[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

These things tend to even themselves out with football...

Against Watford at home we were the better team and certainly shouldn't have lost the game. Even against West Ham at home we should've been out of sight before they scored really...

However, on the opposite side of the coin, Everton away we got completely out played and come away with 3 points from our only shot. At Stoke away we just about scraped the win by a single goal and they played for most of the game with 9 men and the sending offs were not exactly cut and dry.

Personally I think the position we're in is about right. We've got plenty of guts and determination and very rarely give anyone an easy game, but our quality is really poor.

What's most annoying about Pulis is that there are some performances where we play on the front foot and genuinely don't look a bad side. It feels like we're only a few players away from being top half team... But then you look at his transfer record where he's signed lower league dross like McClean or the likes of Chester and McManaman who are never going to fit his style. It does make you wonder if he'll ever spot those few players we need to push on... His transfer record is more 'misses' than 'hits'.

I do feel that Pulis sometimes gets harsh treatment due to the stigma associated with his time at Stoke. Don't get me wrong, his football is poor, but Irvine and Uncle Roy were hardly expansive - yet they didn't get the same abuse. However, the problem for me isn't the football - it's the fact that despite being given money he's failed to address the quality issue. Part of my thinks it might be worth giving him about season and hope that he attracts another few players in the Jonny Evans quality mould to take us to the next level; but another side thinks he'll just buy more lower league quality like McClean and wouldn't be able to spot a decent attacking midfielder even if he bit him on the ass...

Fantastic post that pretty much sums up my feelings right now.

[4evaabaggie]

Slick, very good points very well made and just about sums up the way I feel, 49% of me says get rid, he will not improve us he will not buy quality or diamonds to develop, 51% says he is the victim of his history and our poor transfer / scouting of the last four years or so,, give him some slack maybe we have a palace waiting to evolve .......

It is a fine line .... which side should I be .... who knows the future.

[St Charles Owl]

Very true baggiesteve, no forward motion visible which usually ends in relegation, hoping that after eighteen months in charge we may get more of a head coach / scout transfer balance which may freshen the squad with pace, width, youth  and creativity.

I seem to be disagreeing with you recently 4eva, please don't take it personally!!!

To be right, no forward motion means you stay in about 15th spot, and in the prem, it takes Villa and Newcastle style backward motion to get relegated!!!  Your stability (stagnation may also apply) means you are about 100m richer than either of those clubs will be next season, I would like to think that Pulis can at least discover some of his Palace form through wise use of that money, even if it's to just bring you guys back together again!!!

[BaggieSteve]

Very true baggiesteve, no forward motion visible which usually ends in relegation, hoping that after eighteen months in charge we may get more of a head coach / scout transfer balance which may freshen the squad with pace, width, youth  and creativity.

I seem to be disagreeing with you recently 4eva, please don't take it personally!!!

To be right, no forward motion means you stay in about 15th spot, and in the prem, it takes Villa and Newcastle style backward motion to get relegated!!!  Your stability (stagnation may also apply) means you are about 100m richer than either of those clubs will be next season, I would like to think that Pulis can at least discover some of his Palace form through wise use of that money, even if it's to just bring you guys back together again!!!

St Charles, a finish of 15th when it was previously 13th and with fewer points and goals scored would, I'd argue, suggest a team going backwards. However, as I don't want to be a statistical pedant (honestly), my bigger concern is that we have now completed six consecutive seasons in the Premier League, during which time we have finished 8th, 10th and 11th. I accept that those finishes are probably as good as it gets for us and whilst we would love to "do a Leicester", the reality is that we won't. However, surely the aim of being in the EPL, or any league, is to finish as high as you can and to provide entertainment to those who pay to watch. I don't know many fans who will suffer another turgid performance only to say how glad they are we have a positive bank balance. If our primary measure of the season is our financial position, that would indicate the ambition of a FTSE 100 company, not a football club. Sorry if I sound like a moany old git but I believe we have a manager who is totally risk averse, who sets up not to lose (as opposed to win) and who values graft and hard work above creativity and pace. If it's Pulis, boring and EPL or A.N.OTHER, entertainment and Championship, then I'll take the latter. You may think that's crazy but I don't believe the EPL and the money is the be all and end all. 

[tidy]

What on earth makes anyone think that, by being relegated to the Championship, suddenly WBA will 'spring into life' and start playing wonderful attractive 'Albion style' (whatever that is) football?

Lets get real here...

