View: Warnock is surely spot on with no-nonsense West Brom promotion defence
However the Premier League and EFL decide to resolve the 2019/20 campaign amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, West Brom must not be punished for their good form this season.
The Baggies have a commanding hold on one of the Championship’s two automatic promotion spots, and sit six points clear of the play-off places, just one point behind table-toppers Leeds United.
A return to the top flight may not be guaranteed, but it feels like as if there is a high likelihood that Slaven Bilic’s men would be able to wrap it up if we were able to play our nine remaining fixtures at some point in the future.
The issue is that promotion doesn’t just hinge on how the Championship finishes, but also how the Premier League choose to conclude their own campaign.
As per Sky Sports, a majority of sides in the lower half of the top flight table are lobbying for relegation to be scrapped if they are forced to complete their remaining fixtures behind closed doors.
And that could be problematic for the Baggies because it is also understood, as per The Athletic, that the prospect of an expanded division next season is unlikely to be popular with footballing bosses for reasons pertaining to fixture scheduling and the allocation of central incomes.
But former Leeds United full-back Stephen Warnock has emphasised just how important it is that Albion are still given their shot at a return to the Premier League.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “There has to be a winner, there has to be a loser – relegation is part of that.
“We’re three quarters of the way the way through the season, and the teams that are around the bottom of the table are there for a reason.
“So why do we punish the teams at the top of the league who are doing so well? Liverpool, Leeds, West Brom, Fulham – they’ve done fantastically well this season.
“Why punish them teams and credit the teams who have not done well, and let them stay in the Premier League?”
And the pundit is absolutely right.
Denying West Brom, Leeds, and potentially a third side from the second tier their chance at returning to the top flight is hugely unfair.
The debate is obviously a very complex one, and whichever way it is resolved, there are going to be clubs who feel hard done by.
But at some point in the relatively near future, this deadlock has to be broken, and it would be a shocking misstep from the relevant governing bodies if they are to give favour to those sides struggling at the bottom of the Premier League.
Whether it means expanding the top flight next year, enforcing relegation on a handful of unfortunate sides, or another, less obvious solution – there must be promotion from the second tier this season.
In other West Brom news, ‘Promote them’ – Sky Sports pundit backs Albion for PL return amid Coronavirus uncertainty.