When West Bromwich Albion drafted in Tony Pulis midway through last season to replace Alan Irvine, the club essentially guaranteed itself a Premier League future. But as the Welshman gears up for his first full campaign at the helm of the Baggies, he faces quite a challenge.

After all, West Brom have been a solid Premier League side for a while now. The task for Pulis, as he nearly did with Crystal Palace in his previous job, will be to push on and become a team that’s challenging for a top half finish.

The foundations are certainly there. The Baggies have a strong spine, a raucous home backing and as has been evident by Pulis’ spending this summer, are no mugs in the transfer market either. But many men have tried and failed to propel the Midlands outfit up the Premier League table as of late, does the ex-Stoke City boss have it in him?

It’ll be an intriguing but often arduous watch, as is the Pulis modus operandi. But West Brom are a side renowned for playing the game in the right style, so finding the blend between pragmatism and panache will ultimately determine just how well he fares in 2015-16.

 

Best XI 

 

Reasons to be Positive

West Brom can build from the solid foundations which Pulis meticulously deploys in his managerial roles. Defending and attacking set pieces will be mechanistic, defensively the Baggies will close down superbly and close off space, while in midfield, there’ll be players that are willing to work themselves into the ground for the team.

Some eyebrows were raised when West Brom shelled out a whopping £8 million to bring in James Chester from Hull City, but Pulis knows how to pick a defender. The 26-year-old will add some dynamism and authority to a back four that was in need of a much more youthful presence. In addition, the exciting Serge Gnabry has also signed on a six-month loan from Arsenal.

 

Reasons to be Negative

Support to Saido Berahino looks as though it’ll be in short supply as the season gets underway, with the veteran Rickie Lambert and the goal-shy pair of Victor Anichebe and Brown Ideye the main competitors for a spot in the side. Lambert could be a smart purchase, but talk of the Baggies potentially landing Salomon Rondon, a rumbustious No. 9, should get the supporters excited.

There were also some concerns about the style in which West Brom played last season. Although they stayed up, social media was ablaze with supporters unhappy with the tactics adopted by Pulis and if the results don’t underpin what is often a moribund ethos, he could quickly find himself under pressure.

 

 

Key Player – Saido Berahino

After a breakthrough 2014-15, the onus will be on Berahino to up his level again in the upcoming term and add some spark to an altruistic XI. The adaptable forward showcased his penchant for creating and scoring goals last season, prompting interest from the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

But it looks as though the Baggies will keep their talisman in situ beyond the summer months and it’s imperative Pulis nurtures his mercurial spark. If West Brom are to push up the table, it’s likely to be on the back of more inventive displays from Berahino.

 

Prediction – 14th

The squad in its current format isn’t good enough to get out of the bottom half of the table and although the Baggies won’t have to worry about a relegation battle, mid-table obscurity looms again for those who frequent the Hawthorns.

Pulis may pull a few rabbits out of the hat yet in the latter stages of the transfer window, with Rondon a perfect man to lead the line for a side that plays a physical and direct style of football. Even so, there are holes in this first XI that have yet to be addressed and that’ll cost the Baggies in a division which has had a major injection of quality this summer.

 

Follow Matt on Twitter @MattJFootball