First Term Report: West Bromwich Albion

As all the teams have reached beyond 10 games in the season, it's possible to form some opinions on how their campaigns are going. For West Bromwich Albion things have taken a turn for the worse.

The Baggies find themselves on the bottom only a few weeks after being relatively comfortably placed. Partly they are the victims of what has become a ridiculously competitive division, where a couple of results can rocket a team up or down 10 places in no time.

There are legitimate concerns though. Tony Mowbray has a distinctive- and admirable- football philosophy that has his side playing thoughtful football that looks after the ball. The negative part of the equation is that Albion aren't a team that put pressure on the opposition in key areas.

As a result, Mowbray's side are getting hurt by teams with quality players who have the time to pick a pass. That is par for the course when Albion play this way but what is really hurting them is not producing at the other end too.

Albion have netted just ten times, the lowest in the division. Bolton have scored just one more but have conceded nine less. This is a situation that can't go on if the team are going to stay up.

Because of the neat style, this Albion side don't have an obvious look of a relegation outfit. The key question is whether to go on in the same manner or make some changes to the style.

The club are embarking on a crucial run of games up to Boxing Day when they visit Chelsea. The next 4 League games are all with sides that are part of the scrum packed together outside the top 6. A poor return from meetings with Stoke, Wigan, Portsmouth and Sunderland could doom their season before Christmas.

Albion have been here before. They remain the only side to escape the drop who were bottom at Christmas but it doesn't mean the fans want to go through it again. In many respects this is a far better squad than the one Bryan Robson had but there are some elements of that side which would be useful now.

Mowbray is likely to keep faith with good players. The likes of Jonathan Greening, Robert Koren and the returned Felipe Teixeira are easy on the eye and capable of creating chances. The worry is that the squad doesn't have strikers capable of producing enough at this level.

The Albion fans appreciate stylish football so there isn't a clamour for a wholesale change of method. However, if the next 4 games don't throw up a reasonable return, the January transfer window could be very busy one, especially in the striking department.

Verdict

A struggling D unfortunately