West Bromwich Albion utility Chris Baird has hailed the impact of manager Tony Pulis.
Back-to-back home games against QPR and Leicester give the Baggies a chance to rubber-stamp their top flight safety before their run-in from hell kicks in.
"Alan had disappointing form and he lost his job, which is always disappointing for the players," said Baird.
"It was hard for Alan and I am personally disappointed that he got the sack. It's part of football and we weren't getting the results at the time, we've moved on now and Tony has come in and been fantastic for us.
"He has been unbelievable and we have turned the corner.
"We had a tough start to the season and things have changed.
"Wherever he has been, whether it's at Stoke or Palace, he's done the same and he's doing it now with West Brom."