West Brom v QPR: Fight for back-to-back wins now halted in bid to avoid successive festive home defeats
There will be concern among Albion decision-makers if the hosts come unstuck against Queens Park Rangers at The Hawthorns tonight.
Just lack week, in a show of festive solidarity, owners Bilkul declared they see "patience, time and consistency" as key ingredients for success at The Hawthorns.
That may well be the case and such an ethos will buy Ryan Mason more time to try to get the recipe right in his debut campaign, though some regimes would have been far more cut-throat given Albion's hugely underwhelming position of 16th in the Championship.
Former boss Tony Mowbray, Bilkul's first head coach appointment, had just 17 games at the helm and won five of them before he was axed. Mason's record from 24 games is not much healthier. You can understand, though, after a period of heavy change the ownership's reluctance for more upheaval.
What will not be understood or accepted from the stands is for Albion to drift any further down the second tier standings and closer to the drop zone. All teams below down to 20th-placed Swansea are just two points adrift of the Baggies.
What was hoped by Bilkul when Andrew Nestor signed his statement on December 23 was a continued show of strength at The Hawthorns under Mason.
Instead, Boxing Day brought a concerning 2-1 defeat to Bristol City, who climbed into the top six as a result, and Monday's visit of ninth-placed QPR brings another visitor just a single point from the play-offs.
