Gerry Francis has joined the coaching staff at West Bromwich Albion following the appointment of Tony Pulis as head coach but Paul Jewell has decided to withdraw from the Hawthorns setup after only one week.
Pulis was said to be delighted that Francis, manager at QPR and Tottenham in the 1990s, “has agreed to extend their partnership into a seventh year and a third Premier League club”, according to a statement on the West Brom website.
Francis’s position was not spelled out but Dave Kemp will be assistant head coach. Jewell joined Pulis last Tuesday as a joint assistant alongside Kemp, but the 50-year-old has had second thoughts. The club said Jewell had decided “he will not be continuing his recent assistance on a more formal basis”.
Pulis, appointed as Alan Irvine’s successor on new year’s eve, said: “Gerry and I have worked well together at both Stoke and Crystal Palace and it was always part of my plan for him to join me at Albion. I value his insight and experience of the very highest levels of our game and I’m delighted that he is now on board.”
Francis, 63, said: “I’m happy I have finalised a deal. I like the setup. Albion have a good training ground, good facilities. But just as was the case at Stoke and Palace, it’s vitally important for the club to retain Premier League status.
“We’ve had three decent results, but there’s a lot of work to do with the side and Tony is obviously looking to strengthen if he can. But I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
