West Bromwich Albion fans will be hoping for some excitement this season after another ho-hum Premier League campaign under Tony Pulis in 2015-16.
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INS: Matt Phillips (£5.5 million, Queens Park Rangers)
OUTS: James Chester (£9 million, Aston Villa), Shaun Donnellan (loan, Stevenage), Victor Anichebe (released, unassigned), Stephane Sessegnon (released, unassigned), Anders Lindegaard (contract cancelled, Preston North End)
THE STORY: Imagine half your friends are wealthy enough to always be off enjoying exciting vacations and adventures, at home and abroad. Meanwhile, your other friends are always in debt, unsure of their job security, forever stressing simply to keep the electricity bills paid and food on the table. Imagine you do not reside in either of these camps. You have a job, a steady job, a job that entails doing the same dull work over and over and over again, day in, day out. The pay is nothing to brag about, but it’s enough to keep your head above water. There seems to be no potential for promotion, but there also seems to be no risk of losing your job or having your salary cut. Ever. Would you chafe under the monotony, or be grateful for the sustainable existence? Welcome to life under West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis.
Pulis enjoys (though he may not look like he’s enjoying it) the distinction of never having been relegated, as a player or a manager. On the other hand, his teams have finished in the bottom half of the table for eight consecutive seasons. And to say it is enjoyable to watch a Pulis team survive is like saying you hope at some point today you will require a tourniquet. Yes, the cure is undoubtedly effective, but if that’s what you need just to get through the day … is it really worth it?
West Brom have slipped in recent seasons. After finishing 8th in 2012-13, the Baggies fell to 17th in 2014, then leveled out at13th and 14th the past two years. Their goals scored have fallen in that time from 53 to 43 to 38 to just 34 last season. After that kind of bland, negative turn, life under Pulis’ no-frills regime has come to feel like chasing a glass of tepid tap water by spending the day watching paint dry. But help may be on the way.
Just last week, West Brom were sold to Chinese businessman Guochuan Lai, who became the first mainland-Chinese owner of a Premier League club. Former chairman Jeremy Peace brought stability to the Baggies — no small feat in soccer’s most competitive league. But with further investment on his part looking unlikely, the club did not seem capable of advancing meaningfully up the table. Lai may not be the next Abramovich or Mansour, but when you’re stuck at sea long enough, any wind, any sense of movement, is welcome.
More momentum could be created by resolving the Saido Berahino saga once and for all. The striker has been linked with transfers to Crystal Palace or Stoke City, but a move may depend on whether West Brom can first land Liverpool’s Christian Benteke. If Lai does lay out the money to bring in impact players, it will probably be more with an eye on next year’s team, meaning this season, West Brom will be focused once more on living to fight another day. At least they have the right man at the helm for the job.
KEY PLAYER: Matt Phillips was linked with the club for more than a year before he finally arrived. A speedy winger, his potential link-up play with Berahino and Salomon Rondon, who impressed while scoring nearly a third (10) of all West Brom’s goals last term, may be the most promising “what if?” of the Baggies’ season. He’s also brought a bolt of confidence, pointing out there are templates for sustainable success his new side can emulate.
“You can see from Leicester and Spurs how they progressed last season,” Phillips said, “so why not progress with West Brom? If we can get in the top half of the table then the world’s your oyster.” If Phillips can help Rondon and Berahino/Benteke/Striker X surpass last year’s sub-goal-per-game average, Baggies fans will be happy as clams.
THE MANAGER: Judging Pulis as a manager is a Rorschach test, impossible to answer because the question exists in a fluid state. There’s something to be said for consistency and reliability, in life and in sports. You know Pulis will play 4-5-1. You know his teams will defend solidly. You know his teams will be in the Premier League year in and year out. Then again, fast food is consistently reliable. It’s the same identical meal no matter where you are. Reliability can be a great comfort. Taken too far, it can feel torturous, too. To be fair, Pulis’ teams have shown more of a counterattacking dimension of late than his Stoke side, which was (in)famous for its route-one approach. If the Earth’s very climate can change, so can Tony Pulis. Should you bet on that? No.
Next: Premier League season preview: Southampton
BEST CASE: The Baggies reverse the goal drought of recent years and make a move up the table and, thanks to an infusion of investment from the new owner, the club finds itself a dark horse Europa League contender sooner than later.
WORST CASE: Berahino stays and his play gets worse while he agitates for a move, depressing his value to the club on the pitch and in the transfer market; the new owner doesn’t invest in the team, treating it more as a line-item than a public trust; and the relentless weight of probability finally overpowers Pulis’ DiMaggio-like streak of “meh” as the Baggies are relegated.