John Wile: New Tony Pulis contract makes sense for West Brom

The legendary former Baggies defender, who is third on the club's all-time appearance charts, admits it was difficult to watch Albion last season.

But the former chief executive understands why owner Guochuan Lai and chairman John Williams decided to stick with Pulis.

"I wasn't surprised at all," said Wile. "Tony has shown he's a very safe pair of hands.

"He will certainly ensure that the club stays in the Premier League which is of vital importance.

"It's not a two-year or a three-year deal, it's another 12 months.

"For both parties, this is the best thing to do, it gives the manager a chance to get to know the new regime, and the new owners can get to know Pulis.

"The question is does a year extension give him the impetus to offer a different product?

"The product being offered at the moment splits people. The first priority is to stay in the Premier League, but there has got to be a bit more positive football too, particularly at home.

"The general feeling is there has to be a middle ground somewhere. Is one year going to change Tony's attitude and encourage him to be a bit more expansive in the way the team is set up?

"To do that he may need to have some assurances from the regime that's now controlling the football club.

"The assurances need to be there from the board that yes, they will go that little bit further and get a couple of very influential players."

Wile would desperately like Pulis to set up his team in a more positive manner, but he does have sympathy with the head coach.

The 69-year-old reckons Albion's team needs freshening up, and he'd like the club to add some more pace to their ageing squad.

"Albion have only won two out of their last 20 games, and when you look at it in the cold light of day that's not a very good statistic," said Wile.

"His reputation is one who is always cautious, you couldn't compare Ron Atkinson to Tony for example.

"But we've all looked at the team. Every week we're hearing they're a great set of lads and they're working their socks off. And they are.

"But they are a group of players who have been there an awful long time.

"Sometimes a group benefits from the introduction of others, sometimes they have to be broken up to move forward.

"Albion could perhaps be accused of recruiting players in recent years that have not necessarily improved the overall squad. You can only be as good as the tools that you're given."

Wile believes the next two transfer windows will make or break Pulis's Albion career if he is indeed backed in the market.

"This time next year the new owners will have a better view of how the future is going to go and whether that is going to involve a commitment to Pulis or not," he said.