Can Tony Pulis keep West Brom up?

Can Tony Pulis keep West Brom up?

Tony Pulis pulled off a minor miracle by keeping Crystal Palace up last season, but can he repeat the trick with West Bromwich Albion?

Pulis took charge of the Eagles in late November 2013, with relegation to the Championship looking all but a certainty, but he engineered a superb turnaround in fortunes which saw Palace survive by a massive 12 points in the end.

That is the reason why the Baggies moved for Pulis when they hit the skids but on the surface Pulis has far more to work to do at The Hawthorns.

A deadline day deal for Darren Fletcher will add some experience to the midfield, while a swoop for Callum McManaman has given Pulis another option in wide areas.

However, the main reason why Pulis and Albion are likely to survive is the retention of star striker Saido Berahino, who has already netted 14 times in all competitions this season and his continued presence at the club is a massive boost.

Berahino is set to be partnered by Victor Anichebe for much of the remainder of the campaign, with summer recruits Brown Ideye and Georgios Samaras having failed to make an impact.

So the pressure is on Berahino, but Pulis has already voiced his support for the youngster and his reassuring presence will surely mean that the England Under-21 ace continues to prosper.

While Pulis is relying on youth in attack, elsewhere on the pitch he has a number of vastly experienced performers at his disposal and that should be another major factor in Albion avoiding the drop.

In midfield, the likes of James Morrison, Chris Brunt and Craig Gardner have been in and around relegation dogfights before and will not be scared of the prospect of another, especially with the wise head of Pulis now guiding them.

The Welshman is renowned for making his sides hard to beat and the imminent return from injury of Jonas Olsson to shore up the defence will provide a boost, while the presence of former England man Joleon Lescott, and behind him Ben Foster, seems to suggest the Baggies have more than enough to pull clear of trouble.

So what are the negatives that could leave Pulis and co in deep trouble come May?

A 3-0 home drubbing by Tottenham last time out gave Pulis plenty to think about, with the boss admitting after the game that he and his players had perhaps been distracted by the upcoming transfer deadline.

They cannot afford to make the same mistake in their next game when they head to Turf Moor to take on fellow strugglers Burnley.

A positive result in East Lancashire would go a long way to helping Albion kill off doubts about their survival.

Following that fixture, the remainder of the season is a tale of two halves, with some highly winnable games, including home clashes with QPR and Leicester City, followed by a tough-looking run-in.

The last five fixtures for Albion see them take on Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Arsenal, so Pulis and his players need to get the job done as soon as possible.

However, the experience of last season means that Pulis can give his squad some positivity if they are still in danger in the closing weeks of the campaign.

His former club Palace strung five consecutive wins together, a run which included victories at both Everton and West Ham and a 1-0 triumph at home to Chelsea, while a famous 3-3 draw with Liverpool, when they were already safe, highlighted the fighting spirit that Pulis can foster.

And it is that, along with the experience around the squad and the goals of Berahino, which should see Albion safe come mid-May.