It's West Brom, but not as we know it

West Brom blogger Jarrod Hill believes the function over fashion approach at the Hawthorns will only succeed with a signinficant points haul to merit its worth.

It's West Brom folks, but not as we know it. In football, it is very often the smallest of margins that make the biggest of differences.

Had Chris Brunt's late effort been an inch-and-a-half the other side of the post we would be celebrating our second win of the season, but would that have been papering over the cracks?

Peter Odemwingie also had a glorious chance when Youssouf Mulumbu put him clean through on goal and Shane Long had a good shout for a penalty.

But, that my Baggie friends, are the highlights from a very dull game. The lack of entertainment continued, as my other half insisted on watching X Factor on our return from the game.

So the best parts of the day were the pre-match drinks and the excellent fish and chips from the Dovedale Chippy on the way home.

I do not allow myself fish and chips too often and normally resist the temptation when we have lost.

As a kind of pick me up and, although we had come away with a draw, in some ways it felt like we had lost.

Having watched the game on Saturday, I fear I will be close to 25 stone come next may and have my own parking space outside the Dovedale.

Fulham arrived at the Hawthorns without a win this season and looked content to leave with a draw.

They were missing a couple of key players but you wouldn't have guessed it as I watched them totally dominate, if not create any clear cut chances, during the first-half.

I couldn't even work out what our formation was during the first 45 minutes and I am unsure the players knew what they were meant to be doing.

Roy explained it was a 4-3-3 formation with Peter Odemwingie and Jerome Thomas wider than the central Shane Long. Whatever it was, it desperately didn't work as Fulham controlled the play.

What amazes me is that we seem prepared to experiment with a new system of 4-3-3, but reluctant to switch back to a system that reaped enough points last season to finish 11^th in the Premier League.

The second-half witnessed a turn-around as we dominated play without creating too many chances, the most notable one resulting in a fantastic save by Mark Schwarzer who, for me, was the best player on the pitch.

As we began to turn the screw, the Fulham goalkeeper repeatedly came and commanded his box and took all the pressure off his stretched defence.

Our best player was Gareth McAauley who, at the age of 31, enjoyed a very good Premier League debut.

His no-nonsense defending was strong and - alongside Jonas Olsson, Nicky Shorey and Steven Reid - McAuley looked determined and composed.

But is it that change in emphasis that is shackling our forward play?

We looked a good deal brighter in the second-half but just couldn't find a way through and it was clear Fulham had settled for a point.

Chris Brunt so nearly clinched it at the death and it's on such small margins that big things are decided.

It took us all last season to get two clean sheets and, already, we have that amount in the first six games.

That figure would stand at three, had Gabriel Tamas and Ben Foster have remained switched on to the very end against Stoke.

Mr Hodgson has made it clear how he sees us building enough points to remain in this division.

If we don't concede we don't lose games, simples and, as I watched us run out of ideas on Saturda,y I did find myself thinking "well, if we cannot win the game make sure we don't lose it" before the boys did just that.

Its football folks but not as we know it, I think we might just have to get used to it.

I have never seen myself as a football purist but I do want to be entertained, although I also want us to do well. So what order do we put our desires in?

For me, I want to see us winning, I never moaned under Gary Megson as we often stifled the life out of the opposition while winning 1-0.

On the flip side, I didn't moan when we failed to get promoted during Tony Mowbray's first season in charge, as my cup overflowed on the entertainment front culminating in a trip to Wembley.

Hodgson looked to be the middle of the road head coach we all dreamed would bring us defensive stability, while still creating attacking football.

Last season's football under Roy was just that, we still needed some work defensively but the goals still flowed like fine wine.

Away days at Sunderland and Newcastle, the games at home against Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton made us believe that our new head coach could achieve the equilibrium we all wanted and desperately needed.

The balance that Roberto Di Matteo, Tony Mowbray, Bryan Robson and Gary Megson never quite achieved. Six games in and, already, this season under Hodgson has a different feel to it.

The 4-4-2 formation has been the main point of contention amongst Albion fans and, although I do not think the new formation suits us, I am happy to see it continue if it brings us the points we need.

However, the fans will only put up with functional football if it brings with it a points haul worthy of the sacrifice and, at the moment, it simply isn't.