Tony Pulis: One win will turn West Brom's form around

Form has dipped in recent weeks and supporters are growing restless after nine games without a win in all competitions.

But the Baggies are on exactly the same number of points as they were at this stage last season, when their first game in November shot them on a remarkable run that had them in eighth for the majority of the campaign.

That victory at Leicester was the 11th league game of the season and Pulis is hoping for a similar ignition at the same point this term against newly-promoted Huddersfield Town this weekend.

“You want it to finish and end,” said Pulis. “But we've taken the club further and further over the last three seasons. You get these periods, ups and downs. Everybody outside the top six will have good and bad runs.

“We just need a result to get out of it and give us the confidence. From then on we'll be fine.”

He says there are extenuating circumstances behind the run, including a series of injuries that has stopped him from picking the team he wants to.

Craig Dawson and James Morrison are currently sidelined with injuries while several other players have been out with muscle strains.

“A lot of things have happened this year that are different,” said Pulis. “We've picked up injuries as well which we've never done.

“It would be nice to get all the players fit and then you can pick a team and system that you want to play.”

One of those injured players was Gareth McAuley, but the big Northern Irishman started his first league game of the season against Manchester City at the weekend.

He was brought off in the second half so Pulis could switch to a back four, but the Welshman praised how well the 37-year-old coped with City’s forward line.

“I thought Gareth was fantastic,” said the head coach. “He went in for a tackle down the bottom end and he got up and was gasping for air.

“I brought him off because I didn't want anything to happen to him!”

McAuley has been been named in the Northern Ireland squad alongside Albion team-mates Jonny Evans and Chris Brunt for their two-legged World Cup play-off against Switzerland next week.