Wolves 2-3 West Brom: Sam Allardyce enjoys first win as 'tough love' pays off
Football
By
Reuters
| Jan 16, 2021
West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce said he was pleased with his squad's resilience after they came from behind to win 3-2 at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday.
Wolves led 2-1 at halftime but a fine display in the second half allowed West Brom to score twice in four minutes to take all three points, giving Allardyce his first victory at the club and keeping his unbeaten record against Wolves intact.
"In the vast majority of that performance, the plan and the way the lads carried out the tactics was excellent. It's the best I've seen us in possession since I've been here," Allardyce said.
"Apart from slipping up on a set-piece which put us on the back foot, I'd have to say the lads were excellent. You could have felt the heads go down when we were behind but they came bouncing back.
"We created other chances after going ahead, which would have made it even better, and then defended well at the end."
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West Brom midfielder Romaine Sawyers said it was "tough love" from Allardyce on the training ground that helped the team set themselves up for victory against Wolves.
With West Brom now three points off 17th place, Allardyce said he hoped this would be a springboard in their fight against relegation and indicated the squad would need new recruits to ensure their top flight survival.
"We look forward to gaining a bit of confidence now," Allardyce added.
"I'm asking the players to improve their overall fitness and technique by 1% - add that all up, and it's a big improvement. I'm asking for everyone to do that little bit more and be more consistent.
"Too early to tell (whether we stay up). The key factor is, at the end of January, what we've achieved in terms of recruitment. That will be a better indication."