This article is part of Football FanCast's The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more... 

West Brom currently occupy top spot in the Championship with Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest hot on their heels behind them in second, only by goal difference.

Slaven Bilic's men were at one stage the only unbeaten side in the Championship before Leeds put pay to that with a narrow 1-0 victory up at Elland Road.

The Baggies responded with a 4-2 victory over Cardiff City at the Hawthorns just a few days later to leave their first defeat of the season fully in the past.

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Their win just before the international break also signalled a momentous occasion for two members of the Albion squad as both Charlie Austin and Romaine Sawyers netted their first goals for the club.

The introduction of the latter has undoubtedly played a role in their fortunes so far this campaign, but Jake Livermore may be seeing the biggest rewards from that.

On the Chalkboard

Football FanCast have previously outlined why the club should have moved on from Livermore earlier in the year, but his performances this season under Slaven Bilic have started to prove otherwise.

In the squad last season, the 29-year-old was potentially being asked to do too much as he was without a suitable midfield partner - alongside Gareth Barry and Chris Brunt, that's quite an ageing duo, so Livermore would have had to do the bulk of the groundwork.

But now with Sawyers alongside him, he's able to sit a little deeper and play to his strengths.

So far this season, Livermore has contributed to the defensive game substantially by averaging 1.9 tackles per game, which has allowed Sawyers to advance forward to provide those key passes as the former Brentford captain is averaging 1.3 per match, via WhoScored.

The 27-year-old has even stated how he listens to everything Livermore says in a recent interview: "When Jake talks, I listen. He has been different class on and off the pitch."

He also claimed the following: "We complement each other without strangling each other and he gives me so much confidence."

But this is something that Livermore wouldn't have been able to achieve without Bilic bringing Sawyers back to the club.

He's clearly starting to flourish in a leadership role, especially with the previous mentioned experienced duo of Brunt and Barry both departing the club at the end of last season.

It seems as if having someone to nurture like Sawyers is something he's relished. There's certainly been an added layer of maturity to his game.