Manager Tony Pulis spoke on Friday (5th February) ahead of West Bromwich Albion's English Premier League match against Newcastle United - with West Brom hoping to win away from home for the first time in seven league games.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Tony Pulis, West Bromwich Albion manager:

"This is a very competitive league, whether you're Newcastle, Sunderland or Aston Villa (three bottom clubs in English Premier League table), or West Brom, it takes no prisoners. If you're not doing it, you're not winning games, you'll be down there and that's what's happened. It's what everybody in the league is concerned about - it turns so quickly and you have to be spot-on every week to get results, irrespective of who you play. Newcastle is a fantastic club and they have spent a lot of money, a hell of a lot of money. They'll be having a right go in the last quarter of the season and we expect a very tough game. Obviously we are disappointed that we are missing three or four of our top players, but we'll go there and we'll give it our best shot."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Tony Pulis, West Bromwich Albion manager:

(Q. Do you think are you still in a relegation battle?)

"I think everybody in the bottom 12 (in EPL) will be scrapping for their lives, to get the points as quickly as they possibly can - and we're no different to anybody else."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Tony Pulis, West Bromwich Albion manager:

(On Saido Berahino, the club's top scorer last season, who hasn't started a league game in three months - and who was subject to bids by Newcastle and Stoke in January.)

"He wants to play desperately. He wants to be involved and we are desperate to get him involved. All the shenanigans now will have eased off the kid and hopefully he can see a path through to the end of the season. I think that is the big thing with Saido. If there is a path there that he can see through and focus his mind then he is a different kid. But if there's all different obstacles in his way he gets very confused and misled."