Team Focus: Baggies' Fans Not Getting Enough Boing for Their Buck

It's early days, and worth noting that as many as five Premier League sides are yet to record a win after the opening four fixtures, but there's real concern amidst West Brom fans right now. Labelled a yo-yo club for years, the Midlands outfit have avoided the drop over the past 4 seasons with the Baggies faithful hopeful of establishing themselves as a mainstay in the top-flight.

They came perilously close to losing their Premier League status last season though, and a sense of pessimism washed over the club that certainly hasn't diminished. It's been a difficult period for the Midlands as a whole, with each of the three biggest clubs in the region going through worrying spells. The appointment of Alan Irvine at the Hawthorns left the vast majority unconvinced. It's fair to say that is a feeling that remains to this day.

The 0-2 defeat to Everton at the weekend was hardly a shock result but the manner of the performance led a large number of fans to voice their frustration at the final whistle. The brunt of this anger, somewhat unfairly, has been directed at their club captain. Ben Foster, whose error led to Kevin Mirallas' decisive second goal, spoke in defence of his skipper Chris Brunt, claiming the boo-boys that were targeting the Northern Irishman were pathetic to do so.

The midfielder is clearly no world-beater but the problem is that he is one of many, rather than a few, to underperform of late. A strong servant to the club over his time, the fact that Brunt is captain of this side is perhaps telling. He's not what you'd call a big name player and West Brom are certainly lacking in that department.

Arguably their highest profile player is now Joleon Lescott and he's yet to feature through injury. The fitness, or lack thereof, of a number of key players, including the likes of Gareth McAuley and record signing Brown Ideye, has certainly exacerbated matters at the beginning of the campaign.

The most worrying factor about West Brom's plight is its relative longevity. The Baggies have been below par for some time now, winning just 3 of their last 22 league games and this is no longer a rut but a trend that will be harder to buck the longer it persists.

Only Youssouf Mulumbu has really coming out of the last 9 months or so with any sense of credit. Indeed, since the turn of the year the Congolese midfielder is the only WBA player to have earned a WhoScored.com rating in excess of 7 of those with 10+ appearances (7.08). Gareth McAuley comes closest to that (6.98) but his absence has exposed Jonas Olsson's flaws, with more and more creeping into the gangly Swede's game.

It's perhaps most interesting that of the 17 players to have appeared for the club at least ten times in the league in 2014 Chris Brunt ranks third in the ratings (6.92). He was a scapegoat for the team's demise last season but there have been far worse to have pulled on the navy and white.

Errors at the back, showcased in the recent defeat to Everton, coupled with profligacy up front represents a recipe for relegation. The only team with a worse conversion rate (7.6%) in 2014 not to have been promoted or relegated to or from the top-flight is Newcastle, who are the crisis club right now. Victor Anichebe is the top rated striker at the club since the turn of the year with a meagre score of just 6.48 from WhoScored.

The pressure, then, on Brown Ideye to adapt and start pulling up trees is substantial. It's a big ask for player that hasn't played domestic football at anywhere close to the standard of England's top tier. He needs time but with the fans already having turned on the side the team and the manager may not have a lot of it. With games against Tottenham, Liverpool and United in three of their next four in the league, the home tie with Burnley in a fortnight will be crucial. Fail to win any of those four and it would be hard to see West Brom dragging themselves out of the mire.

Can West Brom get out of their current slump and secure their Premier League survival once again? Let us know in the comments below