Express & Star

Alan Pardew hopes West Brom's performance is enough to save him

Alan Pardew hopes today's performance was enough to save him from the sack but he realises he could lose his job after Albion fell to their sixth straight defeat.

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Alan Pardew. (AMA)

The Baggies deserved to get something from their 1-0 defeat at Vicarage Road where the players put in a committed but unsuccessful performance.

The difference between the teams was Troy Deeney's clinical finishing versus Salomon Rondon's wayward efforts.

Deeney scored the winner 13 minutes from time with his only chance of the game while Rondon worked hard but squandered four opportunities.

Defeat leaves Pardew on the brink of an exit following one win in 15 league games, but he said the most important thing is that the performance gives hope to the notion that Albion might pull off the improbable and stay up.

"People and the media turn these situations into a personal situation with myself, but it's about West Brom, it's not about me," he said, when asked about his future.

"If the consequences are that I lose my job than that will be what is.

"All I can hope is what was on that surface today, a commitment from the players, that will address the situation.

"We know it's very tough, we've got nine games left, there's still a lot of points to play for.

"A win can change the dynamic but when you look at our win ratio and our goal ratio you question that. We've got to try and get that win and go from there."

Pardew's position was on the line today, but when he was asked if his message to the board was look at the performance, rather than the result, he said: "I've got no message for the board. It's not anything to do with that.

"I'm employed to be the manager of the football club, I try and put out a team that I think has got a chance of delivering the win.

"Unfortunately today it didn't happen but not for want of trying and commitment in the group.

"It's a tough business, we're playing tough teams. Watford know the situation we're in and every team's going to make it very difficult, as Leicester will next week."

Pardew kept mentioning the Leicester game in his post-match press conference, perhaps in hope rather than expectation that he will be in charge for that fixture.

He also waved away the questions about his own fans joining in with chants calling for his head, and praised the 2,000 travelling Baggies who were in fine voice throughout.

"That's gallows humour that will happen sometimes," he said. "Our fans were brilliant today, and I think if they're honest, they've seen a committed performance today.

"But unfortunately when the ball doesn't go in the back of the net it's frustrating. That's an area we've struggled with all year.

"The mood of our stadium next week can only be one thing for us. Hopefully they'll stay with us. Thirty thousand of our fans weren't here because it was an away game but we appreciated the 2,000 that travelled, they came in in a positive mode for us.

"The only chance we've got is to stick together and I said that to the players after. Hopefully the fans stay with us and next week we reward them with a win."

Pardew thought his team deserved to win the game, and also believed Jay Rodriguez should have had a penalty in the second half when Daryl Janmaat challenged him in the six yard box.

When he was asked if his side deserved to lose, he said: "Of course not.

"The goal come at a time I sensed we might get ourselves a goal. We had a couple of big chances and made one mistake and it really hurt us because our commitment to the shirt and the fans was there for all to see.

"It was a team that wasn’t exposed in any way really. A couple of moments Watford had. We defended them very well.

"We needed to score goals and it’s been a problem for us all season. That’s let us down again today.

"This was a game we should have definitely got a draw and maybe should have won. We didn’t get a break today.

"I’ve just seen Daryl in the corridor. I thought he gave away a foul, I thought that was a penalty for Jay’s dive at the end.

"I didn’t think he got anything of the ball. But it happened fast so I could understand the referee not giving it.

"Looking at the replay that could have been a penalty. That’s the kind of break we need.

"But in terms of the difference in performance from this week to last week, it was a huge improvement, there’s no doubt about that.

"People talk about what happened in the dressing room (last weekend), but it was what happened on the pitch that was disappointing.

"For our fans, for us as individuals and as a team. Today you couldn't say that.

"It was a committed performance, a tough game, a lot of physical battles were won and some we lost, but not through a want of trying.

"Unfortunately for us we’ve come out on the wrong side of it."