Valerien Ismael: It's up to us to stop West Brom boos
Boss Valerien Ismael says it’s up to Albion to give their fans something to cheer after his side was again booed off during the draw with Middlesbrough.
In recent months, the Baggies have faced a number of teams who have set up in a defensive low block.
And at times, Albion have struggled to break those sides down – with Boro the latest team to keep 11 men behind the ball.
Albion’s failure to create clear-cut chances on Saturday saw them booed off at half-time.
Ismael’s side also faced jeers from the crowd in the games against Derby, Preston and QPR.
And the Frenchman can understand why supporters are frustrated.
“We put the performance in on the pitch and our fans react to our performance – it’s as simple as that,” Ismael said.
“If we put in the right performance, they will support us.
“If we don’t put in the right performance, we will be punished and we need to understand that.
“We decide what is happening on the pitch.
“The players need to control their thoughts and stay focused on the game plan.
“Since I’ve been here, every time we put in a performance, or we score an early goal, there is always a good atmosphere inside the stadium.
“As soon as we start to make mistakes, to not be clinical, to be sloppy with our passes – this is the reaction.
“But it is us who is deciding what is going on and the players need to understand that.
“If we put in a performance then we will have the crowd behind us.”
Albion lacked creativity and spark in the match against Middlesbrough.
And Ismael’s admits his team must start creating more chances if they are to earn promotion this season.
“We need to put in performances with consistency and produce more quality,” the boss said.
“The players have a lot of expectation, they want to go back into the Premier League.
“But first you need to put in the performances, you need to put the effort in on the pitch.
“Every opponent comes to our home very motivated against us – so we need to do more to create chances to win.
“We need to work on that killer mentality – especially when you know the game is going to be difficult.
“You need to start strong and create chance after chance to give a good feeling to the crowd – that we are on top and we can score at any time.”
