If Newcastle United's derby-day defeat against Sunderland had been the tale of two cities, their response was very much a game of two halves.
Unfortunately for Alan Pardew, it did little to appease disgruntled Geordie fans, or stave off the threat of relegation.
But there were still more questions than answers for United supporters after another winless away day which represents only a small segment of a season of deep disappointment.
Yet it isn't showing up when it matters most – and Newcastle seem to be lacking the know-how to pick up points at the rate they did last season.
The ardent fan and the manager may well be able to make a case for a bright future and better days ahead, but the history books will only display one of the poorest performances of all in the Magpies' top-flight existence.
There can be no covering up, no spin and no excuses – United have been very poor this season and tactically inept for long periods to boot.
Life on the road has been far from easy for Toon fans who have shelled out thousands to see their side domestically.
This was the 16th time in the Premier League they would board the bus home having seen their side fail to serve up a win.
Throw in two first-hurdle surrenders in the cups, one measly away win at Aston Villa and a host of capitulations on their travels and you start to get the definitive picture of the season that wasn't.
Even trying to jazz up Newcastle's campaign with talk of a respectable European run won't wash with some fans or the record books, which indicates just the single away win against Metalist Kharkiv is the only victorious success up for discussion.
Indeed, those who travelled to the Hawthorns were still looking at a set of players who are on their way to picking up the tag of the team with the "worst away record ever" in United's Premier League history.
Talk of a top-10 finish in recent weeks from players also sounds like a pipedream, given the last time United found themselves in the upper half of the table was September.
Many of the questions that were being posed in the aftermath of the 1-1 draw against the Baggies for now will remain unanswered.
Well, if they are, then they are going to achieve survival by limping to the finish line and glancing back anxiously.
Premier League safety is still in United's hands, but if they aren't careful they could be relying on others – and we all know what happened last time.
There was also a quizzical reaction to the tactics of Pardew on the day with Yohan Cabaye once again deployed in a deep midfield role when his creativity was needed further up the pitch.
In fairness to the United boss, there were no complaints about the system in the first period as Newcastle carved open the Baggies with a series of attacks.
It had all started so well, so positive, so fresh and so vibrant. Papiss Cisse teed up Yoan Gouffran for the opener and other presentable opportunities for himself.
Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Steven Taylor and Mathieu Debuchy left the home side looking flustered and on the back-foot.
And had Cisse taken a gift- wrapped chance when Jonas Olsson's horrific back-pass rolled perfectly for the No 9 right in front of goal, it would have drained plenty of belief out of this West Brom side.
The Baggies are now starting to think about the beach as they sit untroubled in the top half of the table, but well behind the pace of the European chasers.
It should have been all over at half-time – just like it was when United visited the Hawthorns over 12 months ago and found themselves 3-0 up at the break.
Given the amount of pressure served up by former Toon coach Steve Clarke, it was inevitable a United team that has struggled to chalk up away wins this term would crumble at some stage.
Certainly they gave their fans precious little to make them believe an away win that had looked very much on in the first half was on its way.
After that it was down to the alertness of Rob Elliot to keep West Brom at bay with a top- notch performance, a string of fine saves one of the key factors behind what could be a crucial point for the Magpies.
It served up a painful reminder of the days of Kenny Dalglish and Ruud Gullit, but the chant was also appropriate for a Newcastle team that didn't have an answer to West Brom's surging attacking play.
Pardew then turned to his bench for answers, but there was no help forthcoming. Once more United fans called for Hatem Ben Arfa, but with the game crying out for the Frenchman to have a run at West Brom he spent most of the second half warming up.
To add insult to injury they lost their discipline too, and Cabaye – who was unable to provide a captain's explanation to fans after the game – ran the risk of being sent off.
Sissoko also lost his rag, and had it not been for Taylor and Perch, who had to drag him back to speak to ref Mike Jones after a wild challenge late on, he could have picked up an unnecessary red card.
With winning away from home seemingly beyond Newcastle for the large part this season, trips to QPR and West Ham won't be easy, meaning that top-flight survival may come down to upsetting the odds against top- seven sides Arsenal and Liverpool.
Ryder's verdict: If a draw at West Brom is classed as a success, it just shows how standards have dipped in the last 12 months for United.
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