Going into the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, it is fair to say that not even the most ardent West Brom fan would have expected their beloved club to have even the slightest chance of staving off the threat of relegation.
For so long the Midlands outfit have been the division’s basement club during this campaign as both Tony Pulis and Alan Pardew have been shown the Hawthorns exit door after a terrible string of results.
Their exits have seen former defender Darren Moore take the reigns in what looked like being nothing more than a caretaker manager role, with nothing to play for it was assumed that West Bromwich would see the season out as they prepare for life in the Championship.
However, eight points from a possible 12 has given the club just the smallest glimmer of hope as the great escape is still on. That said the odds are still heavily against them completing this most dramatic of turnarounds, but as long as there is a chance there will be an element of belief.
They are in the last chance saloon now as they quite simply need to win their remaining games to have any chance of survival. If they are to beat the drop, then nothing short than maximum points will do.
Not only that though but they will require Swansea and Southampton to take points off each other when they face next week, should there be a winner in that clash then it would relegate West Bromwich even if they win on Saturday.
That is by no means a foregone conclusion as they play host to a Tottenham side that returned to winning ways on Monday, thanks to a 2-0 victory over Watford at Wembley. A win that sees Mauricio Pochettino’s men extend the gap over to Chelsea to five points once again.
It was far from a vintage Tottenham performance as they never got out of second gear, you could argue that they did not really need to due to the opposition that was in front of them. Whatever way you look at it, it was a game where the points were without question the most important factor.
Failure to win on Monday night and the pressure would have been cranked up even further, as the race for the top four intensifies. But thankfully for Tottenham fans they can breathe a sigh of relief, after clearing that hurdle.
Not only that but they now have an extra incentive, they don’t necessarily need to be looking over their shoulder but more looking ahead. Third is still very much in reach and a win over West Brom on Saturday will heap the pressure on both Chelsea and Liverpool to deliver a result the following day.
This game has a habit of being a draw, especially at The Hawthorns and with West Brom playing for their lives, this fixture is by no means a given. If Tottenham want to end the season on a high they will need to win here. Something that they should do, but they may well be pushed close.