[wba_1996]

At the start of the season, Pulis would definitely not be a choice of mine.

I'd have liked us to go for a coach with top level experience who played decent, expansive football.

However, times are a bit desperate now. The only difference between our current position and bottom of
the league is an Esteban Cambiasso own goal. We don't look like we can score a goal but are shipping 2
on a regular basis.

With half the season already gone, we need to hit the ground running.

The thing about Pulis is he knows this league, knows the opposition and knows how to grind out results.

Yes, he failed with taking Stoke to the next level when given money, but our position is more comparable
to Palace, we're currently hurtling towards the Championship at a rate of knots...

And to be fair to Pulis, he did a remarkable job with them.

Not only did they stop shipping goals, but the likes of Bolasie and Puncheon looked like different players.

I think he'd have as good a chance as anyone of keeping us up.

As for Sherwood, not too sure. I liked the fact that he has a set of b*lls and tries to attack teams, but I
did think he was a bit tactically naive. I don't think his time in management was long enough to make a
decision on his credentials.

It's going to be a tough job for anyone, but despite never admiring his style, I think we could do a lot
worse than giving Pulis the job until the end of the season with a large bonus for keeping us up.

Move on in the summer...

Yep, the fact that we are potentially moving from Irvine to last seasons' manager of the year can't be overlooked.

[drewks]

At the start of the season, Pulis would definitely not be a choice of mine.

I'd have liked us to go for a coach with top level experience who played decent, expansive football.

However, times are a bit desperate now. The only difference between our current position and bottom of
the league is an Esteban Cambiasso own goal. We don't look like we can score a goal but are shipping 2
on a regular basis.

With half the season already gone, we need to hit the ground running.

The thing about Pulis is he knows this league, knows the opposition and knows how to grind out results.

Yes, he failed with taking Stoke to the next level when given money, but our position is more comparable
to Palace, we're currently hurtling towards the Championship at a rate of knots...

And to be fair to Pulis, he did a remarkable job with them.

Not only did they stop shipping goals, but the likes of Bolasie and Puncheon looked like different players.

I think he'd have as good a chance as anyone of keeping us up.

As for Sherwood, not too sure. I liked the fact that he has a set of b*lls and tries to attack teams, but I
did think he was a bit tactically naive. I don't think his time in management was long enough to make a
decision on his credentials.

It's going to be a tough job for anyone, but despite never admiring his style, I think we could do a lot
worse than giving Pulis the job until the end of the season with a large bonus for keeping us up.

Move on in the summer...

Yep, the fact that we are potentially moving from Irvine to last seasons' manager of the year can't be overlooked.

Good points!

[HarryJAllstarWBA]

For me, Sherwood was the best choice at the start of the season. We should have given him what he wanted and then he'd have time to build what he wanted, but think his style is too risky for us in the position we are in now. Could work wonders and we finish mid table, but if it goes wrong we'll go down. Pulis for me is the guy to steady things and keep us up.

[bomberbrown1968]

I think most important of all is that we get rid of the culture, if that's the right word, that seems to be around the club, as well as having no credentials, Irvine just carried on with the same culture that has been there for IMO too long now.

One word sums up the coaching staff, tactics, set up and right through the playing ranks, that word is STALE.

Somebody needs to come in and freshen the whole thing up, we all seem to agree that some of the players have been having an easy ride, well so have the coaching staff, remember Kiely and Downing have been through more managers than most, yet still come through unscathed. Talk about being "comfortable". Irvine used to say he picked the team on the strength of the training ground, well I'm sorry for all Irvine has to take the blame at the cost of his job, so should Kiely and Downing.

I'm hoping that if it's either Pulis or Sherwood, they'll want to bring in their own.

I wanted Sherwood in the summer and still want him now, more modern day management and coaching and reckon he'd stamp out that STALE word

[Stairs]

Not fussed if it is Pulis or Sherwood as I feel both have at least the short term credentials to keep us up whereas AI was 100% certain to take us down.

This naturally assumes JP can actually swallow his pride and sum up the cash to make one of these fit. I am sure it will cost more money and it will result in backroom staff changes (I hope so).

Tony Pulis: Although I once hated him for being a long ball merchant. My main gripe with him was that no matter how hard we tried we could not win against Stoke. When he went to Palace they seemed to be play some good football. This shows that if he has the resources he can use them and is not a one trick pony. We have players that can play pretty football. They just were not encouraged to play it and had a bag over their heads as far as tactics were concerned.

