West Bromwich Albion are not considering hiring Tony Pulis as Sam Allardyce's successor at The Hawthorns.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Express & Star, who claim that, despite some suggestions to the contrary, the out of work 63-year-old is not on Guochuan Lai's shortlist of managerial targets, nor is he being considered for the role of technical and sporting director.

The report goes on to state that the former Stoke City manager reciprocates these feelings, with it being said that he would not consider a return to the Championship side even if an offer did arrive.

Fans should be relieved

While Pulis does boast a history of achieving promotion to the Premier League, and subsequently ensuring a team's survival in the top flight, the news that the 63-year-old is not in the running for the job should come as something of a relief for West Brom fans.

Firstly, following half a season of watching Sam Allardyce's football, Pulis is stylistically and tactically similar to the 66-year-old, with the latter often receiving criticism for the direct, uncompromising and unimaginative football he installs in his teams.

So, should West Brom fans be hoping for the appointment of a manager who can get their side playing attacking, exciting and fast-paced football in the Championship, Pulis would not exactly fit this bill.

Secondly, as mentioned previously, while the Welshman's achievements with Stoke should not be understated, his last promotion to the Premier League came with the Potters back in their 2007/08 campaign, and football has changed an awful lot since then.

Pulis did take Middlesbrough to the play-offs in 2017/18, with Boro losing 1-0 on aggregate to Aston Villa in the semi-finals, although the veteran coach was sacked just 12 months later, with his side missing out on a top-six finish in their following campaign.

A short spell with Sheffield Wednesday followed last season, where the 63-year-old lasted just 10 matches, with Dejphon Chansiri claiming that the performances of Pulis' Wednesday side were not of the "level expected" upon his appointment, as well as revealing that there were "other issues" surrounding his departure.

As such, with Lai undoubtedly hoping to appoint a manager who is capable of securing an immediate return to the Premier League next season, it would certainly appear as if there are better options who would increase the club's chances of going on to achieve this feat than Pulis.

Fans of West Brom should be relieved that they won't be going back to watching 'Pulis-ball' anytime soon.

In other news: Lai could have just made his biggest West Brom mistake to date, fans are rightly livid