There's alot of rubbish, boring, 2nd rate hoofball played in the Champo, in half-empty stadiums, from what I've seen.

[BaggieSteve]

What on earth makes anyone think that, by being relegated to the Championship, suddenly WBA will 'spring into life' and start playing wonderful attractive 'Albion style' (whatever that is) football?

Lets get real here...

There's alot of rubbish, boring, 2nd rate hoofball played in the Champo, in half-empty stadiums, from what I've seen.

That's not what I was saying. I was merely stating a personal opinion that, if the sole purpose of being in the Premier League, is financial and we are not bothered about performances as long as we stay up, then I think that's crap. But that's just my opinion. My obvious preference is to stay in the EPL and see a more entertaining style of football. You're right, there is a lot of rubbish, boring, 2nd rate hoofball played in the Champo. There's also a lot of entertaining, skilful football played in the EPL but we don't play any of it.

[4evaabaggie]

Very true baggiesteve, no forward motion visible which usually ends in relegation, hoping that after eighteen months in charge we may get more of a head coach / scout transfer balance which may freshen the squad with pace, width, youth  and creativity.

I seem to be disagreeing with you recently 4eva, please don't take it personally!!!

To be right, no forward motion means you stay in about 15th spot, and in the prem, it takes Villa and Newcastle style backward motion to get relegated!!!  Your stability (stagnation may also apply) means you are about 100m richer than either of those clubs will be next season, I would like to think that Pulis can at least discover some of his Palace form through wise use of that money, even if it's to just bring you guys back together again!!!

St Charles no offence taken, I value everyone's views, in the premier no forward motion is a recipe for relegation because other teams will improve and advance, hovering just above the trapdoor season after season leads to a villa type collapse ..... you need to spend and advance to stand still ... harsh but true.

[St Charles Owl]

Very true baggiesteve, no forward motion visible which usually ends in relegation, hoping that after eighteen months in charge we may get more of a head coach / scout transfer balance which may freshen the squad with pace, width, youth  and creativity.

I seem to be disagreeing with you recently 4eva, please don't take it personally!!!

To be right, no forward motion means you stay in about 15th spot, and in the prem, it takes Villa and Newcastle style backward motion to get relegated!!!  Your stability (stagnation may also apply) means you are about 100m richer than either of those clubs will be next season, I would like to think that Pulis can at least discover some of his Palace form through wise use of that money, even if it's to just bring you guys back together again!!!

St Charles no offence taken, I value everyone's views, in the premier no forward motion is a recipe for relegation because other teams will improve and advance, hovering just above the trapdoor season after season leads to a villa type collapse ..... you need to spend and advance to stand still ... harsh but true.

And that I agree with, to enable you to stand still requires investment across the club from the academy to the first team.  But while JP runs your club very well which sees you being a fairly rare commodity in football - a viable business!!  That is great, and probably very prudent, but if we accept that with the extra money coming into the Prem most clubs will up their spend on transfers and wages, I have yet to see any evidence of JP really being willing to push the boat out to keep up with the other clubs!!  Could this "prudence" be part of the issue you will face in the coming seasons, irrespective of who is manager???

We have all seen good managers fail to achieve their goals due to their club not giving him the resources to achieve in the highly competitive world of the PL, and of course we have also seen the opposite as well, managers who succeed despite the lack of resources.  Question is do you consider TP to be a manager that achieves goals without the need to spend a fortune, keep you above the relegation spots and maybe more importantly keep JPs policy of prudence intact??

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Very true baggiesteve, no forward motion visible which usually ends in relegation, hoping that after eighteen months in charge we may get more of a head coach / scout transfer balance which may freshen the squad with pace, width, youth  and creativity.

I seem to be disagreeing with you recently 4eva, please don't take it personally!!!

To be right, no forward motion means you stay in about 15th spot, and in the prem, it takes Villa and Newcastle style backward motion to get relegated!!!  Your stability (stagnation may also apply) means you are about 100m richer than either of those clubs will be next season, I would like to think that Pulis can at least discover some of his Palace form through wise use of that money, even if it's to just bring you guys back together again!!!

St Charles no offence taken, I value everyone's views, in the premier no forward motion is a recipe for relegation because other teams will improve and advance, hovering just above the trapdoor season after season leads to a villa type collapse ..... you need to spend and advance to stand still ... harsh but true.

Question is do you consider TP to be a manager that achieves goals

Yes, if I'm not mistaken, he achieves goals at the rate of about one every two games