View: Albion ace spluttering towards West Brom exit after suffering Bilic hangover
Conor Gallagher was a rare bright light in the first half of a traumatic season for West Brom but he is in danger of fading out as Albion hurtle towards relegation.
Sunday’s loss to Tottenham Hotspur made it five games without a win for Sam Allardyce and his confidence-stricken side and the Baggies are now 11 points off Premier League safety as the season begins to edge towards its final few months.
A raft of winter window arrivals have failed to have an immediate effect and the summer signings have also hit the buffers.
Gallagher was one of those brought in at the start of the season by previous boss Slaven Bilic and he hit the ground running with a series of impressive performances and scored the winner against Sheffield United on November 28 to record Albion’s first Premier League victory of the season, something they have only achieved once since.
He then scored in the following game against Crystal Palace but this proved less fruitful as Bilic and co endured a 5-1 thrashing at The Hawthorns by Crystal Palace.
The 21-year-old was an ever-present in the starting XI up until an accumulation of yellow cards ruled him out of the Black Country Derby success on January 16 but he won his place back in the following game against West Ham.
However he has been relegated to the bench for two of the last four games and a downturn in form combined with a double deadline-day midfield signing has put his Albion future at risk.
His last five starts have seen him complete just three dribbles from 22 attempted with none in his last two, a considerable decrease from his 46.2% average success [Wyscout].
Gallagher has also been sloppy in possession of late, recording double figures for losses of the ball in each of his last six starts whereas his per 90 average is 8.98.
The Chelsea loanee has proved to be an ineffectual defensive performer as well, with his 54.6% per 90 defensive duel success at odds with his recent displays that have included figures of 29% (v Arsenal on January 2) and 38% (v Fulham on January 30) this calendar year.
One thing to note is that this Albion side under Big Sam is not conducive to the style of play enjoyed by Gallagher.
He is someone that enjoys getting his foot on the ball, as evidenced in his respectable 84% pass completion this season, and breaking forward into the opposition box to score goals.
However he has failed to make a touch in the opposition penalty area in all but two of his last nine appearances in the Premier League with an average of 0.76 per 90 whereas this was at 1.84 in the Championship last season for Swansea City and Charlton Athletic.
All of these statistics levelled against Gallagher above have come under Big Sam and it shows just how big of an effect Bilic and his tactic were on bringing the best out of him.
With Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Okay Yokuslu making their Albion debuts against Spurs they look primed to start in Sunday’s clash with Manchester United and it could be the case that Gallagher makes way with Matheus Pereira also looking to force his way back into the starting XI.
Gallagher exploded to life at The Hawthorns but his loan spell looks like fizzling out unless he can arrest his alarming slump and help inspire West Brom to some positive results and give themselves a glimmer of hope in the Premier League survival battle.
At West Brom News we still believe there is a player in there but whether Big Sam is the man to get the best out of him remains to be seen.
In other West Brom news, £40k p/w Albion ace willing to take huge wage cut to leave club.
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