Another late goal conceded and it’s another game without a win and it’s starting to look a little desperate at the Hawthorns. Albion have never scored fewer than seven goals from their opening nine Premier League games, and only in their first three seasons did they have fewer than ten points.
It’s now just two wins in the last eighteen league matches for the Baggies, just 12 points from a possible 54, and with arguably the most talented squad they have ever had in the Premier League era, it’s not looking too clever for Tony Pulis.
Whenever he has been under pressure in his Albion career, Pulis has managed to pull out a result or two to keep the wolves from the door, but with matches against Man City, Chelsea and Spurs forming three of the next four fixtures, it’s going to need to be something special. From the equivalent fixtures last season, the Baggies had double the amount of points and it is the fact that it has been a relatively easy run of fixtures to start to the season that is most concerning.
It’s not at crisis point yet, and I think calls for Pulis’s head are premature, but if Albion are still on the same winless run when Newcastle Utd visit the Hawthorns at the end of November, that match and the subsequent home match against Crystal Palace could be huge.
| Home | Away | Season End | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Posn* | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Posn | Pts | |
| 2002/2003 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 9 | 15th | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 19th | 26 |
| 2004/2005 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 15th | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 17th | 34 |
| 2005/2006 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 15th | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 19th | 30 |
| 2008/2009 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 13th | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 20th | 32 |
| 2010/2011 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 4th | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 11th | 47 |
| 2011/2012 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10th | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 10th | 47 |
| 2012/2013 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 8th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 8th | 49 |
| 2013/2014 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12th | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 17th | 36 |
| 2014/2015 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 12th | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 13th | 44 |
| 2015/2016 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 12th | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 14th | 43 |
| 2016/2017 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13th | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 10th | 45 |
| 2017/2018 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 13th | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4 | ||
| Comparison of Equivalent Fixtures^ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| 2016/2017 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 20 |
| 2016/2017 Results | Southampton (A) | W | 2-1 | ||||
| Manchester City (H) | L | 0-4 | |||||
Results
| 2002/2003 | 05/10/2002 | Newcastle United (A) | L | 1-2 | Balis |
| 2004/2005 | 16/10/2004 | Norwich City (H) | D | 0-0 | |
| 2005/2006 | 15/10/2005 | Arsenal (H) | W | 2-1 | Kanu, Carter |
| 2008/2009 | 25/10/2008 | Hull City (H) | L | 0-3 | |
| 2010/2011 | 23/10/2010 | Fulham (H) | W | 2-1 | Mulumbu, Fortuné |
| 2011/2012 | 22/10/2011 | Aston Villa (A) | W | 2-1 | Olsson, Scharner |
| 2012/2013 | 28/10/2012 | Newcastle United (A) | L | 1-2 | Lukaku |
| 2013/2014 | 26/10/2013 | Liverpool (A) | L | 1-4 | Morrison (pen) |
| 2014/2015 | 25/10/2014 | Crystal Palace (H) | D | 2-2 | Anichebe, Berahino (pen) |
| 2015/2016 | 17/10/2015 | Sunderland (H) | W | 1-0 | Berahino |
| 2016/2017 | 22/10/2016 | Liverpool (A) | L | 1-2 | McAuley |
| 2017/2018 | 21/10/2017 | Southampton (A) | L | 0-1 |
Next Matches
| 2002/2003 | 19/10/2002 | Birmingham City (H) | D | 1-1 | Roberts |
| 2004/2005 | 23/10/2004 | Crystal Palace (A) | L | 0-3 | |
| 2005/2006 | 23/10/2005 | Bolton Wanderers (A) | L | 0-2 | |
| 2008/2009 | 28/10/2008 | Newcastle United (A) | L | 1-2 | Miller |
| 2010/2011 | 01/11/2010 | Blackpool (A) | L | 1-2 | Mulumbu |
| 2011/2012 | 29/10/2011 | Liverpool (H) | L | 0-2 | |
| 2012/2013 | 05/11/2012 | Southampton (H) | W | 2-0 | Odemwingie (2) |
| 2013/2014 | 02/11/2013 | Crystal Palace (H) | W | 2-0 | Berahino, McAuley |
| 2014/2015 | 01/11/2014 | Leicester City (A) | W | 1-0 | Cambiasso (o.g.) |
| 2015/2016 | 24/10/2015 | Norwich City (A) | W | 1-0 | Rondón |
| 2016/2017 | 29/10/2016 | Manchester City (H) | L | 0-4 | |
| 2017/2018 | 28/10/2017 | Manchester City (H) |
* Positions are recorded as Albion’s position in the Premier League table after all fixtures for that day have been completed.
^ Fixtures against promoted clubs are compared against fixtures against the relegated clubs from last season with the club finishing 1st in the Championship compared against the club finishing 18th in the Premier League, 2nd compared with 19th and the play-off winners compared against the club who finished bottom.