ALAN Pardew has heaped praise on his Albion players for their reaction to a change in regime as he prepares for his Baggies bow on Saturday.
Addressing national and local media, the 56-year-old joked he'd picked a cold day to be back on the training pitches but that there was nowhere else he'd rather be ahead of the clash with Crystal Palace.
"It was freezing, but it was lovely to be back because that's what you miss, the nuts and bolts of being on the training ground; the smells, the noises, the camaraderie and the togetherness that only being in team sport can give you."
Pardew has completed two full days of training with his new squad and lauded his players for their efforts since he joined the Club on Wednesday.
"It's been great and the reaction of the players and staff, first class. There are things I want to introduce but its very difficult over two days.
"The most immediate thing when you walk into a football club is the response of the players, their attitude and application. The word before I got here was it's a good group and I've found that.
"There's a real honesty about them and hopefully a lot more quality to come. I think they feel they can play better and produce better performances and I believe they can too."