West Brom Fan View: Alarm bells are ringing after defeat at Stoke

After months of poor results under former boss Tony Pulis, things were finally starting to look up for West Brom when they came away with a point at Anfield on 13th December. But, Alan Pardew’s men have fallen to two successive defeats since then, including a 1-3 loss to Stoke City on Saturday.

Mark Hughes was under severe pressure after a long period of poor performances and results, but a terrible first-half display from Albion resulted in a two-goal deficit before half-time, which also featured a terrible miss by Salomon Rondon.

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Although The Baggies were much better in the second-half and had loads of chances to equalise at the Bet365 Stadium, they finally succumbed to an embarrassing 3-1 defeat, which leaves West Brom in 19th in the Premier League table, three points from safety.

The arrival of Pardew was meant to signal a shift in playing style, with players being given more freedom to express themselves, with more bodies being committed forward. Whilst that has happened in small phases in recent games, as the players are still getting used to the different style, the team is also conceding more goals than usual, in what is a rather worrying trend.

In terms of our Premier League safety, the January transfer window is going to be absolutely crucial, as the players we’ve got now are solid, who excel in work rate and commitment, but lack the quality needed to take games to opponents.

The inclusion of Chris Brunt was a good step in the right direction, as he adds much-needed creativity with his passing and crossing, summarised by the through ball he provided for Rondon’s consolation goal versus Stoke.

We also need the likes of Nacer Chadli, James Morrison and Gareth Barry in the team on a regular basis, as there’s no one else who can unlock defences on a regular basis.

Boing Boing!