It has been a difficult first half of the 2013-14 Premier League season for West Bromwich Albion.

The Baggies have won just three games so far this campaign, had a change of manager and a striker in trouble over a controversial celebration.

Their results so far leave them just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Sports Mole looks back at their season to date.

August

West Brom were unfortunate not to clinch a point in their opening game of the season, conceding an 89th-minute penalty against Southampton.

The club were rocked by the news that newly-signed striker Nicolas Anelka was considering retiring following the death of his agent, but later returned to the squad after a break on "compassionate grounds".

The team finished August without a win after playing out a goalless draw with Everton at Goodison Park.

September

The team's search for their first win of the season went on in September as they started the month with their second straight defeat at The Hawthorns, losing 2-0 to Swansea City.

A last-minute equaliser rescued a point against Fulham, lifting them off the bottom of the table.

Next up was a visit from Sunderland, who had replaced the Baggies at the foot of the table the previous week, which provided the first win of the season for the home side, who cruised to a 3-0 victory.

The win seemed to have boosted their confidence, as they twice took the lead against Manchester United at Old Trafford the following week to finish the month with back-to-back successes.

October

Steve Clarke's men made it five games without a defeat after drawing their first two games of October.

Jack Wilshere helped Arsenal come from behind to clinch a point at The Hawthorns, before the Baggies shared a goalless draw with Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.

However, the run came to an end when the team headed to Anfield, where Luis Suarez led Liverpool to a 4-1 win with a hat-trick.

November

Saido Berahino and Gareth McAuley got the team back on track in the first outing in November, with both scoring in their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

The Baggies headed to Stamford Bridge the following week to face Chelsea, where they came away with a 2-2 draw, but felt like they should have got the win after the home side were awarded a controversial penalty in stoppage time.

The result was followed by another 2-2 draw, this time against Midlands rivals Aston Villa, before finishing the month with their only defeat of November, a 2-1 loss at Newcastle which left them 12th in the table.

December

The defeat to Newcastle started a run of losses that would ultimately end Clarke's reign at the club.

Manchester City came away from The Hawthorns with a 3-2 win, despite a late fightback by the Baggies, before Norwich City claimed a 2-0 win three days later.

It was their fourth-straight defeat, a 1-0 loss away to Cardiff City, that ultimately cost the manager his job, as he was sacked just hours after the result, leaving assistant Keith Downing in charge on a caretaker basis.

Downing's first two games in charge of the side ended in 1-1 draws, with Matej Vydra rescuing a point against Hull City in their final game before Christmas, before Jonas Olsson helped the Baggies come from behind against Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day.

The eight-game run without a win had dropped West Brom to 15th in the table, and the run continued when they travelled to West Ham United for their final game of the year.

Anelka scored a brace in the first half before the home side took a 3-2 lead, which was short-lived when Berahino found an equaliser.

Anelka made further headlines after the game when the Football Association announced that it was investigating his celebration, after some had claimed that he had made an anti-Semitic gesture, something which he has denied.