[wba_1996]

Sorry, Drewks, but I'd put Watford, Boro, Norwich (or whoever)  ahead of us to stay up next Year.

It's pretty obvious that is due to a dislike of Pulis rather than any realistic football reasoning. We have a better squad already than every one of the Championship top 6 and we will be ahead of all of them in the eyes of players and agents trying to sign for a PL club (bar loanees from the Watford owners' other clubs). 

The increased TV money will have an impact as well, it puts us ahead European clubs of a similar size (and even larger ones) in terms of the fees and wages we can offer. Therefore we have the advantage over them for any players from abroad we might go in for (in before "TP only signs English players").

a)  I don't "dislike Pulis". (I didn't dislike him before he came.) I did dislike his style of play, though, if that's what you mean.

b)  You probably made the same points this time last year, and I would have expected to have the edge over the 3 promoted Clubs - but we're pretty well on a par. However, some key players have faded SINCE then, notably Yacob, Mulumbu, Brunt, Lescott and McCauley (of late), Gardner (c/w his Sunderland form), Anichebe. The Income has been pretty well squandered since 12 months ago, and the Recruitment Team don't come up with the gems they used to. And I'm not optimistic that Pulis knows a good player when he sees one if his recruitment record with Stoke was anything to go by. We're an ageing squad, and need to recruit some fresh legs if, indeed, we're not going to rely on 11 players shuffling around our half of the pitch, and relying on solo efforts from our Berahino replacement.

1. Two of them look relegated while the other has spent the majority of the season at the bottom and are still 6 points behind us. We are 13th and pretty much safe.

2. I'll judge him by his record of signing players at Albion: one is our captain and consistently one of our best performers and the other has been injured but was direct, nimble and quick when he came on against Liverpool and nearly won us the game. Average height: 5'10.5"