Watford vs West Brom: Last chance for Alan Pardew to prove he’s the man for Albion

Staying up is now a remote possibility, but a possibility it still is. And while it remains one, the players need to show some belief it can be done, and some passion for the cause.

There are still 10 games to go, and even though seven points is a daunting task when you have won one out of the previous 26 league games, it is not insurmountable.

One of the few positives to come out of last weekend is that the Baggies didn’t fall further behind their rivals. A couple of wins and everything changes.

The problem is, that after five defeats in a row, this team doesn’t look capable of winning at all, and the question mark hanging over Alan Pardew’s head is growing larger and larger.

Defeat at Vicarage Road could spell the end for Pardew, just 13 weeks after he was appointed.

The head coach’s future is the other element to this game, and with his job hanging in the balance, the way his players perform will give us an indication of whether they’re behind him or not. At the moment, that is very much up for debate.

Not only did four senior members of the squad allegedly steal a taxi in Spain, Chris Brunt questioned his tactics in a dressing room rant last weekend.

Brunt had every right to do that, and his passion both on and off the pitch should be an example to his team-mates.

Following his impact off the bench against Huddersfield, the Northern Irishman has to be reinstated to the starting line-up tomorrow. Pardew’s team selection will be interesting.

Thanks to injuries to Daniel Sturridge, James Morrison and Nacer Chadli, he doesn’t have too many options at his disposal, but it’s obvious something needs to change because he can’t afford to stick with a losing formula.

Watford play 4-2-3-1, just like Southampton and Huddersfield, and leaving 37-year-old Gareth Barry exposed in a two-man midfield again would be asking for trouble.

Pardew made a rod for his own back earlier this year when he insisted he would play two strikers in every game during the run-in.

But a 3-5-2 formation would allow him to keep Salomon Rondon and Jay Rodriguez up front.

Kieran Gibbs has the legs and the attacking nous to be a wing-back, but while Matt Phillips has played that role before, he’ll be lucky to keep his place after several poor performances.

Whatever Pardew decides to do, he needs to get it right, because this could be his last chance to stake a claim for his job. Incredibly, given what’s happened this season, Albion have sold out their 2,200 allocation for this match.

But if those loyal fans are served up the same dross from the last few weeks, they will have every right to make their feelings heard.

And that could be the final nail in the coffin for Pardew.