[drewks]

Fundamentally, there's a direct and irrefutable link between Albion having decent wide players and being able to deliver entertaining and effective performances at home.  Our defence was far too leaky under RDM, but our attacking play was exciting not just because of Odemwingie, but also thanks to good service from JT and Brunt.  Hodgson also benefitted from this in his early days while keeping things tighter at the back.

Then, Hodgson's second season, we kept forcing those wide players into a defensively-minded 4-4-2 and they struggled to create.  We went on our worst run of home form in years as a result, and didn't win at the Hawthorns for months on end.

Clarke came in, and we had that great autumn with Shane Long leading the line supported by an interchanging trio of Odemwingie, Morrison and Gera.  We caused teams problems.  We won games.  Then we lost Odem and Gera, and it all changed to a hoof-and-hope reliance on Lukaku.  We stopped winning.

Last season, the handful of matches we won seemed to coincide uncannily with the matches Morgan Amalfitano was on form.  The rest of the time, we were shite.  Why?  No wide threat.

Now this season we're persisting with Dorrans and Brunt - and I understand why, because both have shown flashes of inspiration, and I do appreciate their usefulness - but neither can cause any full-back in the Premier League problems.  Most of the time we're relying on Pocognoli and Wisdom to deliver crosses rather than our wide attackers.  We just can't get in behind teams often enough.

Of course, when you couple this lack of width with a lack of creativity in the centre of the field like we did today, it's always going to end in tears.  As I type this, Swansea have just taken the lead against Arsenal thanks to Jefferson Montero running riot down the Arsenal right.  They make it look easy.  We could do the same.  The question is, why aren't we?

Good post Ska'd