Tony Pulis: West Brom outdoing the big clubs

The 58-year-old is amazed at the size of the football clubs deep in relegation trouble at the foot of the table.

The current bottom three of Sunderland, Newcastle and Villa have 17 English titles between them – two more than the top three have amassed in their combined history.

Albion, who have one First Division title to their name, are 13 points clear of the danger zone, closer to the Champions League places than the bottom three.

Apart from last weekend's blip at home to the Canaries, the Baggies have been in brilliant form in recent weeks.

Three victories in four games shot Pulis's side up the table and towards the top half.

"We're delighted and it takes the pressure off you a little bit which is massive in the Premier League," said the Baggies boss.

"When you look at the teams down there, the teams scrapping away and fighting, it just makes you more aware of how tough this league is.

"The likes of Aston Villa, Sunderland and Newcastle are massive clubs, so we're pleased to be in a position we're in at the moment but obviously we want to push on.

"There's eight games to go, we're going to try and push on and get as many points as we can."

Pulis rarely lets himself get carried away while results are going his way, and he also waves away criticism when performances are poor.

"As a manager in this league, you should never get too despondent or too high," he said.

"The most important thing is you keep your feet on the ground.

"The next game is the important game, the next game is the game we have to focus on."

There were boos from some sections of the crowd at the final whistle of last weekend's dire defeat at home to Norwich.

But the Baggies were on an eight-match unbeaten home run prior to that game, and Pulis is pleased with his side's achievements so far this season.

"Irrespective of all the battles you fight, at the end of the day it's who wins the war," he said.

"You'll lose a lot of battles along the way but if you can come out of the end of it, then it's a fantastic achievement.

"We just need to make sure everybody stays very grounded and continue the hard work that we've put in."

This season has been one of the most unpredictable in the Premier League but according to Pulis that doesn't mean it's any easier or any tougher than before.

"Eight or nine years I've been doing it, it's tough every year," he said.

"The manager is important because he's got to stay level, he's got to keep picking his troops up and marching them forward."