West Brom v Arsenal preview

The 66-year-old has only been in the Baggies hot-seat for a fortnight.

But the Dudley-born chief was left in shock following his team’s dreadful display against Leeds on Tuesday.

Allardyce’s first match in charge of the Baggies saw them fall to a 3-0 defeat against Villa – a result that wasn’t helped by skipper Jake Livermore receiving a first-half red card.

They then put in a solid defensive display to secure a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.

But they collapsed in some style against Leeds, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side running riot in a 5-0 victory.

That result led to a scathing press conference from Allardyce where he pointed the finger firmly at the players he has inherited.

The former Bolton boss questioned whether they have the dedication to play in the Premier League. He also questioned whether they are fit enough and raised doubts about their quality.

It angers Allardyce that Albion have failed to perform against teams in the bottom half this season, but they have somehow managed to take points off Manchester City and Liverpool.

That also enrages fans who, by and large, agreed with the Albion’s boss assessment following the Leeds defeat.

But as well as questioning the players, there are supporters who are also questioning Allardyce as well – which is understandable when you see the statistics from his three games in charge.

Albion had 33 per cent possession against Villa, 22 per cent against Liverpool and 24 per cent against Leeds.

The Baggies have also had just 10 shots in those games.

That is the fewest shots any team has managed in their first three games under a new boss since statistics firm Opta started producing records in 2003.

Incredibly, the previous worst came at Everton following Allardyce’s arrival there. The Toffees, though, did manage 16 shots in those three games.

In a bid to reinvigorate his side, Allardyce admitted he would like to make changes for the Arsenal game.

Those changes, however, will depend on the fitness of players who have so far been unavailable to him due to injury.

Up front, Hal Robson-Kanu is a player who would surely suit Allardyce’s style of play, with the Welsh international able to play as a target man who can hold up the ball.

Centre-back Kyle Bartley could also provide more leadership and experience at the back, while Conor Townsend displaced Kieran Gibbs as Albion’s first-choice left-back before his knee injury.

And his return is now even more crucial after Gibbs injured his thigh in the warm-up before the Leeds games.

When asked after Leeds if he could have any of those players back for the visit of Arsenal, Allardyce said: “I honestly don’t know at the moment.

“I’ll find that out when we roar back in.

“For me it’s assessing the squad and getting a team out against Arsenal to try to get a result.

“It seems that it’s difficult for us to get a result at The Hawthorns.

“It’s alright getting a result at Manchester City and Liverpool – we’ve got to change that.”

Alongside those players, there are other changes Allardyce will surely be contemplating.

To give the team more attacking intent, Matheus Pereira surely has to start having been benched the last two games.

While Sam Field surely has to come into consideration – with the youngster the only true holding midfielder in the squad.

Additionally Rekeem Harper may also want to stake a claim, with Matt Phillips having been moved from the wing into central midfield recently.

Whoever he picks, though, what’s clear is that Allardyce currently does not know which of his players have the quality and character needed to survive.

He has to find out quickly, otherwise Albion could soon find themselves cut adrift in the battle for Premier League survival.