[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

This is the situation as I see it:

1. Pulis knows full well that we struggle to score from open play. We've been like it all season, even when we had (vaguely) attacking full-backs. Rather than try and put this right with players who just may not be good enough, he's obviously trying to maximise our threat from set-pieces the way he did with Stoke back in the day. This is why we're getting the four CBs in defence.

2. Unfortunately, though it may give us a bit more presence at set-pieces (and even that's disputable as far as I'm concerned), it's also weakening us defensively, and we're having some nightmare starts to games as a result. Unfortunately for TP, I think he's toyed with doing things "the Palace way" for us, and now he's tried doing it "the Stoke way", and neither are really doing much good. He's going to have to work out a brand new "Albion way" which covers our weaknesses and maximises our few strengths. Expect more playing for set-pieces in the weeks to come, though hopefully things will change at the back, and he'll have a bit of faith in Pocognoli.

3. As regards our run-in, Leicester and QPR at home are absolute must-win games which we need the full six points from. We could probably settle for draws at Villa and Sunderland, and then whatever we can pick up from everything else to stagger across the finish line. We're in exactly the same position now that we were this time last year, so it's far from mission impossible.