Blog: Points over style please - for now
It was very much a case of substance over style as Albion ground out a dour 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light on Saturday...writes blogger Warren Stephens.
That's now one defeat in 10 since Head Coach Tony Pulis's arrival at the turn of the year, a marked improvement on the seven losses in the 10 games leading up to his appointment.
Albion's last two home displays, against Swansea and West Ham, were bursting with energy and purpose. The latter, in particular, was probably the best I've seen from an Albion side in a long time, something Pulis and his players deserve great credit for. We looked fitter than we've done in recent seasons and the resurgence of Bobby Brown has been nothing short of remarkable.
Ordinarily strikers' confidence levels will fluctuate but Brown's hold and link-up play have seemingly undertaken a complete transformation and we are perhaps finally seeing some of the reasons somebody deemed him a £10m player back in the summer. Regrettably I've already used the 'Two can play that game' line in an earlier blog but he's certainly been a different proposition in recent weeks!
The effervescence of those home performances has been largely in contrast to the pragmatism we've shown on our travels – a tactic that, whilst inhibiting in an attacking sense, certainly seems to be reaping some rewards.
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We've averaged around 38% possession and 2 shots on target in our last three away games yet are unbeaten in all three; in Alan Irvine's last two away matches we averaged 53% possession yet lost both games. In itself that probably tells a story.
Interestingly, during Pulis's time in charge of Stoke City in the Premier League, they were notoriously poor away from home, winning only 15 and taking 72 points out of 95 games between 2008 and 2013.
Perhaps this was a consequence of Pulis's Stoke being drilled into a way of playing on a narrow pitch at the Britannia Stadium that wasn't easily transferable or maybe the success of a defensive approach in the long-term is too dependent on the small margins that fell in Albion's favour on Saturday e.g. Adam Johnson's disallowed goal.
Either way, learning how 'not to lose' is a handy habit to fall into when you're entrenched in a relegation battle, which Albion still are.
Like many other fans, I would eventually like to witness a little more adventure away from the Hawthorns but, far more than that, I want to see Albion playing in the Premier League next season and will worry more about the former once we've achieved the latter.
We're now heading into a period of seven league games before we embark on the dreaded 'Norwich run-in', where we face four of the top six in our last five games. Whilst it could be argued that Albion could pick up points in those final games, certainly at Newcastle, it would be highly desirable for us to surpass the survival threshold before then.
Last season that threshold was 34 points and in the previous two seasons it was 37; Albion currently have 27. If we can procure 10 or 11 points in our next 7 games, starting with Southampton on Saturday, then you'd be inclined to think it would be enough given that Burnley in 18th are currently only on 22 points – no pressure then!
Come on you Baggies!!
