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Charlie Adam and Stoke City prosper as West Brom prepare for Pepe Mel exit Charlie Adam and Stoke City prosper as West Brom prepare for Pepe Mel exit
(about 4 hours later)
Charlie Adam's late strike helped Stoke City clinch their highest Premier League points total and victory over West Bromwich Albion in what may be Pepe Mel's final game as head coach at The Hawthorns. Pepe Mel blew kisses to the crowd during West Bromwich Albion's lap of honour, and despite being tight-lipped on whether he will remain in charge at The Hawthorns his future appears to be sealed.
Stoke improved on their best tally of 47, set in 2010, by three points to finish a Premier League highest position of ninth in Mark Hughes's first season in charge. The Spaniard signed an 18-month contract in January, but West Brom inserted a clause which allowed them to part ways with only minimum compensation. That outcome appears the most likely before talks between the head coach and the club chairman, Jeremy Peace, scheduled for the next 48 hours.
Adam scored the decisive goal three minutes from time after Stéphane Sessègnon had earlier got West Brom back on level terms following Gareth McAuley's own goal. Mel, meanwhile, is set for talks with the board this week and all indications are that he will part company with the club, who are set to exercise a break clause in the Spaniard's 18-month contract. Certainly the 51-year-old Spaniard's programme notes carried the tone of someone who does not expect to be with the club in the summer. Mel wore a resigned look when he spoke after this defeat by Stoke City. "I don't know," Mel said, when asked whether he would remain in charge. "I am going to have to listen to the chairman and find out what he wants for the future. Do I want to stay? Yes, but only in the knowledge that we have lots of possibilities for us to compete."
Albion showed the early endeavour and Saido Berahino struck the crossbar from a corner before the visitors took control of the first half. Stoke should have been ahead as early as the 11th minute when Geoff Cameron's cross picked out Jonathan Walters, who could only head wide with just Ben Foster to beat. Albion are lining up Roy Hodgson's former No2 Terry Burton to return to the club to work alongside the sporting and technical director, Richard Garlick, on recruitment, but are understood to prefer a different head coach in the revamped setup. Mel's record of three wins and six draws from 17 games is worse than his predecessor Steve Clarke, while his time in charge has also been blighted by player unrest and the Nicolas Anelka quenelle gesture row.
Hughes's side continued to play the intricate passing football and eventually got a deserved lead when McAuley put through his own net. Marko Arnautovic escaped down the left flank past Craig Dawson and his low cross deflected off the boot of the unfortunate McAuley and past Foster. "West Brom still have to decide whether they want as many problems next season as this one," Mel said. "I think this season is a big lesson for West Brom. We have to ask why West Brom have had so many problems this year."
The visitors included the former West Brom forward Peter Odemwingie, whose troubles at Albion were still very much fresh in the memories of the home fans who booed him through the entire game. Predictably, Odemwingie was at the centre of a flashpoint just before half-time after a late tackle from McAuley on the Nigeria striker. Tensions rose between the two sets of players before Lee Probert, the referee, stepped in to calm matters. The current turmoil is a contrast to a year ago when all was calm as Albion clinched eighth place under Clarke, their highest Premier League finish.
Mel's side played with more intent after the interval and soon got themselves back on level terms through Sessègnon, who timed his run to perfection to slide the ball home after Dawson had crossed from the right. Arnautovic, who played with confidence throughout, struck the post moments after the goal with a curling effort. Meanwhile, Mark Hughes, in his first season as Stoke manager, has steered the club to their best Premier League points haul of 50 and their highest finish of ninth. Not since 1975 have they finished higher in the top flight. That Stoke have achieved this with a more aesthetic style will have further vindicated their decision to end Tony Pulis's reign last summer in search of a fresh direction.
Youssouf Mulumbu also hit the woodwork at the other end as the contest became more open, but it was Stoke who were to collect the points with a goal from Adam just six minutes after he had come on as a substitute. The Scotland midfielder arrowed a low shot into the bottom corner of the net after West Brom's defenders allowed him time and space to shoot from distance. "We talked at length at what we wanted to achieve," Hughes said. "Maybe some of the guys thought I was being unrealistic at the beginning of the season. To get 50 points on the board in the hardest league in the world is a great effort."
Stoke took the lead midway through the first half when Marko Arnautovic's low cross deflected off West Brom's Gareth McAuley into his own net. West Brom equalised early in the second half when the influential Stéphane Sessègnon timed his run into the penalty area perfectly to slide the ball home from Craig Dawson's cross.
A fine curling effort from Arnautovic which hit the post served notice of Stoke's determination to finish the campaign on a high and the winner arrived three minutes from time. A tired West Brom defence allowed the substitute Charlie Adam, who had been on the pitch for only six minutes, too much time and space and he fired a low shot into the net past the dive of the West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Man of the match Marko Arnautovic (Stoke City)