Albion stopper Adam El-Abd has been given a vote of confidence – with the ball at his feet. Boss Gus Poyet has vowed to stick with the Egyptian international at centre-half. Derby’s cautious approach in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Pride Park often left El-Abd as the Albion defender in possession. Poyet told The Argus: “I like it. At the start of the game people on the bench were talking about how much the opposition respect us and think about us and how difficult sometimes it is going to be for us to break down teams like that. “We keep improving. We are going to train more things. For example, to help Adam El-Abd on the ball and the movement to keep creating and controlling. I am not changing him. “It would be an easy decision to put Dunky (Lewis Dunk) there but he (El-Abd) was needed to defend as well. You have to put everything into balance." El-Abd has been ever-present alongside captain Gordon Greer since replacing Dunk after Albion’s 3-0 defeat at Swindon in the Capital One Cup in their opening game of the season. The Seagulls have conceded only six goals in ten games in the Championship, three fewer than any other team. El-Abd is in Dubai with the Egypt squad for friendlies against Congo tomorrow and Tunisia on Tuesday.
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