Moving Target – Tony Pulis

After parting company with Alan Irvine towards the tail end of December, West Brom appointed Tony Pulis to the Hawthorns helm in an attempt to stave off the threat of relegation. Sitting just one point ahead of the bottom three, the Baggies have handed the reigning Premier League Manager of the Year a two-and-a-half year contract in the hope he replicates the heroics that steered Crystal Palace to mid-table safety in the season gone by.

Upon his installation, Pulis was quick to acknowledge he needs to strengthen his options. The Baggies boss also pointed out that, although he has little time to analyse his players before the transfer window slams shut, he’s keen to wipe the slate clean and give his current squad a chance:

“We need a couple of new faces in without a question of doubt to give the place a lift. It is important we pick the right ones and bring the right ones in and then hopefully results will come and that will breed confidence. This is the shortest period of time I have had at any football club to turn it around and get results. That’s why I think it will be as difficult if not more difficult than Palace. I had two months where I could assess Palace. I knew exactly where we were after then. There were players at Palace who weren’t playing when I got there and players who were playing and eventually never played. I’ll pick what I think is right for the team.”

The History

Pulis’ managerial career kicked off back in 1992 with Bournemouth. Over the following few years, he spent time in the lower leagues at Gillingham, Bristol City, Portsmouth and Plymouth before taking the Stoke City helm for the second time in June 2006. After steering the Potters to promotion on the final day of the 2007-08 season, the Welshman helped establish Stoke’s place in the Premier League thanks to a penchant for long-ball tactics and a hard-working, physical approach which made the Britannia a fortress.

Whilst Pulis’ defensive tactics ensured Stoke were difficult to beat – they racked up 30 clean sheets in his final three years at the helm – their resilience came at a cost. With a lone striker system in place, a lack of cutting edge in the final third saw them score just 34 times in 2012/13 – the second lowest tally of any side – and, despite finishing thirteenth, he parted company with the club in May 2013.

Pulis wasn’t out of work for long, though. After picking up just four points in the first 10 league matches under Ian Holloway last year, Crystal Palace’s decision to install the former Stoke boss proved pivotal to their success, as Pulis engineered a stunning turnaround in fortunes which saw the Eagles win 11 and draw five of his 26 matches in charge.

Over that period, Pulis’ side conceded just 27 goals – the fourth most impressive record in the top-flight from Gameweek 13 onwards – whilst a total of 10 clean sheets was bettered by only Chelsea (14), Arsenal (13) and City (11), with six of those shut-outs over 13 fixtures in front of his own fans. Impressively, his impact in defence saw the Eagles register just one error that led directly to a goal, fewer than any other side. In spite of his achievements, however, a dispute with owner Steve Parish saw Pulis leave Selhurst Park just two days before the start of the current campaign.

The Previous Regime

There’s no denying that West Brom’s form under Irvine was relegation material. With just 17 points accrued over 19 matches, the Scotsman’s lack of top-flight experience proved telling – with just 18 goals scored and 28 against, the Baggies picked up one win and a single draw in Irvine’s final nine league matches in the hotseat before he was dismissed prior to the New Year’s Day draw at West Ham.

It’s unfair to point the finger solely at Irvine, though. Over the entire 2014 calendar year, West Brom won just four league matches and failed to impress under previous managers Steve Clarke and Pepe Mel. Indeed, Pulis reckons the underlying problems at the Hawthorns makes this his biggest challenge in 23 years of management:

“…this has been going on at West Brom for a while now. This hasn’t just happened, it hasn’t just fallen off, this has been going on for a while – since Roy [Hodgson] left it’s dropped off a bit. So there’s a lot of work to be done and you have to give the chairman [Jeremy Peace] a lot of credit because he understands now that that is the situation.”

The Remainder of the Season

Pulis kick-started his tenure with an emphatic 7-0 FA Cup win over Gateshead last weekend, with Saido Berahino the star of the show after netting four times. With the new manager keen to restructure, West Brom technical director Terry Burton has already been quizzed on the youngster’s future, with reports suggesting a possible sale could hand the new Baggies boss a significant sum to strengthen over the January transfer window:

“Tony’s a totally realistic football man. He will do whatever is best for the football club. If he needs to sell somebody for something else he’ll sell them, if he wants to keep somebody in, he’ll keep them in. He’ll do whatever’s best to try to get results for the club. Whatever he wants, we’ll do our damnedest to try to make it happen… I don’t think he’d take that small (£20m) an amount of money. That would be a discussion that Tony would have with us at the time. Saido’s worth what some club will pay for him. It’s like any player, if a club wants him badly enough, if they’ve got the finances, they will try to do that. There’s been nothing happening so far.”

Whilst Berahino’s future remains up in the air, there’s no question that Pulis’ arrival has boosted our Fantasy faith in the current Baggies backline. Ben Foster looked nailed on between the sticks, though a real inconsistency of selection at the heart of defence under Irvine is sure to be addressed, with Gareth McAuley, Joleon Lescott, Craig Dawson and (when fit) Jonas Olsson all offering options. Similarly, in the full-back positions, Andre Wisdom owners will be hoping he can stave off the challenge of Cristian Gamboa on the right, with Chris Baird and Sebastien Pocognoli vying for the left-back berth.

Bearing in mind Pulls had no qualms over fielding Robert Huth as a right-back on numerous occasions for Stoke, it’s perhaps a safer idea to hold fire on investing in their backline until a consistent back-four under the new manager emerges. With the winter Wildcard in hand, we can afford to wait and assess Pulis’ plans before taking the plunge with a greater degree of certainty.

The upcoming schedule merely strengthens our belief in Pulis’ defence. Looking at our fixture ticker from now until Gameweek 34, West Brom are rated top for clean sheet prospects – Hull, Spurs, Swansea, Southampton, Stoke, QPR, Leicester and Liverpool all pay visit over that period, whilst trips to fellow strugglers Burnley, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Palace also look potentially profitable.

In midfield, Stephane Sessegnon has been West Brom’s most impressive performer in recent weeks. The Benin international has four assists in the last five Gameweeks and, along with Chris Brunt and Graham Dorrans, look the likeliest of the current crop. Up front, Pulis’ penchant for a more muscular target man to lead the line could work against Berahino, with the role in “the hole” perhaps more suitable, should he stay. Brown Ideye is certainly a more robust figure, whilst Victor Anichebe is another option, though his history of injuries suggests he’s best avoided.

Despite rescuing Palace from the drop, Pulis’ attacking record with the Eagles mirrored his toils with Stoke in the final third. Palace scored just 26 times under his guidance, a tally better than only two other teams – relegated Norwich and Cardiff – to suggest that the Baggies’ main offensive threats are perhaps best left alone, allowing us to focus on their backline in preparation for another great escape.