West Brom blog: Time to get behind Alan Pardew

His name had been strongly linked with the vacant position following last week’s sacking and on Wednesday Alan Pardew put pen to paper to become Albion’s seventh boss this decade.

I stated in last week’s blog that an appointment with a long-term emphasis was the way we should go. So, I’m glad that a two-and- a-half- year contract has been signed, signalling the board’s commitment to Pardew and his work over the next couple of seasons.

I think this is a decent appointment given the circumstances. His record isn’t that bad.

Leading West Ham and Crystal Palace to FA Cup finals, as well as Newcastle into Europe, are impressive achievements.

The main issue seems to be that results turn sour further down the line after such a bright start.

What we need to try and do – and this is far easier said than done - is maintain a certain level of consistency to avoid going on long win-less runs.

I believe the 56-year-old can coax more out of our creative players, such as Nacer Chadli, Matt Phillips, Salomon Rondon and Grzegorz Krychowiak.

These players haven’t performed consistently enough this season and are better than what they’ve shown, although Pulis’ conservative tactics often didn’t help.

This is where Pardew’s man-management skills will need to come into play to lift morale and confidence, so these players can express themselves on a more regular basis.

I also believe that we’ll see a different brand of football under Pardew. Like he said in his first press conference, he wants his teams to play on the front foot and apply pressure early on.

We might not see that change in style straight away, though, seeing as getting results to snap this terrible win-less run of 13 matches in all competitions is the most important objective now and understandably so.

Pardew’s controversial behaviour on and off the field has been well-documented. But I’m willing to give him a chance with a clean slate.

This is a new chapter for West Bromwich Albion. My message to the fans would be to really get behind the new manager and players as they’re going to need our support.