West Bromwich Albion 1 - Sunderland 0

Summary:

Luckily for Albion, "Big Sam" failed to turn Sunderland's dismal form around in his first game in charge. Though it wasn't quite the drab spectacle many had expected, it wasn't exactly a feast of football either with few clear cut chances on either side.

The surprising recall of Stephane Sessegnon even provided a few moments of excitement down Albion's right, although the only goal came from a mistake by keeper Costel Pantilimon who dropped the ball from Chris Brunt's cross leaving Saido Berahino with a simple finish from a yard out and Sunderland's claims that he'd been fouled were largely silenced by the replay on the big screens.

Three useful points lifted Albion into 12th place and left Sunderland down in 19th.

oshawabaggie:

Just a few thoughts:

• We are a team with no confidence. Even against a poor side and a goal up we spend the rest of the game going sideways or backwards.
• Sess was by far our most dangerous player - surprised Pulis didn't sub him.
• Berahino proved once again he is a true goal scorer. Hardly a touch in the game yet he can still get a scrappy goal. If we sell him we've had it.
• Surely a slow and lumbering Anichebe would be better than a slow and lumbering Lambert?
• I'm not convinced Pulis can coach any other way than 'grab a goal if you can and hang on for a clean sheet'.

Happy about our win but not about our prospects.

Peter Wall:

Agree with comment. Happy with our 3 points but not with out prospects.

Good to see Sessegnon proving that he could be a match winner... but only could.

Brendan Clegg:

My honest assessment is we were only a tiny shade better than against Palace but Sunderland are a much inferior side.

Sess was drafted in from absolutely nowhere and was by far our best player. I absolutely accept that he isn't a world beater, doesn't score enough and can give the ball away cheaply but relative to our options he has to be in the squad if not the first 11.

Pulis said after the game he was great and we need more consistency from him now. He might well if he is consistently played and not consistently left out of the squad or team.

That said and despite me ranting about him not being involved, I thought it was a huge risk putting him in with the amount of minutes he has had and that McManaman was a safer option with the same creative purpose. And like everyone in the ground I think it was obvious Sess was out on his feet from 70 minutes and having got our lucky goal the game was crying out for Macmanaman to replace Sess and give us an outlet against a tiring Sunderland backline. Sess gets an ovation, we remove the risk of him giving the ball away frequently due to fatigue, we have another threat.

Not in Pulis-land. Off you go Saido... on you come Gards. At least Gardner s played centrally and did ok but good grief. Clearly Pulis now has a big issue with Mcmanaman but has to have him on the bench because he bought him. He obviously has the attributes that we require in games and are lacking.

The formation was still wrong, the tactics and invention were percentage based and pre-historic (Sess aside), we still desperately miss Morrison whenever he is unavailable. Our new coaches who had been focussing on attacking movement may have wondered how effective their methods are when balls are bombed in from 60 yards away.

It was another marginal - and I mean marginal - victory for the king of marginal victories. I am quite astounded that you can win games at this elite sporting level playing so badly and in this way. It truly was the ultimate exhibition of what a Pulis versus Allardyce clash would look like.

• Myhill - 6 It looked like a great early save kept us in it but spilled one dangerously in the 2nd half.
• Daws - 5 Defensively he did Ok but it was his worst performance on the ball in quit a while. Isn't comfortable without a 10 yards simple pass or under pressure.
• Gmac - 6 Did enough, defensively OK but lots of hoof and lots of rushed clearances when he had time.
• Evans - 6 Same as GMac really.
• Brunt - 6 Did his job. Our expert technician in the arched percentage ball down the wing.
• Yacob - 6 Solid enough. Gave the ball away cheaply after winning it.
• Fletcher - 6 He gave the ball away cheapy a lot after Yacob won it too. Solid, strong, immobile, too ambitious in his passing/hoof happy (I cant work it out).
• Sess - 7 Offered moments of quality, beat his man for fun and got decent balls in. Crucially, could hold the ball and release pressure/allow us to get up the pitch. Fully showed Pulis up.
• McLean - 6 loads of effort but the quality is desperate at times. I maintain he is useless for 75 mins and then our best player for the last 15 when everyone else tires and he keeps going. So why don't we have his as sub but running laps of the pitch until the 75th minute?
• Saido - 5 Pretty anonymous. He has to be up front as the last man, not in the hole. His goal record on the service he gets is utterly remarkable.
• Rondon - 5 Looks shagged out and has got a little worse with every game. Needs to be benched to give him a break. Touch was poor. That said, with McLean providing the crosses his Opta stats for touches would better if he was a ballboy behind the goal.

• Lambert - 5 Actually did OK. Grossly unfit but showed his brain a few times. Big Vic is still a bigger goal threat for the 15 minute cameo.
• Gardner - 5 slotted in and did a job.

BilneyBoinger:

We have to put this result in context.

No win at home and 4th bottom at the start of the game. Pressure.

True TP is not an exciting manager. He builds on strong defense. But we have that and apart from giving away the ball too much first half, we were better second and Sess doing what he can do was a boost.

Dawson was very poor in distribution today, usually one of our best. I agree with others that Saido should be alone up front and then you have options to play Sess or McMan and Morison in the same team. With Rondon he barely won a header anyway against their central two and with Catermole or M'Villa in close proximity if he got the ball at feet they were constantly nicking the ball away from him.

Overall TP got us a win and you have to admire the way he does that even in extremely unlikely situations like Man U away, Southampton at home and many other wins last season. Can we ask for more?

Get to 6 wins before Christmas and you can play with more freedom. Apart from the Saido alone up front, I think we are strong and if Dawson-GMAC-Evans-Brunt stay fit we will be mid table or perhaps better.

Keep the faith. I am going to Norwich to probably see a 0-0 but would that be so bad. It is better than Clarke. We have good shape and you build on that.

One further point. Rickie is ot great. But for the period he was on, he actually held the ball up and won some decent possession, albeit with Sunderland opening up the space a bit. There is hope yet he may prove an asset.