Has Pulis lost fear factor at the big clubs?

TONY Pulis developed a reputation as a giant-killer at Stoke where he revelled in the role of David versus Goliath,

The Britannia Stadium, as it was formerly known, became a graveyard for so many big clubs. A merciless place where big egos were bruised.

Various Liverpool managers had no answer to Stoke’s inyour-face, long-ball approach. Nor did Arsene Wenger, who hated taking Arsenal there.

To be fair, Wenger still has nightmares about facing Pulis at Albion, having lost his last two visits to The Hawthorns.

But he’s the only “big-six” boss who loses sleep over locking horns with the Baggies.

Under Pulis, Albion’s record against the country’s elite, following Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat to Man City, is awful.

They have won just five of 32 league games against City, Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea. Four of those came at home. Two were against an Arsenal side far inferior to the rest of the big six and one was against a Chelsea team who had already wrapped up the title in 2015.

To be fair to Pulis, the Baggies regularly punched above their weight in his first full season, drawing at Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs, and beating Arsenal and United at home.

In fact, they were unbeaten against Spurs and Liverpool that season, drew 2-2 at the home of eventual champions Leicester and won at Everton.

But Pulis’s strategy against the top teams to defend deep and occasionally counter has not worked more recently, with the Baggies losing 11 of their last 14 against the big boys, and winning once.

No one really expected them to upset City, partly because of the leaders’ start to the campaign, but also because Pulis appears to have lost his mojo, his fear factor. With Chelsea and Spurs coming up after the next international break, we will soon see if the malaise looks set to stay.