The odds on Steve Clarke being the first managerial casualty this season seemed likely if the bookies were anything to go by.

But with West Bromwich Albion sitting in a lofty fourth placed position in the Premier League ahead of the trip to Sunderland, Clarke and his squad have been taking the plaudits.

But how has West Brom achieved this early season success?

When Roy Hodgson left the Baggies to take on the England job in June, he left West Brom in a healthy state.

The club had just achieved a Top Ten place in the top flight for the first time in over 30 years.

 

Strong Squad

Hodgson had also left a strong squad behind consisting of the likes of former England keeper Ben Foster, defender Jonas Olsson, Ireland striker Shane Long and last season’s top scorer Peter Odemwingie.

When Clarke docked at The Hawthorns in June, he did not rock the boat and set about adding players to complement the talent already at his disposal.

Having offloaded a number of fringe players including Ireland’s Keith Andrews and Simon Cox, he made some astute moves during the summer including the permanent signing of Ben Foster and getting Chelsea and Belgium starlet Romelu Lukaku on loan.

And Clarke has shown his managerial credentials with the way he has set up his team.

Formerly a member of Jose Mourinho’s back room team at Chelsea, the Special One recently described Clarke as the “Incredible One” and hailed his coaching capabilities.

One area that the West Brom boss has worked on diligently is the defence. In 12 games, the Baggies have conceded 13 goals, better than Manchester United’s record so far and equal to Chelsea and Arsenal’s.

Defensive Drills

When Clarke moved to Liverpool as first team coach to Kenny Dalglish in January 2011 his impact on the defence was instant thanks to his renowned defensive drills and work on set-pieces.

In the 20 games Premier League games before Clarke joined the club, Liverpool had conceded 27 goals. But in the last 18 games of the season Liverpool gave away just 17.

The Baggies have also been more of a counter-attacking side with just over 40 per cent of possession in comparison to over 45 per cent in the previous two seasons.

Further up-field West Brom have a forward line brimming with pace, power and admirable work-rate, key ingredients in English football.

Odemwingie has been in good form while Lukaku has impressed during his loan spell.

But it is the impact of Shane Long that has helped Clarke. Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni might have taken four years to notice Long’s tireless workrate but his constant hassling of defenders has long been a part of his game.

The Tipperary striker was instrumental in West Brom’s win over Chelsea last weekend, scoring the opener and putting in an inch-perfect cross for the winner.

The midfield also provides a mixture of attacking impetus in James Morrison and Chris Brunt but also the solidity of Youssouf Mulumbu.

It is early doors and it is unlikely that the Baggies will finish in the Top Four come May but on current form another Top Ten place beckons.