Bournemouth backed to pull out of nosedive

and organisation that Howe must instil in his struggling charges, Pulis had warm words for a side now without a win in eight attempts since the turn of the year.

Pulis said: “Look at what they have on the bench and others not in the squad. They will be OK. They play some smashing football, they just need a break. Hopefully that will come along and they will push on, any club in this league can go on a run like that. If you are just a tad off it, you pay for it.”

Bournemouth enjoyed plenty of possession at the Hawthorns but struggled, as they so often have recently, to avoid costly slip-ups at the back and to put the opposition defence under serious pressure.

Off to the perfect start through Joshua King’s fifth-minute penalty, they failed to consolidate and were soon trailing to Craig Dawson’s deflected drive and Gareth McAuley’s close-range finish after goalkeeper Artur Boruc had flapped at Chris Brunt’s corner.

They could have been reduced to 10 men soon afterwards when Steve Cook barged over the clear-on-goal Salomon Rondon, but unsighted referee Mark Clattenburg, taking charge for the first time since announcing his departure to supervise refereeing in Saudi Arabia, received a play-on signal from his assistant.

Then, perhaps, indicative of the breaks in front of goal that they are not getting, Lys Mousset and Tyrone Mings were denied by superlative saves from Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster in added time.

“It is just hard work on the training field, that is the only solution there is. Hard work is the only way out,” Howe said.

“We are not a bad team, far from it. We are a good team which just needs a lift at the moment, and that is what we are working hard to achieve.

“It is a difficult spell for sure but that is where you show your true colours, how you handle these spells, which is key.”

It is all so different for Albion, whose victory lifted them to the 40-point mark that generally guarantees safety. Three more wins will represent their best-ever Premier League points haul but last season’s tail-off, when they failed to win any of their last nine league matches after assuring survival, provide a warning light.

Pulis said: “It’s a different group to last year, a smaller group, close knit. We only have 16, 17 senior players, It is a real tight group, this one. It is difficult because everyone is on social media and in the press giving them praise, so you can get a bit relaxed.”

“You have to keep reminding them to be focused and that they work as hard as they have been doing in previous weeks. It is so easy to slip.”

“In six of the last 12 games we are against the top six teams so we know there is going to be a run of games we will get nothing out of.

But that is coming. I will try to keep my feet on the ground and make sure they do, as well.”