WHAT do you do when Roman Bednar is injured?

As useful as Albion's variant of 4-5-1 is, it leaves Roberto Di Matteo with a problem when his big Czech man is unfit.

The striker is out for a few weeks with a thigh injury, although suggestions today suggest he may not be as bad as first feared.

Even so, where to go when Roman's lodging in the medical room?

Do you go for Miller, who is nowhere near 90 minutes? Let's return to him in a bit.

Chris Wood perhaps? Eighteen-years-old and stocked with the potential capabilities to play that role. But he still lacks experience in what is a very important position.

Simon Cox has played there before for Swindon but he struggled last time.

And then there's Luke Moore, who like Cox, clearly isn't suited to the lone striker role.

Roberto Di Matteo got questionned, certainly in some quarters, for playing Moore at Swansea on Tuesday when Miller was sat on the bench.

But to leave Miller as the substitute was the correct decision (though whether Moore was the correct option is another debate)

And here's why.

While there are examples where playing a partially-fit player from the start can help, I'm not sure it applies in Miller's case.

Take the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday.

The game was so condensed, completely concertinaed and so lacking in rhythm that Miller's only role during the first-half would have been to tire himself out chasing lost causes - which would have been of no use to anyone.

'Bomber' Brown called the first-half correctly in his commentary - it was a game of chess. And there were no grandmasters anywhere in sight.

In fact there was no service and there was little for Moore to feed off.

And this is where Miller comes in. Not during the first-half, but as the game wears on.

After 60-minutes matches traditionally open up as one or both sides go in search of a crucial goal - this is where Miller's contribution is most obvious.

This is the period where he can do most damage, running at weary defenders, using his power to knock them out of the way and levering his left-foot to take the ball past defensive on-comers.

Playing up front on his own is not a role he enjoys particularly. Nor is it his strength. But playing against the knackered centre-half is.

In the meantime, with Bednar injured this is why Albion are trying to bring in another striker - to give them a plan A, when Miller is plan B.

One thing is clear, whether Albion get promoted or not, they need to address the forward line. They need a player with the characteristics of a John Carew.

Dare I say, James Beattie might be worth a go should Albion get promoted. Personally, I'd be making the call right now.

In the meantime, Albion fans may need to get used to seeing Miller continue his role as super-sub.