West Bromwich Albion suffered their sixth defeat in their last seven games as they were comfortably beaten by Swansea City on Monday night.
The Baggies began the game with more attacking intent in comparison to their previous losses, as Callum Robinson hit the post after just 20 minutes.
However, it became the same old story for Steve Bruce's side, as Joel Piroe neatly finished Olivier Ntcham's cutback cross to give the Swans the lead.
On-loan Fulham man Cyrus Christie bagged his second goal in three games to double their advantage, drilling a powerful shot past Sam Johnstone.
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Tactical troubles for Bruce
The fifth game without a win since his arrival at the club, but despite this, Bruce finds himself towards the back of the pecking order for the blame game.
However, his neglect in tending to some of the overriding tactical issues from the beginning of his reign meant he came in for some criticism after the loss.
Dara O'Shea began the game at right-back and frequently found himself overloaded as the opposition's wingers and full-backs doubled up to create opportunities.
This very same situation was frequented during their recent loss against Middlesbrough, where O'Shea had both Marcus Tavernier and Duncan Watmore queuing up at the back post to tap home their winner.
Bruce failed to recognise this and Piroe ended up unmarked to stroke the ball past Johnstone for the first goal.
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Sleek passing sees Swans win
Russell Martin’s side hold the highest average possession in the league and it was clear to see why after that passing performance.
59% possession meant that they were able to wear down the Baggies until the latter stages of the game, where they struck to win.
They managed to weather the flurry of Albion's attacking forces and waited patiently to pick their opportunities to score.
Martin's side also managed to camp out in West Brom's half through large parts of the win with 205 passes inside the opposition half.
However, although this one is a measure of steady improvement it's likely to be next season when they progress into the top half.
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Albion fans revolt
Chants of 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' echoed around The Hawthorns from West Brom supporters, as they clamoured for a reaction from their players.
Monday's defeat not only meant that the Swans had completed the double over the Baggies but also condemned them to a sixth defeat in a run of seven winless games.
And as their slump down the EFL Championship table continued, misery piled itself onto a side that has seen a spectacular demise in their aspirations.
When Bruce took over they sat sixth in the table and had just a point between themselves and those outside of the play-offs, with realistic hopes of keeping themselves in the top six.
However, their fall has seen them decline to 13th in the second tier table - a new low for a club.
There seemed to be a feeling of inevitability for Albion's collapse, with many fans reserved to their promotion campaign ending upon the final whistle.
A midfield three with a worrying lack of quality was bypassed too easily both in and out of possession with very little influence over play.
Jayson Molumby, Alex Mowatt and Adam Reach were all signings brought in by Valerien Ismael but now find themselves as a hallmark of poor planning and recruitment.
The personnel on the pitch seemed completely detached from the fans, with a number of them showing the required levels of 'heart' to compete at this level.
It seems that it's best to begin the planning for next season rather than flogging the dead horse of promotion.