Baggies boys prefer Black Country to the beach

Rather than join their Premier League peers on the beaches of Europe, manager Tony Pulis has revealed the West Bromwich Albion players were keen to spend some rare rest time in the Black Country.

Liverpool are among the sides that used the break in the Premier League fixture list, created by their early exit from the Emirates FA Cup, to visit warmer climes for training and bonding sessions.

But after consultation with club captain Darren Fletcher, Pulis was told his players wanted to stay put in the west Midlands.

And the Welsh boss hopes the decision to respect his players’ wishes will play dividends in the final third of the season.

“They’ve had three or four days off with their families,” Pulis confirmed.

“We could have taken them away as a group, but I spoke to Fletch and the general consensus was they would prefer time with their families, with school holidays and everything else.

“The players have come back looking refreshed and ready to go.”

The Baggies return to Premier League action with back-to-back home games, starting on Saturday against Bournemouth before Pulis’s former employers Crystal Palace come to town.

“The next two home games will be difficult, because they are ones people will look at and say we should win,” Pulis added.

“Both Bournemouth and Palace are in positions where they still need points desperately to stay in the Premier League and we need to make sure we are right for those games, both mentally and physically.”