Analysis: New-look West Brom get the pulses racing

There's no doubt Albion were helped by hapless opponents who let them rack up a sizeable score after throwing the towel in.

But forget about promotion for a moment, forget about the much sterner test of Tony Pulis's Middlesbrough coming up on Friday night, and forget about the shaky defending from set-pieces that needs to be sorted soon.

Instead, bask in the glory of scoring (seven) goals at home, a number so high it requires brackets on the vidi-printer, a number not seen by Albion fans in the league for more than a decade.

Marvel at Harvey Barnes's ability to glide past defenders like they are stuck in syrup, applaud Dwight Gayle's insatiable tenacity and incredible habit of winning penalties, respect Jay Rodriguez's coolness on the spot.

Stare at the results of Albion's last two games in this league, results that wouldn't look out of place in the free-scoring 1950s.

And dream. Dream of a season that will be fun, entertaining, and full of joy.

Because this is why we watch football, the whole reason for going to games, to see sides play like this, to see sides score like this.

There is something brewing in the Black Country. Darren Moore's brave decision to play a modern 3-4-1-2 formation after initially trialling it in the Carabao Cup was matched by his players being brave on the ball.

This is how football should be played. With those on the ball trusting their team-mates in possession, zipping it on the deck and through the lines.

When Sam Johnstone lined up his goal-kicks, two of Albion's centre-backs trotted over to the corner flags while the wing-backs stood on either byline.

The Hawthorns pitch has never looked so big, or at least it hasn't done so in recent years.

Johnstone's distribution, which is better than his predecessor's, kick-started the process.

He was comfortable passing out from the back with either foot, whether it was a slide rule into Chris Brunt or a clip over the press to Matt Phillips or Kieran Gibbs.

From there, Albion tried to find Barnes, that two-footed 20-year-old superstar-in-waiting who relished his new free role behind the strikers.

If they couldn't, Jake Livemore mopped up the pieces, moving into midfield like an unstoppable tank suddenly capable of picking an incisive forward pass.

Further back, Brunt is capable of sending long foraging balls over the top for the ever-alert Gayle to run to.

And it is the Fab Four up front that have the real weapons. The Baggies arguably have the best attack in this league, and they have all scored now. Who knows how many they'll get in total.

On Saturday, Kieran Gibbs emerged as the fifth Beatle, jerked into action perhaps by Conor Townsend breathing down his neck.

Moore's system also improved those behind. Livermore and Brunt were no longer overrun.

With the No.10 in front of them they were in control, and that midfield trio suddenly had balance.

Further back, Ahmed Hegazi's marauding is not as worrisome with two centre-backs covering him and Tosin Adarabioyo is as comfortable on the ball as you'd expect a Manchester City protege to be. Perfect for a back three.

They're not the finished article, but no team really is. Adarabioyo's parent club reached 100 points last season, and they still had their weaknesses.

This side does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as that one, two games does not a season make.

What's more, Rangers were beyond poor, and look like relegation fodder already. It wasn't raining, and yet Steve McClaren had a metaphorical brolly hanging over him.

There are caveats to this magnificent seven blockbuster then, but if you can't get excited about winning by six goals, when can you?

Over summer there were tentative hopes that relegation might bring days like this back to The Hawthorns, but until they arrive, nobody can be sure.

Now this one has come, nobody can be sure it is not just a one-off. Perhaps there will be no more thrashings. Perhaps other clubs will wise up to the system and the players.

But Albion also scored four at Norwich, and the top scorers in the Championship have now notched as many league goals this season as they managed in the whole Alan Pardew era.

There is a growing body of evidence, albeit small, that suggests Moore's team could be this division's entertainers.

Slowly but surely he is proving the doubters wrong. He has learnt quickly from the wake-up call on opening day, and just two weeks into the season, appears to have found a system capable of getting the best out of his strong squad.

Against Norwich, Albion relied on their quality, but against QPR, the system was king.

There will be bumps in the road, that's a given, but importantly for those battle-weary fans of the Premier League years, it looks like the journey is going to be quite a lot of fun.

The prospect of a man universally adored by the fanbase guiding the Baggies back to the big time was always incredibly appealing.

But the prospect of him doing it, or at least coming close, in an entertaining way that will love long in the memory in his first season as a manager?

That is almost as tantalising as a Harvey Barnes burst of pace on the edge of the penalty area or a Dwight Gayle run in behind the last man.