With the greatest of respect to Alan Irvine, it seemed during his tenure that West Bromwich Albion were going to spend the entire 2014-15 campaign battling for their Premier League life.
He was sacked following a run of seven defeats in nine outings, with the board then turning to the man that had successfully navigated Crystal Palace to safety a year earlier.
Under Tony Pulis, it was no surprise that the Baggies became a more solid and competitive unit almost instantly. They won 10 of his games in charge to ease any lingering fears that a drop into the Championship was beckoning.
It will now be down to Pulis to ensure that 2015-16 is a much more comfortable campaign for the supporters at The Hawthorns, but can he deliver that? Here, Sports Mole attempts to answer that question.
In
James McClean (Wigan Athletic), James Chester (Hull City), Rickie Lambert (West Bromwich Albion)
Out
Graham Dorrans (Norwich City), Alex Jones (Birmingham City), Kemar Roofe (Oxford City), Youssouf Mulumbu (Norwich City), Chris Baird (Derby County), Jason Davidson (Released), Alex Palmer (Kidderminster Harriers, season-long loan)
Last season - 13th
Manager - Tony Pulis
It has actually been a little while since the 57-year-old was last employed at the start of a season. Having only arrived in the Black Country in January, Pulis will no doubt have enjoyed this summer. Not only will he have got his players in decent physical shape, he has also had plenty of time to drum his philosophy into the squad.
West Brom will be appearing in the Premier League for a sixth consecutive campaign and on reflection, they could not have many better managers in charge to ensure that the run extends into a seventh year. While the football may not always be pleasing on the eye, Pulis is famous for producing resolute sides that pick up their fair share of victories. Not only that, they are also capable of causing one or two upsets, just as they did when they defeated champions Chelsea towards the end of last season.
Key Player - Saido Berahino
If West Brom have aspirations of improving upon last season's 13th-placed finish, they need to keep hold of their England Under-21 international, who has been heavily linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks. The 22-year-old found the net on 20 occasions in all competitions last season, which is 13 more than any of his teammates contributed. That alone highlights his importance to the team.
While a switch to White Hart Lane or other clubs may be appealing, Berahino is almost guaranteed a starting berth at West Brom. In terms of his development, for another year at least he would perhaps benefit from staying put. The addition of Rickie Lambert could also be a boost to the youngster, with the former Liverpool man providing a physical presence. That may well capture the attention of opposition defenders, thus leaving Berahino more space to exploit.
© Getty Images
Possible starting lineup
Myhill; McAuley, Chester, Olsson, Lescott; Fletcher, Gardner, Brunt, McClean; Berahino, Lambert
First game: Manchester City (H), Full fixture list
Sports Mole says
Despite having previously been in charge of sides that had been heavily backed to be relegated, Pulis has never finished lower than 14th place ever since he first arrived in the Premier League with Stoke City in 2008. As mentioned earlier it might not always be pretty, but he gets the job done.
The signing of Lambert is a good one by Pulis, with the striker likely to have the bit between his teeth after his dream move to boyhood club Liverpool turned sour. Pulis was also able to secure the services of the experienced Darren Fletcher from Manchester United last winter, which was a massive coup. With players of that experience, coupled with Pulis's attention to detail, it would be a huge surprise were West Brom to ever be struggling this season.
Prediction - 12th
Liam Apicella
