Tony Pulis has admitted it was the right time for him to leave West Bromwich Albion last season but believes the decision to replace him with Alan Pardew was the wrong decision that led to relegation.

Pulis chose his words carefully, trying not to criticise a fellow manager, but that did not stop him from claiming the Albion had made a mistake in the direction they chose to go in after he left.

Pardew arrived at the Hawthorns in November last year, following a poor start to the season under Pulis, but the Baggies won just three games under him, and fell out of the Premier League a month after he was replaced by Darren Moore.

Also hinting at problems behind the scenes with chairman John Williams, who took over from Jeremy Peace when the club was taken over by Chinese businessman Lai Guochuan, Pulis is adamant the squad he left behind should not have been relegated.

Asked if he felt hard done by at the way his three-year reign came to an end, Pulis replied: “No, not at all. I think it was the right time, looking back, for the club and the right time for me.