Pulis agreed a 2-1/2 year contract with the Baggies after replacing Alan Irvine, who was sacked on Monday following a run of seven defeats in nine games.
He has never suffered relegation as a manager but his new side are 17th in the 20-team standings, one point above the relegation zone.
"You need to give me a couple of weeks, then I'll give you an answer," he told reporters when asked if he could keep them up.
"It will be difficult. Every team in bottom half of Premier League will tell you it is.
"The infrastructure is secondary. The most important thing is the pitch, you have got to have the players on pitch to win you games. If you don't have the team to win, then all the surroundings fall away."
Pulis managed Stoke from 2006-13 before joining Crystal Palace and guided the south London club to 11th place in the top flight in his one season in charge.
He quit the job two days before the start of this season amid reports of a falling out with Palace co-chairman Steve Parish.
He has been named head coach rather than manager at West Brom, but he played down the debate surrounding his job title and said he was happy with the level of control he would have.
"There's been a lot said about how the club has been run in the past, but the most important thing is that everyone works together," Pulis said.
"Titles make no difference, you can call me head bottle-washer if you want."
Pulis's side face minor league Gateshead in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
(Reporting by Toby Davis; editing by xxx)
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