West Brom's Future will be Decided in the Next Four Games, says Tony Mowbray

Premier League: West Ham vs West Brom

Tony Mowbray has admitted top players are starting to smell the fear in his West Brom team of Premier League beginners.

Rock-bottom Albion go to West Ham tomorrow with time starting to run out on Mowbray's brave - and some say foolish - bid to survive in the top flight with a young side playing passing football.

He believes their future will be settled in the next four games when after going to Upton Park they face Bolton, Stoke and Portsmouth.

But defeat by Arsenal 13 days ago left Mowbray with one point from the last six games and he admitted: "The learning curve is huge for my players and they are trying to do it in the Premier League every week against good players who know the game.

"Those players can smell the naivety of my players.

"They can smell the fact that they are not in total control of the situation they find themselves in.

"They can smell we are not in control of our understanding of the game, and maybe it is too steep a learning curve. Someone told me a story about a West Brom player a few years ago playing against Marcel Desailly in the Premier League.

"Desailly had that much control of the game he was shouting at the player, 'No, no, don't run now, it's too soon. Now you run'.

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"He was teaching him the game as he played against him.

"He was taking the mickey, but when you have experienced players they can see the picture and they are in total control. We don't have that.

"They are young and I can try to teach them, but the Premier League is a tough place to learn.

"But I'd still rather do that than play survival football every year."

Mowbray revealed he tried to sign a ball-winning midfield man during the January window.

He admitted: "The deal - collapsed on the last day of the window.

"We don't have a catalyst - someone in the midfield who can spark that big move.

"We came close to getting someone that I thought would be great, but the finances stopped us.

( Ralph Ellis / Mirror )