I've got quite a lot to get through in this blog, so let's start with deadline day. A day which for most Albion fans is a bit of a non-event. We are not exactly renowned for activity on deadline day, particularly where money is involved.

So to see Albion bring in not 1 but 2 players on deadline day was, well, rather exciting! The first man to sign on the dotted line was Birmingham City defender Liam Ridgewell. The Baggies have been chasing Ridgewell since the summer window, and had previously seen two bids knocked back by their local rivals for the left back.

But Jeremy Peace's negotiation skills once again came to the fore, though for a time it had looked like Albion would miss the boat with Ridgewell, reports suggesting that the Blues hierarchy were not impressed with Peace's tough stance. In the end it paid off, with Albion signing Ridgewell for a fee believed to be in the region of £1.7 Million, £300,000 less than what Birmingham were said to be demanding.

The impossible was made possible, the unexpected was achieved, West Brom finally beat Stoke! I have to say that I am still in shock from Saturday's rollercoaster of emotions.

The first of those emotions was utter despair when I saw the team that Roy Hodgson had put out. I knew that Hodgson had pulled some decisions out of the blue the last time we played Stoke away from home, bringing in Abdoulaye Meite who hadn't been seen in a matchday squad let alone the first team in a league game but I really did question the side he had put out.

We had our two best strikers on the bench, Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long, with Marc Antoine Fortune starting up front having previously been on loan at Doncaster. We then had Simon Cox starting on the right hand side of midfield and Gabriel Tamas at right back, three decisions that were, quite frankly, baffling.

No, I am not talking about the transfer window, though that can be equally as frustrating for Albion fans. Nor am I talking about the annual figures being published, again another thing that prompts annoyance amongst the fans.

Rather I am talking about one particular day, in one particular match, at one particular ground, against one particular team. Yes, Albion fans it is that time again, Stoke City, away from home. No longer a cause of annoyance or frustration for us, more so a sense of impending doom and pessimism in larger doses than usual.

I am normally someone who looks at things optimistically. Earlier in the season, I was genuinely convinced it was our time. Stoke had just been playing away in the Europa League, they had yet to make their customary big-name signings and after two fantastic performances in the games against Manchester United and Chelsea, it just had to be the time didn't it?

Since this is my first blog of 2012, I'd like to wish everyone a (belated) happy new year, though 2012 didn't really get off to the greatest start for the Baggies, who lost to out to Everton at home with a poor performance and also lost away at Spurs, with a far more spirited performance despite the result being the same as Everton, 1-0 to the opposition.

What was notable in the Spurs game was the side Albion were forced to put out. For the game, they were missing the following; Jonas Olsson, Steven Reid, Chris Brunt, Youssuff Mulumbu, Shane Long. All of these have been pretty much permanent fixtures in the starting XI throughout the season, whilst James Morrison was on the bench carrying an injury and Jerome Thomas was then forced off midway through the first half with a groin injury.

These injuries are really starting to take a toll on Albion's campaign, and has raised questions over the back-up options they have, particularly following Roy Hodgson's comments at the end of the Everton game.

I would not be sat here typing away at my keyboard creating this blog! However, for Christmas I got Football Manager 2012 and have been playing constantly ever since, which as players of the game will know, has made me an expert in managing football teams and particularly making transfers.

And with the January Window open in around 2 hours time, I thought I'd draw up a list of positions that Albion need strengthening and then some of the possible options in those positions.

After the home loss to Wigan, Albion seemed like they'd be in for a poor festive period as following this game was two away games with Blackburn and Newcastle, both tricky encounters in their own right, before a home game on Boxing Day to Man City.

Albion have never won a Premier League game in December, and this run looked like it would continue with the loss to Wigan. But now Albion are sitting pretty in 10th place going into Christmas following two fantastic away wins, though both games weren't easy watching for anybody of a nervous disposition.

It was not just the results that were great, but also the performances-as a whole team and individuals. I think a lot of this is owed to a slighty change in personnel from Roy Hodgson, who moved Chris Brunt back to the left hand-side, putting James Morrison on the right and Paul Scharner brought back into the middle.

After the disappointment of the defeat against Wigan last weekend, this has been a question that has bothered Albion fans for most of the week. Firstly, I'm not sure bringing Odemwingie in against Wigan was the right move as Albion seem to work a lot better when there is a link-man between midfield and attack, so I'd have stuck with Graham Dorrans.

However, it is not hard to see why Roy Hodgson opted to include the Nigerian over Dorrans. We all know his ability, he played a big role in creating Shane Long's equaliser at QPR and a home match with Wigan was a great time to give Odemwingie some fitness and try to get the partnership firing, as if it had then there is no doubt in my mind Albion would have won the game. It was an attack minded move from a coach not renowned for such moves.

Alas, the partnership did not exactly fire on all cylinders. Albion lost the game and their seemed to be little understanding between the front two, with Odemwingie being substitued after 80 minutes(That would have done him the world of good fitness wise). I'm going to consider some of the reasons why this might be;

In our mini-league of 8th-20th the most vital thing for any of the sides in this areas is their home form. In the Premier League, you would take a point on the road every single game without fail. And so far Albion's away form has been decent, picking up 8 points from 7 games with two of those games falling against Arsenal and Chelsea.

At home, things haven't been quite as good. Albion have 7 points from 7 games, and goals have not been at a premium in home games this season. Roy Hodgson will be looking to change this, and the past two home games have given fans many promising signs with a very good, attacking display against Bolton and matching Tottenham for most of the game and quite possibly unfortune with a series of refereeing decisions.

Today, the worst fears of Albion fans were confirmed with Zoltan Gera being ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament after his foot got caught in the turf against Tottenham on Saturday. Firstly, I’d like to wish Zoltan all the best in his recovery and hope that our medical team do the usual fantastic job and to see him back at the start of next season fit and firing, in the Premier League.

It is a massive blow for Albion. Roy Hodgson really pushed through this deal, believing that Gera would be absolutely pivotal in Albion’s season. He brought him in despite knowing Gera would not be fit for the start of the season, he regarded Gera as one of three key signings Albion needed to make, the other two being Ben Foster and Shane Long.

Who’d have thought we’d have been in this situation 6 months ago? 6 months ago Peter Odemwingie was the saviour Albion had longer for. Odemwingie had scored 15 goals in a season, contributing a further 8 assists. Only Carlos Tevez had more of a hand in his team’s goals than Odemwingie. Yet this season, we have yet to see Odemwingie really reach his best form and there is now a supposed rift between Odemwingie and head coach Roy Hodgson.

When the Nigerian signed for West Brom, fans from his previous clubs spoke about how his attitude seemed to change as he went into his 2nd season, how he became lazier and less interested. I put this down to sour grapes, and I think there is a pretty valid reason for thinking that considering the vile abuse Odemwingie received when playing in Russia. Some people are beginning to believe that this maybe the case.