Relegation run-in: Stats suggest there’s still hope for West Brom...
Albion may have been written off by all and sundry, but there are still 10 games of the season to go and history suggests staying up is not impossible.
Two teams have managed to drag themselves to safety from worse positions in the Premier League.
Alan Curbishley’s West Ham were nine points from safety with 10 games left back in 2006/07 but they won seven of their last nine games to stay up.
In 2005/06, one year after Albion’s own Great Escape, Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth were eight points from safety at this stage of the season.They survived after losing just two of their final 10 matches.
It’s clear then, that the Baggies are going to have to go on a remarkable run to give themselves any hope.
That’s looking increasingly unlikely following a run of four straight league defeats, but if Pardew can get the team back to how they were playing in December and January they could have a chance.
His first six games in charge saw an immediate improvement in Albion’s shot statistics.
Apart from a poor showing in defeat to Swansea – Liverpool were the only other team to have more shots than Albion in a run of games that otherwise showed promise. The Baggies dominated their goalless draw against Palace with 20 shots to 10, and six on target to two, and also had the better of the shooting statistics in defeats to Stoke and Manchester United. In their goalless draw with Everton Albion managed 17 shots to the Toffees’ seven.
However, in recent games these performances have dropped off.
Albion were understandably out-shot away at Manchester City and Chelsea, but it was the two defeats to Southampton and Huddersfield when the Baggies mustered a combined 19 shots compared to 29 from their opponents that has heaped more scrutiny on Pardew.
Perhaps the team is doomed after all...
