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Albion blog: Can we have some entertainment please?

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Three points at Norwich... Let's be 'avin you.more

Following on from a much needed win against Sunderland, we head to Carrow Road in slightly better shape and with more confidence than was the case after the Palace surrender..writes blogger Duncan Hodgkiss.

The Sunderland game was hardly a crowd pleaser, in fact it was a pretty dour affair contested by two teams in somewhat of a rut. I didn't check the odds but I can imagine the 'under 2.5 goals' selection was very short priced.

Inevitably there was an air of trepidation around the ground, given our recent form, inability to mount meaningful attacks and sustain pressure on the opposition. Our profligacy against Everton compounded those fears.

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It was a crunch game for both teams that, thankfully, we scraped through with the three points. This was in spite of the new Sunderland man at the helm, Sam Allardyce. I think we all knew what to expect and we weren't disappointed. Well quite a few were judging by the disgruntled comments from various sections of the BRE.

I have seldom seen a win greeted with such apathy. I have experimented a little this season with my choice of seat. I'm a season ticket holder in the BRE, but have managed to swap and gage the atmosphere in the Millennium Corner and the East Stand from various vantage points. Early season optimism has quickly been replaced with frustration and discontent.

From numerous sections of the BRE on Saturday came scorn and a sense of growing dissatisfaction. At various points across the concourse people queued for their half time refreshments busily expressing their displeasure with the entertainment provided. They have a right to, of course. 'You pays your money' and all that.

Is this growing wave of unease a little worrying? Putting it frankly, yes it is. Once the seeds of doubt and discontent take root they grow inexorably, which influences others, which in turn influences support, confidence in the team / management etc. We will most likely see a dip in attendances against the lesser fancied teams and a general malaise to accompany it.

It is a downward spiral that ultimately leads to a crisis point and change. It is clear that many are now demanding improved entertainment. They want to see more attacking intent, less emphasis on defence, our flair players given more of a run, less defensive substitutions like Berahino coming off for Gardner.

I made a point in an earlier blog about us Baggies folk not always enjoying the beautiful game as a free flowing, expansive pass fest. We have had various managers that have tried, but all have failed to deliver consistency, stability and results (with the notable exception of Sir Roy whose methods often varied given the circumstance. )

Salomon Rondon of West Bromwich Albion.

In Tony Pulis we have a manager that has a proven track record of getting results. It may not be pretty at times but I feel things will improve. We have heard a lot about the exciting Palace side he put together and the results they achieved. We are still in transition at the moment. We still need to add quality in depth to the squad to enable us to be a little more adventurous.

That said, surely against teams like Norwich we must go at with confidence and expect an attacking emphasis to achieve maximum points. They have just been thumped 6-2 by a less than buoyant Newcastle side and confidence must be low. They have some decent players but not many would make our first 18.

A performance like the one at Villa wouldn't go amiss. We were disciplined but always looked threatening, showed enough attacking intent and created the better chances to have won by a greater margin.

I'm hoping that the large majority of our notoriously intelligent fanbase exercise patience and understanding. I'm also hoping to see an improvement in the quality of entertainment but not at the expense of our place in the Premier League. Norwich on Saturday is a very winnable game. I feel it is another big test for Pulis too. Let's go there with the right attitude and set up to get the win.