Pardew excited to welcome back the ‘missing five or six’

Joe Williams

New West Brom boss Alan Pardew was “encouraged” by his side’s performance during their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Salomon Rondon and Hal Robson-Kanu went close for the Baggies but Albion extended their winless run to 13 league games.

Yet Pardew, appointed this week on a deal until 2020, saw enough in the performance to suggest 17th-placed West Brom will survive.

“I was encouraged because I’m still missing five or six you could argue might be starters. If that’s the quality of the group I have then we’ll be fine,” he said.

“I thought we had some really good performances and the application in the first two days and the game I couldn’t fault.

“I enjoyed the camaraderie and feeling of the dressing room, I’m not sure I enjoyed the smells of the dressing room but other than that it was nice.

“There’s a lot of experience in there so I’m looking forward to working with them.”