Ahead of Saturday's FA Cup third round tie against Crystal Palace at The Hawthorns, we caught up once more with Palace fan Sam, from flyinghighmag.com. He gives us his views on Tony Pulis, Palace's needs in the January transfer window and more. You can also follow Flying High on Twitter @flyinghighmag.

Since we last spoke the club have appointed Tony Pulis as manager and results have improved somewhat. Are you optimistic for the rest of the season or still fearing the worst?

I’m still a pessimist, 25 years of going to Palace will do that to you, but we’ve improved markedly since the departure of Holloway. Whilst it’s virtually impossible to say whether we’ll stay up or not, we’re much more likely to under Pulis than we were under Holloway.

How much of a difference has Tony Pulis made? Is there a noticeable change in your style of play?

It’s a big difference. Under Holloway we were going straight down, we were conceding stupid goals, not creating enough up top and the confidence was draining away from the players with each game. Under Pulis (and, it must be said a lot of credit should go to Keith Millen who steadied the ship post-Holloway) we look a lot more up for the battle. We work hard, harry the opposition a lot and create more going forward.

It isn’t the 100% hoofball that everyone expected, we use the wingers more which Holloway moved away from despite it giving us a lot of joy last season and having Chamakh just behind the main striker gives us options as he isn’t isolated and his flick-ons and hold-up play actually provide chances rather than him having to do everything on his own.

Are the club likely to spend any money during the transfer window and if so what positions need strengthening?

We need to strengthen and Pulis knows it. He has talked a lot about bringing players in and bringing them in early in the window and the board will back him. We need centre-backs, for sure. Whilst Delaney and Gabbidon (two free transfers after they’d been released last season) are doing a lot better than we could have imagined, we cannot rely on them playing consistently well and not getting injured.

We also need another striker. With our talisman Murray now not scheduled for a return till February/March, having Cameron Jerome as our main focal point isn’t going to cut it. He runs and hassles but he’s just not good enough in front of goal.

Another winger is also rumoured to be on Pulis’ shopping list, with Kebe and Thomas both injured and not having set the world alight.

Highlight of the season so far?

As strange as it may sound, the highlight so far was the 1-0 win away to Hull. Keith Millen was in charge and had us performing better but we just needed that spark to push us forward. Hull hadn’t lost at home all season and we had a man sent off with 10 minutes to go so it wasn’t looking good. But a couple of minutes later, we scored a goal in front of the travelling support and held on for the win.

Pulis was in the stands that day and it really felt on the (long and dull) coach journey home that maybe we weren’t a complete write-off and could compete at this level despite our awful start to the season.

How serious are Palace likely to take the FA Cup this season?

I’m not sure we’ll take it too seriously to be honest. It’s clichéd, but the league is the most important thing for us and we need to concentrate fully on staying up. The Cup match is a perfect chance to play some squad players and maybe blood a few of the youngsters, but I would be surprised if we sent out our first XI on Saturday.

What sort of following will Palace be bringing to The Hawthorns? Are fans interested in the game?

It’s hard to say. I think West Brom should definitely be praised for the ticket prices, with adult tickets only costing £15 but I think the problem is we’ve already travelled up to yours in the league and that coupled with it being a Cup game might mean numbers aren’t too large.

Any special FA Cup memories?

One of the first Palace games I ever saw as a kid (albeit on the TV) was the 4-3 Semi-Final win over Liverpool in the 1990 FA Cup, which saw us lose the final in a reply. It’s famous at Palace of course and it definitely got me excited about football!

Any FA Cup nightmares?

Basically the Third round draw for the past ten years! We always seem to get drawn away to a team that is mid-table in the league we’re in. Whether that’s Watford, Preston or you guys. Magic of the Cup, they say! I’m sure neither set of fans were feeling particularly magical when this draw was made.

Prediction for Saturday?

Tough to say not knowing the team. I think you’ll beat us by two goals, it feels like that sort of match.

FA Cup winners?

Oh, someone boring like Chelsea probably.