Alan Pardew: West Brom can't feel sorry for themselves

With seven games remaining, the Baggies appear doomed to fall out of the Premier League for the first time since 2010.

A run of seven straight defeats has left Albion’s rock bottom of the division, now 10 points adrift of safety and understandably dented confidence in a squad which has won just three times in the league all season.

Pardew accepts his team have struggled when faced with adversity but insists they must keep fighting.

Asked if certain players were feeling sorry for themselves, he replied: “I do (think that). Being an ex-player I’ve experienced some of the issues. I think they’re suffering.

“Sometimes I think there are one or two players who need to come out and have a rest and regroup themselves – I think there is always a time for that in a football club.

“But there is also a time when players can look within themselves and say, ‘right I’m going to get my finger out’.

“I think there are a couple of players where that needs to happen.”

Albion’s fragile mentality has been exposed in the last two defeats, against Leicester and Bournemouth. In both games the Baggies took the lead only to end up beaten.

Pardew added: “I’m experienced enough to set a team up motivated, it’s about their drive within the game and the disappointment and pitfalls which sometimes come in a game.

“Like great goals. We had two great goals scored against us (against Leicester) and it hurt us mentally. That can happen but you’ve got to be stronger than that and I thought we all understood that.

“I can understand the players’ reaction to that. But we can’t afford it. You can sometimes afford it if you are in mid-table and the game hasn’t gone for you. You can say okay, let’s put that to one side. But we can’t.

“If we get beat because we’re not good enough technically or we can create or score enough goals then we have to accept that. But let’s not accept losing our mentality during a game.”