West Brom manager Steve Bruce should put more faith in the side's younger players, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

Bruce took charge at the Hawthorns at the start of February, but his first month in the job has not gone to plan.

How have West Brom fared under Bruce?

In the early stages of the season, West Brom looked to be on course for an immediate return to the Premier League as they battled with the likes of Fulham and Bournemouth for an automatic promotion spot.

However, their form has fallen away dramatically since Christmas, and this led to Valerien Ismael being relieved of his duties.

Bruce replaced him, but has failed to win any of his first five games at the helm. The Baggies have lost four of these matches, and have only scored one goal since Bruce arrived.

They hit a new low on Monday night when they were beaten 2-0 by Swansea, which leaves the Midlands club in the bottom half of the Championship.

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What has O'Rourke said about West Brom?

Since he joined West Brom, Bruce has largely relied on experience to try to get his team back up the table.

This has not paid off, though, and O'Rourke thinks he should now look to give youth a chance instead.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “When you’re in a poor run of form, maybe it’s time to turn to the youth. West Brom do have some good, young players coming through the ranks.”

Should Bruce start playing younger players at West Brom?

It could be worth a try.

The more experienced players have not delivered over the past two months, and this has left West Brom in no man's land in the table. As things stand, they are not in the running for promotion, nor are they under any threat of being dragged into a relegation scrap.

Therefore, it could be time for Bruce to change things up by giving the youngsters a chance in the first-team.

If things work out well, there is still a slim chance that West Brom could make a late push for a play-off place.

Alternatively, the side may miss out on the play-offs this term, but at least Bruce could hand young, talented players the chance to gain some valuable experience, which could prove beneficial heading into next season when the team make another attempt to get back into the Premier League.