Manchester City 3-0 West Brom: 5 Talking Points

#2 Tiny ray of hope for sinking West Brom

What next for Alan Pardew and his side?

After last night's defeat to the Citizens, Alan Pardew's West Brom continue to sit rock-bottom of the Premier League table - The only team on 20 points, after Swansea City stunned Arsenal, beating the Gunners 3-1 two days ago.

To be honest, though, with just 13 games to go, things could look a lot worse for the 20th-placed side than they are at the moment. Before you dismiss me as insane, allow me to bring a couple of facts to your attention.

Firstly, no team in the second-half of the table is safe just yet. As previously mentioned, a mere gap of 8 points separates the 10th placed from the 20th. An excellent run of 3 games could change the entire dynamic.

Secondly, as things stand, West Brom, who are 20th, with 20 points, are slated to play the fewest games against teams in the top 10. Out of the 13 remaining games, the Baggies play 6 of them against top 10 sides.

Now for a wider perspective, let's consider the next 6 teams above West Brom in the Premier League

Swansea City, who are 19th, with 23 points still have 7 games remaining against top 10 sides.

Southampton, who are 18th, with 23 points, will have to play 8 more games against the top 10.

Huddersfield Town, 17th, with 24 points, must play 7 more against the top 10.

Stoke City (16th), Brighton (15th), and Newcastle (14th), with 24 points each, are also scheduled to play 8 games apiece against top 10 sides.

I hate throwing numbers at you, but as illustrated by them, while things certainly look grim for Alan Pardew and co., it most definitely isn't over yet. It will take something miraculous to stage an unforeseen comeback, but it isn't impossible.

An inspired run of a few games could be enough to propel the Baggies out of the drop zone and into safety, but the real question the needs to be asked is, can they pull off a spectacular surge and send the rest of the teams in contention for relegation into dizzying chaos?