Tim Dacey

Fri 18 December 2020 8:04, UK

So Slaven Bilic has gone and Big Sam is in. Whatever we think of the move and how it was communicated, now is the time to come together for West Brom.

Fans will be hoping for a new manager bounce in the derby on Sunday evening and Mark Lawrenson thinks the Baggies will come out with a point from Big Sam’s first game.

He thinks the game will end 1-1 and says that salvation for West Brom will only come in the January transfer window.

“Welcome back Big Sam Allardyce,” Lawrenson wrote on the BBC. “The big question for me now, though, is what West Brom do in the January transfer window, because I am pretty sure he would not have agreed to go there if he was not going to be backed, and in the way he wants too.

“Slaven Bilic might argue not much was done to strengthen his squad in the summer, after winning promotion. Will Allardyce get much more backing, and will he have a say in who they sign?

“This is a tricky opening game, because of the improvement Villa have made, but I think Big Sam would take a draw now if you offered it to him.”

Magic money tree

If West Brom’s fate rests on success in the January transfer window then it’s going to be a bumpy ride for us and Big Sam.

There’s no evidence that big funds will be made available after a summer when the club’s coffers remained largely shut.

And, it’s tough to bring in effective players who are up to speed in the January transfer window.

One thing we’ll be looking for on Sunday is an improvement in defence. It might not be pretty going forward but the most important thing is survival.

If Big Sam can do that then he’ll have done the job he was brought into do.

Does he fit into a long-term plan of the club? Most fans will know the answer to that but this is a holding pattern and one we hope doesn’t end in a big crash.

A point from the game against Aston Villa will do us.

In other West Brom news, ‘No-brainer’ – Exclusive: Kevin Phillips delivers verdict on major West Brom decision