Tony Pulis names ‘greatest asset’ in West Brom battle to avoid PL drop
Tony Pulis has claimed that Slaven Bilic will be the “greatest asset” West Brom have in their bid to avoid relegation this season.
The Baggies begin their Premier League campaign with a tricky clash against Leicester City at The Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon, and the former Baggies boss has suggested that it is imperative that they turn their home ground into a fortress if they are to beat the drop this term.
Pulis also argued that Albion are still in need of reinforcements before the transfer window, but at least have the advantage of being led by a manager who knows the top flight extremely well.
Speaking on Soccer Saturday (Sky Sports News, September 12th, 12pm), he said: “Their greatest asset this year will be Slaven.
“Slaven knows the Premier League, he’s a top manager, but they need to sign a few more players quickly. There’s still a month to go, and he’ll know the players that he’ll need, he’ll know the players that will affect the team.
“You’ve got to win your home games. You’re got to get your points at home. He’ll understand that. You’ve got to make the Hawthorns a real difficult place to go.
“He’s a top man and a top manager, and I wish him and the club all the best because I still think it’ll be a tough year, whichever way they do it.”
This seems like a fair enough assessment from Pulis.
Bilic does indeed know the top flight very well.
The Croatian has taken charge of 87 Premier League matches in his career, with an average PPG tally of 1.33.
Over the course of a season, that average would bring up a points total of 50.54 – or 51 for the sake of argument.
Last season, that would have been enough to see his Albion finish 12th.
Of course, Pulis is right, we do still need reinforcements – and a new striker in particular feels like an absolute must – but at the very least, we surely have the right man for the job in the dugout.
In other West Brom news, Baggies player signs new contract ahead of 20/21 season
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