Tim Sherwood: For me this is more exciting but he is less experienced. He was doing well at Spurs and was unfairly dismissed and had not done much wrong in my book. He is a fighter and a proud man and I am sure he will kick just as much arse and TP would do. I have no doubt about surviving with him at the helm either.

So, Happy days for me - assuming one of these gets the job, with a tweak of the squad in January, I am sure that they can get the Albion engine firing again and secure enough points to survive. Therefore, with Premiership status secured for next season its a case of which one would make the best show.

Tony Pulis is likely to be a safe pair of hands and with additions to the squad in the summer we could be comfortable in knowing we will be safe from relegation and maybe even have a good cup run. But I doubt we will display flair and shake up things and be in the top 10.

Tim Sherwood is more exciting, as said before. We could play expansive and attacking football and cause trouble for the establish top 10 clubs. Europe could even be a stretch rather than a pipe dream. But what comes with this is the danger that the wax on our wings will melt and it all goes wrong.

Personally, 18 months is a long time in football and although I would be very pleased not to get more grey hair by knowing Tony Pulis was in charge and we were 'steady as she goes', I'd rather secure this season and sign up for an exciting ride with Tim Sherwood.

Sadly I doubt JP is reading this or gives a damn about my opinion.

[turkeydinner]

Tony Pulis did superbly at Crystal Palace playing attractive counter attacking football, he apparently "Didnt have the players at Stoke" to play that way (Adam, Huth, Shawcross, N`zonzi etc cant pass,ahem)

Seeing as Stoke spent a fortune of Pulis buys whos to blame?
Pulis spent a fortune on the likes of Palicious (40k pw), Shea, Kightly etc never to play them
Had his faviroute players and ridgingly stuck to them no matter how bad they played (Wilkinson, Walters)
Forwards never scored more than ten a season each
Ignored than fans and bashed them in the press, totally self-indulgent in his own importance, fell out with the press also(may as well go for Billy Davies)
The only players who came out looking good from Pulis reign were Shawcross, Begovic and Huth
Expect 1980`s full backs who `clear their lines` nothing more
Worse football than under Irvine

Anyone who votes Pulis may as well vote for Howard Wilkisnon or Bobby Gould

[Devongone]

I've always had a soft spot for The Baggies and as an outsider the choice of Pulis or Sherwood seems like a choice between burnt or scalded.

Pulis would save you from relegation, but not from wanting something better .... and you can't really say we'll have him till the end of the season and make another decision then. If you do that then the first miracle of being saved from relegation just won't happen. And Sherwood talks his version of the talk, but at Spurs seemed so far up his own arse that it unsurprisingly didn't prove to be a place where his players wanted to follow.

Managers with vision do also tend to be slightly unhinged and Baggies like their football played with a bit of style so the choices for me would both involve investing in the future. Opt for a young man and you'd get Karl Robinson of MKD, or Mark Cooper from Swindon, but if you want to see a touch of class then Glenn Hoddle would save you and be worth watching at a cost of his minor craziness.

I wish you every success when I say I hope you see past both the current leading candidates. They don't sound like baggies to me.

[Bournemouth Baggie]

Brian Talbot still available, experienced in 3rd round FA Cup games against non-league teams.

[drewks]

Tony Pulis did superbly at Crystal Palace playing attractive counter attacking football, he apparently "Didnt have the players at Stoke" to play that way (Adam, Huth, Shawcross, N`zonzi etc cant pass,ahem)

Seeing as Stoke spent a fortune of Pulis buys whos to blame?
Pulis spent a fortune on the likes of Palicious (40k pw), Shea, Kightly etc never to play them
Had his faviroute players and ridgingly stuck to them no matter how bad they played (Wilkinson, Walters)
Forwards never scored more than ten a season each
Ignored than fans and bashed them in the press, totally self-indulgent in his own importance, fell out with the press also(may as well go for Billy Davies)
The only players who came out looking good from Pulis reign were Shawcross, Begovic and Huth
Expect 1980`s full backs who `clear their lines` nothing more
Worse football than under Irvine

Anyone who votes Pulis may as well vote for Howard Wilkisnon or Bobby Gould

Hey y'old turkey - surely your first and last lines above contradict each other?!
Palace DID play excellent football under Pulis so he CAN do it. I'm not arguing that Stoke's style wasn't his (at the time). or that he didn't waste shedloads of money on dross players whilst there - I'm looking at his last job which gave him the Manager of the Year award!

[wba_1996]

I will admit, the danger with Pulis is that he will favour the "British workhorses" that Irvine did - that means more Wisdom, Dorrans etc. But at least TP might be able to teach them how to win at football.