Writing my weekly piece for the Express & Star I realised I needed much more than 250 words to air my frustrations at the current goings on at the Albion right now. Losing 4-0 to Manchester City, albeit they being on a different level to us, has just been another downer.
While our points tally for this season hadn't been overly disappointing before last Saturday's trip to Anfield, it's worth noting just who was amongst our opening 10 or so games; the shaky defense of Everton, newly promoted Middlesbrough, low on confidence Bournemouth and the struggling Stoke and Sunderland. Out of the 15 points available we picked up only 3. Even our 4-2 victory over West Ham was less than convincing come the end of the 90 minutes, being 4-0 up before the hour mark! This and the opening day win at Crystal Palace have been the only triumphs in the last 20 games, carrying over from March.
With the signing of Nacer Chadli we seem to be aiming to achieve Tony Pulis' game plan of catching out the opposition on the counter and, although it has been effective to some extent, his tactics can't be the only option. Today he set up with the erratic Jonas Olsson and out-of-form Darren Fletcher, whom fans had been calling to be rested following a disappointing start to the campaign. However, it was inevitable that Pulis wouldn't drop the captain and once again, Fletcher struggled, gifting possession with not even five seconds on the clock. Five minutes into the second half Olsson and Fletcher were both substituted, which was met with ironic cheers and even some boos from the crowd. I personally find booing individual players a disgrace but it was a clear message that the supporters knew better than the manager.
Booing at the Hawthorns seems to have become the norm over the last couple of years with all that has been going on, on and off the pitch. What I have found frustrating though is that voicing unhappiness at performances on the pitch comes from the majority of the ground, mostly justified, but when it comes to supporting the team there is very rarely a peep these days, Smethwick End aside (from where I sit at least). I recall sitting with my dad, brother and friend at the Port Vale game in the League Cup last season where the four of us shouted support for the team and got strange looks off everyone else simply sitting there. Although I did nearly have a heart attack when Rickie Lambert rattled a 30 yard shot off the crossbar but that's a different story...
It has even come down to our away following, and now a minority of home supporters, have brought back the much-loved gallows humour. I'll admit the last couple of games this has been the most enjoyable part. Last week we mocked Liverpool fans and players by chanting "how s*** must you be, we've just had a shot" and "2-0 and you f***** it up" after a Chadli effort went over the bar, as well as celebrating whenever we had one of our few shots. We counted that while the real game finished 2-1, we had in fact won 2-5. Today's genius chant started in the Smethwick where it was obvious we weren't going to have much possession against a top side like City, so started "we've got the ball!!" when we finally managed to gain possession. When they got the ball back it changed to "we've lost the ball!!" Sports parody Twitter accounts with a video of this have as many as over 3000 RTs and Likes.
Joking aside whilst we find it fun and easy to laugh at ourselves it's another thing when pundits and fans of other clubs do the same to us. We are described as a "typical Pulis team", "the new Stoke", a "rugby team" and even an "irrelevant team". With Pulis as manager it comes with a reputation; a reputation that we once mocked his former club for. Many Albion fans once said while Pulis was in charge they could never watch his football week in week out. Another gripe is we are no longer West Bromwich Albion; we are "Tony Pulis' West Brom". Opposition fans, pundits and the media don't seem to think the club or the players have any purpose but to exist and Pulis is all that matters to keeping us "relevant". I can't think of anything more soul destroying than having no identity other than what he wants us to be.
His constant swipes at the current squad lacking quality compared to the likes of even Stoke, who as he said went interviewed by a Match of the Day reporter, had "quality players that we haven't got". He very rarely speaks highly of our own players other than to say they are a "top, top player" or a "good lad". Fans are yet to get a clear answer whenever his tactics are questioned aswell, whether it be refusing to select particular players (McManaman, Pocognoli, etc) or why he only seems to set up to sit back against any team including lower league teams in the cups.
The argument that we don't have good enough players is, in my opinion, very naive as the manager seems to restrict our best attacking player from being their best. Having being offered a new contract only yesterday and today's result being what it has been doesn't seem to give a lift around the place.
It's understandable why fans are so quiet and despondent at the ground but I do not believe just sitting and accepting what is happening, then booing will solve anything. Signing a new deal doesn't look good for those of us unhappy with Pulis and it's not as though my words will have any affect and change the atmosphere in the slightest but the one thing we can do is try and support the players on that pitch, whether it's a good day or a bad day for them. The majority put in 100% and even though they're nowhere near world beaters like the last two weeks' opponents, that is always good enough for me.
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