warning signs were there before that, and so the situation on the pitch was probably compounded by such a controversial happening off it. Still, Pardew’s time in the dugout did lead to Darren Moore getting the opportunity to manager and he has done a brilliant job since day one at turning the side around and getting the club back on track. Every cloud has a silver lining, and Moore is that for Pardew.