Kevin Phillips: Pressure starting to grow on Tony Pulis & Co

Craig Shakespeare last week became the second boss to be given his marching orders after being dismissed by Leicester City and you would not bet against several others finding themselves out of work in the weeks ahead, such is the ever-increasing demand for success in the top flight.

At West Ham, Slaven Bilic would appear to be in a very tough situation following Friday night’s 3-0 home defeat to Brighton, while Mark Hughes and Ronald Koeman are also feeling the pressure at Stoke and Everton respectively after starts which have fallen some way below expectation.

Should Albion fail to arrest their concerning slide soon, then Tony Pulis’s name might soon be added to the list of bosses at risk.

That feels a strange thing to say about a coach as experienced as Tony, who through his career has usually been depended upon to get results when it matters.

But the past six weeks has been concerning for the Baggies, a team who in my view have enough quality to be competing in the top half of the table for the European places.

They should certainly not be getting involved in a relegation battle, though that is what supporters may now be fearing with Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham to come in the next four games.

Merely staying in the Premier League should no longer be enough for Albion. Not with the kind of players they now have in the squad, the likes of Grzegorz Krychowiack, Gareth Barry and Matt Phillips.

Tony can take much of the credit for helping establish the Baggies in the top flight over the past three seasons but expectations have now been raised and he will perhaps have to adapt his style in order to match them.

The accusation which has followed him about for the past decade, that he is too defensive and prioritises not losing over winning, is being heard again now.

Watching Albion draw 1-1 away to Leicester last Monday, it was easy to see why.

Taken in isolation, it was hardly a bad result. But I was surprised by a starting line-up which did not include either Phillips or James McClean. Both are powerful players who can give opposition defenders a headache.

McClean in particular must have been on ‘cloud nine’ after scoring a crucial goal for the Republic of Ireland against Wales while away on international duty.

The opportunity was there to take the game to a Leicester team badly out of form and whose manager, as became clear the following day, was battling to save his job.

Yet Albion failed to grasp it, and if truth be told it all felt a bit flat.

In public Tony is remaining defiant, as you could see from his post-match comments following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Southampton.

Privately, I am sure there will be concern and an acknowledgment he should be getting more from this set of players.

A record of just three wins from 21 Premier League games would be concerning enough for any manager.

When results do not improve but actually get worse despite a summer transfer window almost universally hailed as a success, such worries only intensify.

There is a certain irony in that, after not getting in the players Tony wanted prior to last season, Albion spent the majority of the campaign in the top eight.

This time it seemed as though the Baggies had landed a number of his top targets but they are struggling to find the right formula.

Albion are a well-run club and I am sure Tony will be given time. Though they might be in poor form, I still believe the Baggies remain capable of beating anyone on their day and it may require one of those special performances to get their season up and running.

You cannot afford to be in this kind of form for long, not in the cut-throat world of the Premier League.

I know Craig Shakespeare well from our time working together at Leicester and speak to him regularly.

He knew he was under pressure but it was still hugely disappointing to see him lose his job after such a short time in charge.

Having previously been an assistant, I’m not sure being No.1 sat comfortably with Craig at first and it was a while before he found his feet. At the same time I don’t think he was helped by some of the club’s dealings in the transfer market.

From my point of view, the decision was made too soon but the truth is in the modern game managers simply don’t get time to halt a slump and that is why the likes of Bilic and Hughes will be getting worried.

Tony has a wealth of experience and you would back him to turn things around. But the Baggies need some good results and quick, or he may soon find himself among those in danger.