[valpayne]

While I'm not happy with the results against in the Villa games, I'm struggling with the
fact that people are calling Pulis clueless when he's performed miracles to get us to 30
points this early IMO.

People were critical when we defended for our lives and got the 0-0 at Everton. I saw
people saying we should've attacked them, they're not a very good side, etc. Well,
they absolutely wiped the floor with us at our place under Irvine. That game and the
Newcastle game at home this season were the most spineless performances I've seen
from a Baggies side for years. That is the side that Pulis inherited.

Under Pulis, we've grinded out a couple of decent points away while winning tough
games at home. Southampton came to us on the back of 5 away wins in a row and we
beat them. Swansea are never easy, but tactically, we got it spot on and beat them.
The West Ham game was some of the best football we've played for years. They too
rolled us over at our place under Irvine.

I'm coming to the realisation that we're not really that good and if anything, Pulis has
had us punching above our weight so far to pick up so many points. The individual
errors that cost us the games against Villa are the reality of the quality we have at
the club.

Pulis' plan is what he feels will get the most out of this group of mediocrity. Maybe a
more attacking approach might do better, but it's hard to argue with the majority of
results we've picked up under him. To be fair, everything was going to plan on Tuesday
(we looked more likely) until Foster's error. And there really isn't a lot any manager
can do about that sort of nonsense.

Fully agree with this slick. Pulis has far too many admirers in the football world to be "clueless" He kept a very average team on a budget in the prem for years and he literally hauled newly promoted Palace from almost certain relegation to mid table AND he has put us in a position where almost all my football friends that support other teams are certain we wont go down. It may not be pretty but it is on the whole effective and that's exactly what was needed after the AI farce. Next season will be the proof when he gets to assemble his own squad then we can judge more accurately.