“We were told to go out and play but we didn’t really work on how we play that way.”
James McClean has offered a damning assessment of former West Brom manager Alan Pardew. The Baggies have experienced an upturn in form since sacking Pardew at the beginning of April.
Caretaker manager Darren Moore has guided West Brom to eight points in his four games. In his 18 matches as manager between November and April, Pardew earned eight points, and he won just a single Premier League match.
So, it’s pretty obvious that Pardew’s departure helped kickstart West Brom’s impressive recent form, even if it comes too late to keep them in the top-flight. The Baggies are currently five points from safety with two matches to play.
There were reports that Pardew had lost the dressing room at the Hawthorns, and it certainly sounds like the players are happy to see him leave.
“Change of manager for starters, not to dig at Alan,” McClean told Matt Wilson, football reporter for The Express & Star newspaper, when asked what has led to West Brom’s improved form.
He added: “Since the big man’s (Moore) come in – I said it after the United game – look on the pitch now we know what we’re doing. People from the outside will say you’re professional footballers, you should know what you’re doing anyway.”
“We were told to go out and play but we didn’t really work on how we play that way. We were told to play with more freedom, but you’ve got a group of players who, under our previous manager Tony, were more defensive and a lot more drilled.
McClean also said that Moore has helped instil “confidence” in the struggling side.
