{"id":7172,"date":"2017-09-07T20:22:35","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T00:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=7172"},"modified":"2017-09-07T21:09:17","modified_gmt":"2017-09-08T01:09:17","slug":"west-brom-dare-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2017\/09\/07\/west-brom-dare-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Why it is Time for West Brom to Start Daring to Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

Almost one year ago, West Brom<\/a> became the third Midlands club to have Chinese investment after Championship sides Aston Villa and Wolves were sold.<\/p>\n

In his very first words as the club’s new owner,\u00a0Guochuan Lai insisted<\/a> that he had\u00a0no intentions of changing things yet, but\u00a0that his wishes\u00a0were to maintain the club’s stable structure and well-run nature. Tony\u00a0Pulis was the\u00a0man for the job,\u00a0renewing his contract<\/a> for a further year. The Welshman intended to move the club forward, yet warned against the scourge he has devoted his career to\u00a0trying to eradicate: wishful thinking.<\/p>\n

Pulis is not a manager who spends time gazing at the stars but that is not to say he eschews higher goals. Achieving a top-half finish was a step forward, but his ability to capitalise on that is coming under question.<\/p>\n

West Brom’s 2016\/2017 season was very much in three parts: a poor beginning and end bookmarked by a four-month spell from November to February\u00a0which ultimately resulted in a successful season. This auspicious four-month spell brought many encouraging signs to the surface. Not only did results improve, but Pulis’ team started doing something very odd indeed: they scored much more goals.<\/p>\n

West Brom’s end to the season, however,\u00a0put a real downer on what should have been a campaign to remember. Having hit 40 points by February, the club had a concrete opportunity to push on and achieve a record-breaking Premier League season, and possibly even dream for Europe. In the end, they\u00a0picked up only five more points and largely returned to the dull, ineffective, defensive style of football that was prevalent at the start of the season.<\/p>\n

A brief respite came in a victory over a\u00a0lifeless Arsenal side, but the growing sense is that all ambition was lost as soon as safety was assured; triggering more doubts on if the club can break-out of the cycle Pulis intend to create all of his teams around\u2014staying safe. Despite this,\u00a0the\u00a0team have made a\u00a0promising start to the season and, most importantly, there was some excellent\u00a0business\u00a0carried out\u00a0in the transfer window. Just one glance at\u00a0the players arriving at the Hawthorns this season shows how much\u00a0work has been done off the field to atone for the pretty disappointing business in recent years.<\/p>\n

The arrival of Ahmed Hegazy-on loan from Al Ahly is one example. The Egyptian has already stepped up in a defence\u00a0which has\u00a0conceded only one goal in three games, largely\u00a0thanks to his physicality and brilliance in the air which helped him integrate rapidly\u00a0into the team.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the club has pulled off one of the steals of the transfer window by securing\u00a0Grzegorz Krychowiak on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The giant pole is a supreme defensive midfielder who could have joined any club in the world only a year ago. The 27-year-old will join a collection of veteran internationals in Claudio Yacob, Jack Livermore and Gareth Barry, newly signed from Everton, to reinforce\u00a0one of the most powerful and obstinate midfields in the Premier League.<\/p>\n

Up front,\u00a0they still look a touch light in comparison. Jay Rodriguez is a talented attacker but his injury record is a worry. He scored 15 goals in 33 league games for Southampton in 2013-14, so if\u00a0he can stay fit, his goal-scoring sense could be a major bonus for the Baggies.<\/p>\n

Oliver Burke, the most expensive footballer in the history of Scottish football only at the age of 20, is not the typical Pulis signing. However, his power and directness fit the profile and would add to the surprisingly big depth the club has on the flanks; with Nacer Chadli, Matt Philips, James McClean and James Morrison on the books too.<\/p>\n

The all-round spending spree continued when the club signed Kieran Gibbs from Arsenal, another player with international\u00a0experience who\u00a0will certainly prove\u00a0to be\u00a0an upgrade to what the side currently\u00a0has. On the selling front, keeping hold of the experienced Jonny Evans when the big clubs came knocking was as important as any signing.<\/p>\n

All of this paints a picture of a club full of hope to push on beyond mere survival. Pulis\u00a0is known as a good organiser, a smart tactician and someone who is able to bend the laws of the game to his advantage. Equipped with the right players,\u00a0he needs to step up and provide the plot twists to flourish at the expense of his more celebrated rivals. Making the top six may be\u00a0too much to ask for, but\u00a0the Baggies should be ready to exploit the opportunity to make the European places should\u00a0any of the usual challengers\u00a0slide.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>