YOU can imagine a workman surveying the scene.

Pencil tucked behind ear, hands on his hips, shaking his head.

“This isn’t good,” he says, grimacing.

Clearly this job is going to need some money putting into it.

There’s not much that needs doing but it needs fixing.

But some scaffolding does need putting up, a spot of insulation wouldn’t go a miss. Restoration up front is urgent.

Albion lost their seventh home game of the season. And we’re barely into the second half of the season.

To put that figure in perspective, they lost nine home games when they finished bottom in 2009.

Never before has a Roy Hodgson side been found wanting so badly.

Deficiencies were once again exposed.

More hard luck stories.

More frustrations. More anger. More head scratching.

There are many theories as to why Albion are not functioning at The Hawthorns.

One focuses around Hodgson’s preference to play with a four man midfield and two man strike force. The personnel might be pretty similar but there is a slightly different shape and there seems to be less inclination to press. Away from home this works. Albion are venemous on the counter, they score goals.

Eight goals at B71 is a poor return. The worst home goalscoring record in the division. Albion have yet to score a Premier League goal from open play in 2012.