Pulis bats away Baggies boycott

Tony Pulis insists he is not bothered if West Brom fans avoid matches at The Hawthorns and his only concern is making the team successful.

The Welshman is set to celebrate 1,000 games in management this weekend when he takes the Baggies back to his old stomping ground at Stoke City.

Although the club has sold out its 1,600 allocation for the short trip to the Bet365 Stadium, attendances at home have dropped significantly.

Last week’s home game with West Ham United saw just 22,209 turn up, the lowest ever recorded attendance at The Hawthorns for a 3pm Saturday kick-off in the Premier League, as disillusioned fans showed their anger and frustration at the team’s style of play.

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Pulis admits it’s a blow but insists it will not have any bearing on how his side do this year.

“I’m not surprised, but I’m not jumping for joy, it’s what happens sometimes, and you have to accept it,” he said.

“Does it affect me? Not at all. It doesn’t affect my work, doesn’t affect my feelings towards the football club or the players I work with.

“Supporters are supporters and there’s no way I’m going to stand here and criticise people for coming or not coming, that’s up to them.

“We’ve got to do the best we possibly can with what we’ve got to get the results that make this club successful.”