West Brom boss Alan Pardew held “clear-the-air” talks with the club’s board this week to address recurring speculation over his future...
Pardew, who was appointed in November, is under heavy pressure with his side seven points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League after a run of six successive losses.
The West Brom manager said: “I said it was probably time I spoke to upstairs and said, ‘I don’t know where all this speculation is coming from, every week I’m on my last game etc. Let’s clear the air’.
“I told them what I think of what perhaps need to happen at this club going forward. They listened to that and I’m still in a job.”
Pardew confirmed his contract does cover relegation should the Baggies fail to pull themselves out of trouble.
“I signed a contract to be West Brom manager because I genuinely believe we would stay in the Premier League,” he said.
“But I also had a clause that if it didn’t work out and we go into the Championship, my contract will cover that.”
West Brom travel to Bournemouth on Saturday in desperate need of a win and Pardew has called on his senior players to take charge of the situation.
“We’re getting into a period now where the senior players need to deliver, otherwise we’re not going to be in with a shout of staying up,” he said.
“If we’re not in with a shout of staying up then I need to start looking at the future and maybe a few younger players. This weekend and the next couple of weekends, senior players need to deliver.
“We need a win, whichever way it comes.”
Pardew revealed Grzegorz Krychowiak apologised for his reaction at being substituted during last weekend’s 4-1 defeat against Leicester. The Paris Saint-Germain loanee was fined but remains available for selection.
“Grzegorz came and apologised to me and my staff on Tuesday, which is unusual,” said Pardew.
“I said sometimes an apology isn’t quite enough so I fined him and also said I don’t ever want to see [that kind of reaction] again. The selection of the player won’t be influenced after that.
“I told him how disappointed I was, fined him, and we move on.
“I actually really like him as a person and a footballer. I was surprised at his action. I told him, ‘you need to watch the start of the second half – you might have subbed yourself’. He had a little chuckle.”
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