Tony Pulis – Should he stay, or leave West Brom?

As the famous Clash song goes ‘should Pulis stay or should he go now? If he goes will there be trouble? And if he stays will it be double?’

Okay, okay I know that isn’t quite right, but you guys get the idea! In light of Tuesday’s embarrassing elimination from the League Cup at the hands of League One outfit Northampton Town, I thought I would do a ‘Judge Judy’ style trial piece offering a case for the defence and the prosecution and whether I think TP should remain in charge for the foreseeable future or not…

Defence:

Pulis is a tremendous man manager. He instils a great comradery within the playing staff (well towards the ones who get a look in) which means come matchday, they fight tooth and nail for one another.

There is no denying we have a pretty mediocre squad. If we hadn’t had Pulis in charge the last season and a half, it’s very likely the club would be plying their trade in the Championship now. That ability to extract the very best, in terms of organisation and work rate from average players is the thing that has made him the ‘go to man’ for clubs looking to steer themselves away from the wrong end of the division.

With the players we currently have, is there anyone out there who could have kept us in the division as comfortably as we have in the last two seasons? Probably not, so that alone is something Pulis should be applauded for.

It’s also fair to say Pulis hasn’t had the best backing from the board since his arrival. The fact the club was up for sale before his arrival means he hasn’t been able to bring in those attacking players he so desperately craves due to that uncertainty behind the scenes, which begs the questions are the Pulis ‘haters’ complaints justifiable when he hasn’t yet had the opportunity to put together a team of his own making.

Defender Gareth McAuley celebrates opening the scoring against Everton last weekend, but the Baggies eventually lost 2-1 – Photo: Paul Roberts / Offside.

Prosecution:

What gets to the fans most of all is his stubbornness to adapt his approach, especially when coming up against ‘beatable’ opposition.

The way he sets the team out is perfect for a trip to the Etihad Stadium, but as Tuesday night proved, when coming up against a team of similar ilk or even a lower league team in one of the cup competitions there is clearly no ‘Plan B’, with the players clueless as to how to go and attack a team.

“Not having the players” is an excuse that washes in the Premier League, but how does that apply when coming up against the likes of Northampton Town, Peterborough United or Port Vale in the cup?

With the squad we have now, we should be beating these teams comfortably, but the reality is we aren’t even coming out on top in possession! The question has always been, if he gets the backing in the transfer window, will Pulis be braver in his approach and ‘go at teams’ instead of merely shutting up shop and trying to sneak a goal on the counter/set piece?

Well going by the performances against those teams, I’ve just listed the answer is no, he’s not capable of it full stop and we will always take the same mundane approach regardless of who he brings in.

Decision:

In all the time I have been supporting the Baggies, I have never know a manager/head coach to be so loathed by the fans.

Regardless of whether you agree with the ‘Pulis out’ brigade or not, the simple fact is they greatly outnumber his supporters and are growing stronger with every lacklustre performance that passes in turn, creating a really toxic atmosphere around the club.

For that reason alone, he should be shown the door, but it’s not as simple as that.

With only a handful of days left of the transfer window, getting rid now, when the club is most likely well underway negotiating deals with players and agents, would prove a damaging blow in terms of the club’s success this season.

Yes some players would be put off by Pulis’ approach, but we have a better chance of signing players with him at the helm instead of no-one. It’s a case of baring it for the foreseeable future and seeing who the club manages to bring in in the next few days.

A few decent attacking additions would mean Pulis has no excuses anymore and would also mean a replacement would have a decent squad to work with if Pulis was given the chop.

However, if come the close of the window the squad is as threadbare as it is now, then I feel Pulis needs to remain in order to guarantee our Premier League status.