[Slick_Footwork]

Slick do you seriously believe that Mozza doesn't have a 2nd gear to improve on that today? The fact is that he and others are being played out of position in a very flat defensive system. That is why they are looking so poor. Also I think these players are having all of the football coached out them.

Frankly, I don't think the majority of our midfielders are good enough for a 4-4-2.

I think Mozza is a very ordinary Prem player. I don't think he's a wide man (although he did start there for Boro), nor do I think he's strong enough to play in the centre of a 4 man midfield.

His best football tended to be when he played off the front man in a 5 man midfield, which doesn't seem to be a formation Pulis will play (plus our best 3 players are centre forwards) - so based on that I don't think Mozza has much more to give than today.

Yacob does what he does, he's a good tackler and stopper, but IMO too immobile to be in the centre of a 4 man midfield.

I've always felt Gardner was a Championship player who has little more than a decent work ethic and good strike.

Really, I think Yacob and Gardner should've been replaced in the summer if Pulis wanted to persist with 2 up top. That appears to be the idea, based on Lambert and Rondon coming in to supplement Saido, arguably our best player. Unfortunately, it seems like we've spent money on the wrong players in the summer.

[WBA Will]

I too have never been a fan of Pulis. That performance was completely dire but was it really unexpected? We all know Pulis' aims are a 1-0 win at home and a 0-0 draw away. And, to be fair, it's been consistently successful for him in his career to date, so why on earth would he change?

[Beefy 1965]

No shots on target and 36% possession against newly promoted Watford.
....... Just let that sink in...

[May68]

Slick I agree with pretty much everything you've said there. What this suggests then is that TP is trying to shoehorn players into his favoured formation rather than adapting his tactics around the players he's got.

[Slick_Footwork]

Slick I agree with pretty much everything you've said there. What this suggests then is that TP is trying to shoehorn players into his favoured formation rather than adapting his tactics around the players he's got.

Agree entirely.

From my point of view, when Irvine was sacked last year, Pulis was the appointment I wanted simply because we needed to stay up. I think Pulis is one of the best at getting decent performances out of average players.

However, I wanted him to be pulled in just until the end of the season and then, if we stayed up for us to get a footballing manager to come in and start a fresh. Ironically, the manager I would've liked was Flores, now at Watford.

Long term the blame has to go with our board though, if they had appointed someone decent like Laudrup instead of Irvine last summer, we could've persisted as a decent Prem side playing good football. Unfortunately, after the mess Irvine created (along with our two bit scouting last summer), TP was probably the best man for the job of keeping us up. The kick back of that is what we're seeing now, a season of rigid, defence minded, counter attacking football - which is even more boring when you don't have any midfield players capable of counter attacking with any pace.

[Baggievicar]

Just going back to Saido for a minute. I like him a lot as a player, but can he actually head the ball? I remember - or seem to - a load of times when he's messed up headers close to goal like today. Can't remember many he's scored. I may be completely unfair to him but no doubt others can put me right if so.
If it's true, again you'd hope there's a lot of coaching going on but I;m not sure it's very effective.

[Tom_Wba]

What i can't understand is when fans are negative on social media about a performance so many are too quick to say "calm down" etc, Every Albion fan used to take the p**s out of Stoke big time for their style of play under Pulis. When did it suddenly become acceptable at West Brom? When he joined and 'saved' us??? If we had the squad Pulis wants we still would of gone down there and played exactly the same so lets take that BS excuse out of it. I suppose any point away from home is decent enough but my word its absolute dross and the novelty will soon wear off for the traveling fans spending hard earned cash

[Beefy 1965]

Booed off apparently ............

However Pulis still says there is a lot of business to be done in the transfer window.

Lets just hope if we have a few more signings TP actually plays them

Still no Pace yet we have it on the bench and wingers,

Yet Gardner is chosen out wide,

I was delighted when TP was appointed and will allow him the transfer window and time to gel the new players,

But performances MUST improve

[wba_1996]

Pulis saying we will be surprised by the quality of players we are going to be bringing in before the window closes. My guess would be Arjen Robben, only to bench him and start Gardner out wide. Seriously though, if we can't get in a quality box-to-box centre mid or a very good winger then we are in for a long season.

[4evaabaggie]

Beefy, agree with your timescale, then I want a traditional footballing Albion side who can pass to each other, attack at pace, defend but most of all bloody well entertain. If I wanted a stiff neck I would watch tennis or trapeze acts. Give a little time before shooting the driver. He played some nice stuff at palace ...........