Any suggestion that Robson might be able to gloss over the defensive lapses at Stamford Bridge were well and truly buried at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon as Albion produced the most inept defensive performance I have seen by an Albion team under Bryan Robson. From the back four, only Paul Robinson can escape serious criticism as the concept of marking suddenly seemed alien to the men in blue and white. But while it was the defence that made the mistakes that cost the goals, the overall set up of the team meant that Blues dominated the first half and put the defence under pressure, and in my opinion, Robson failed to make the right changes early enough.

As expected, it was Campbell and Horsfield that led the front line, and Watson, Wallwork and Gera all returned to the team. The big surprise saw a debut for Darren Carter in the middle of the park to face his old club. For Blues, Emile Heskey returned from injury and Damien Johnson was available after suspension.

The biggest problem in the first half was that the Albion midfield gave their opponents far too much time on the ball. I never thought I'd say it, but Andy Johnson would've been an improvement to central midfield as at least he will put pressure on the ball, although I think Inamoto can do that and be a lot more intelligent in possession. As for Darren Carter, I thought he did some good stuff with the ball but just didn't work hard enough. He and Wallwork did not work as a midfield pair and it seems strange to throw Carter in without even so much as a seat on the bench so far this season - why Chaplow, Inamoto and Johnson were overlooked is a mystery.

Another problem I saw was with last season's hero, Zoltan Gera. Whether it was a symptom of Albion losing the midfield battle, him being dropped in midweek or something else, I don't know, but I thought Gera looked almost disinterested at times and he failed to make any real impact on the game. He could be deemed partly culpable for the first goal. With plenty of time in midfield, Blues worked the ball well out to Jamie Clapham. Gera ran away from him and Watson was slow to close him down allowing Clapham all the time in the world to cross the ball. Even so, I would've expected the defence to at least make an attempt to deal with it. As it was, Heskey dropped off the back of Clement and had an easy header which gave Kirkland no chance.

But with the Blues defence feeling equally generous, Horsfield equalised a few minutes later when a corner wasn't cleared. And then, Albion seemed to get on top for a while. Campbell had two excellent chances to put Albion in front but failed to test Taylor with either. The cross form Greening for the first was exquisite and, while the Albion captain hit the bar, he should definitely have found the net. Minutes later, he was put through by a Clement header and made a complete hash of his shot. While Horsfield looked lively, strong and potent, Campbell looked laboured and ineffective. I would have subbed him on twenty minutes.

Then it was Steve Watson's turn to look laboured as he completely failed to follow Jarosik's run from a free kick from Pennant, and the on-loan Chelsea midfielder managed to squeeze the ball in. The free kick itself was completely unnecessary as Gaardsoe made one of his now customary clumsy and pointless fouls.

Campbell had another great chance to score when he was through on goal again. With Horsfield awaiting the square ball, Campbell seemed to be caught in two minds and ended up passing the ball back to Maik Taylor - simply dreadful. Ellington was now warming up so surely he would be on soon.

Robinson lost out to Melchiot on half way and he put Pennant through and his cross caught Watson napping once again and Hesky had another free header to make it 3-1. It was a great ball, but for a man of his experience, I expect better from Watson.

Still Robson made no changes.

He made one at half time replacing Watson with Albrechtsen. A good move but how Campbell remained on the field, I'll never know. As the second half carried on in the same manner as the first, the manager finally bowed to the inevitable and replaced the skipper with Ellington. Unfortunately, though he tried hard, the Duke failed to have the impact we all hoped.

Albion did manage to get a goal back, however, as Horsfield put himself top of the Premiership scoring charts by pouncing on a sliced clearance from Damien Johnson. And the Baggies did play much better in the second half. Carter, obviously ineffective in the middle, switched out to the wing with Greening switching into the middle. Robson had left himself with no other option without a midfielder on the bench. Albion created a few chances with Greening testing Taylor and Ellington volleying over a difficult chance. The best opportunities fell to Earnshaw, who replaced Carter with 13 minutes left, but he failed to apply the required finish.

Blues deserve credit as they played some good football with Heskey, Pennant and Jarosik particularly impressive, but Albion made it far too easy for them in the first half. Having said that, clinical finishing both sides of the break could easily have seen Albion take three points. It leaves Robson with some problems to address. It is obvious that the defence needs strengthening and we know he is trying to sign a centre back. Watson and Clement have both done well prior to this game and probably deserve another chance, but maybe Big Dave should get a run in place of Gaardsoe.

Carter did not appear to be strong or mobile enough to play in central midfield on the basis of that appearance, and I'm not sure how he could be accommodated at the moment. I think the best choice at the moment is Inamoto and Wallwork, although Chaplow has also impressed. Gera is a worry at present, but I'm not sure what the problem is.

Up front, the Horse is impressing every time he plays but Campbell has not started the season well. I think Earnshaw and Ellington need time on the field to get into the game. They can be criticised for missing chances, but they both need matches to get that match sharpness. I'm tempted by Ellington at the moment purely because he offers more of a physical presence - whether a full debut against Wigan is the right move depends on the lad's temperament; it could be exactly what he needs.

In summary, the panic button remains unpressed but Albion cannot afford to lose their next game at home to Wigan. Robson has plenty of food for thought and, must find the best way to use his squad. On the face of it, the rotation this week hasn't worked, but it's not quite that simple. What was particularly disappointing for me is that, even at 3-1 down, Albion could've got back into that game and maybe even won it. I just don't think the changes were made early enough and, when trying something new in midfield, why was there not an option to change that?

Robson and the team must learn and move on. The most important game is always the next one.


Marks

Chris Kirkland - 7 - No chance with the goals, did nothing wrong.
Neil Clement - 6 - Lost Heskey for the first goal; otherwise OK.
Thomas Gaardsoe - 5 - Confidence looks shot; not the cool Gaard we once knew.
Paul Robinson - 6 - Did OK.
Ronnie Wallwork - 7 - Decent game.
Steve Watson - 4 - Had a shocker.
Darren Carter - 5- Didn't offer anywhere near enough.
Jonathan Greening - 7 - Solid game from Jonno.
Kevin Campbell - 3 - Simply dreadful.
Zoltan Gera - 5 - Another below par performance.
Geoff Horsfield - 8 - MOM. Excellent start to the season for Geoff.

Martin Albrechtsen - 7 - Did well, particularly offensively.
Robert Earnshaw - 5 - Missed best chances.
Nathan Ellington - 6 - Did OK.