Panic on the streets of Birmingham

Okay, okay, so only one quarter of the Hawthorns lies in the boundary.

But the Smiths could hardly have said 'West Bromwich' as it would have been a lyrical nightmare.

"What's going on down the Albion?", asked a friend on Saturday when I finally got my phone working again.

I can only report what I find.

But clearly there is concern.

Tony Mowbray was fairly honest yesterday (Monday) morning and doing his best to stay upbeat. He talks about the finer details of the Premier League, about how luck has deserted his side and how the competitive nature of this division is keeping Albion in the hunt.

He knows that he needs more quality. That is likely to come in loan form - don't expect big money signings to be arriving any time soon after Big Ben leads us into 2009.

Mowbray takes defeat badly. Saturday wasn't the first occasion I've seen him say things which, with hindsight, he probably regretted afterwards. Bemoaning Stoke's style of play do him little favours when points are dished out.

But on Monday mornings you catch him in a more reflective state. He tries to be positive, which is how he was yesterday.

He is appreciating that Filipe Teixeira opting to shoot rather than pass to Ishmael Miller in front of goal is not a big deal in the Championship. Another chance will come at some point. Not in the Premier League.

Back in the summer Mowbray had a fairly animated chat with my colleague Colin Tattum at a Football Writers' Dinner regarding life in the Premier League. Colin, who witnessed Blues' slide into the Championship, insisted big money would need to be invested. Mowbray argued that he wouldn't need to spend much to survive, that he could 'sprinkle magic dust' over the players and create an overachieving side, much in the way Hull have. But, six months on, Mowbray has said that it was no coincidence that Borja and Zuiverloon were strong performers as they cost decent money. He wanted to achieve another Hibs at Albion and he may still do so - but the gap between the best and the rest in the Premier League is considerably larger than it seems to be in the SPL. He is coming round to the idea that investment is needed to some degree in the top flight. Speculate to accumulate, is what they say isn't it? In Albion's case it needs to be in the wages department.

As for the feeling of fear among fans. That is understandable.

And, one would hope, that Albion's Premier League luck wasn't all used up on that sunny day at The Hawthorns back in 2005 when they stayed up against the odds.

There's no doubt the following factors are all contributing to the 'depression' around the club: the over-achieving Stoke and Hull, Wolves and Blues doing well in the Championship, Villa going strongly, Kevin Phillips scoring, Phillips not being replaced, and teams generally picking up points in unexpected fashion and with a slick of luck (note Hull's equaliser at Portsmouth and the uncanny timing of their games against Newcastle and Spurs when both sides were at their lowest ebb).

It's by no means over for Albion. Tony Mowbray hasn't become a bad manager overnight but he knows those fine margins, which he talks about, are crucial at this level.

He needs backing during transfer windows. Albion have the lowest wage bill at this level. To put into some context, Albion's highest earner only earns half of what James Beattie at Sheffield United takes home. Or, put another way, only half of what ex-Albion man Jason Roberts, probably Blackburn's second/third choice striker, earns at a club that are 19th in the Premier League. It's a commonly held view that the Premier League table reflects the League table of salaries. In which case, can Albion expect much else?

It's a learning curve for Mowbray. Does he stick with his principles? Is this merely a bad patch? Albion were good enough to beat Everton, Bolton, Middlesbrough, West Ham and Fulham earlier this season. They didn't win the first two but, with more luck and barring individual errors, would have done.

The principles can work, yet Albion aren't playing the way they were. My feeling is that Albion's defeat at Stoke was a result of him being too preoccupied with Stoke's style of football and the fear of becoming another Delap statistic. Albion countered both, but at the expense of their own football.

They need to get back to basics. He needs to stop getting bogged down with those who are sniping at him or sneering at him. He will become a better manager through all of this. He'll need to, just to survive and, not least, if he is to fulfill his ambitions. As he rightly points out, Albion were joined on the winners' podium by 'footballing' sides Swansea, MK Dons, Manchester United and, of course, Spain last season. Whether Albion have the players to carry it off playing the same way remains to be seen. One thing's for sure - you can't imagine this set of players being suit for a more pragmatic or direct style.

Back in August and September Albion won games based on their passing football and good movement. There is no reason why they shouldn't again.