For all the banter Leeds United received on Saturday after losing 1-0 to Queens Park Rangers, some West Brom supporters knew in the back of their head that the same fate could befall upon them two days later.
And of course, it did.
The Baggies continued their winless Championship run in 2020 with a shock 1-0 defeat to relegation-threatened Stoke City, with Tyrese Campbell’s early goal being the only thing to separate the Potters from a West Brom side that were toothless on the night, with stats from BBC Sport showing the Albion only managed two shots on target from their 16 attempts.
The performance was a far cry from the West Brom side that dominated the first half of the season, and the result means the Baggies remain just a point above Leeds in the Championship standings and now five points ahead of third-place Fulham, who along with the likes of Brentford and Nottingham Forest, will be eyeing the automatic promotion spots in the table.
Are West Brom going to bottle their position in the top-two?
Yes
No
The horrendous form from West Brom has blown the Championship promotion race wide-open, with what was a two-horse race for the title in the Baggies and Leeds a few weeks ago now evolving into a potential eight-team standoff for those precious top two spots, and Slaven Bilic and his side only have themselves to blame.
Indeed, injuries have played their part in West Brom’s sluggish form in recent weeks as reported by Football League World, with the Baggies being without the likes of Nathan Ferguson, Kieran Gibbs and Grady Diangana in their winless run in the Championship, yet it doesn’t excuse the fact that the Hawthorns-based side have shot themselves in the foot in a big way, and in doing so have potentially cost themselves automatic promotion.
The Baggies need a fast turnaround with games coming thick-and-fast for Bilic’s side, and if they don’t react quick enough or in the right manner, their once massive lead over the play-off sides will be reduced to nothing.