West Brom boss Steve Bruce revealed that he was furious with his players at half-time in their 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough.

A trip to Boro was always going to be tough, and Albion were second best throughout the first half, with Isaiah Jones putting the hosts ahead.

Thankfully for the Baggies, Chris Wilder's men were wasteful in the final third, so they only went in a goal down at the break.

It was a different story in the second period, with Albion controlling more of the play and they got an equaliser when John Swift finished well after good work from Jed Wallace.

Overall, it was a good result for West Brom, and Bruce told Birmingham Live that he was quick to remind the players at half-time that improvements were needed.

"What you say in the dressing room has to stay in the dressing room but there were a few home truths. I think they just needed reminding to play with a bit more intensity, and the second half was chalk and cheese – that was evident for everybody to see.

"If we keep what we showed in the second half then we’ve got a chance."

The verdict

There's no denying that Albion were very poor in the first half and if any fan was in the dressing room at half time they would've ripped into the players as well.

All you can ask for as a manager is that the group respond, which is exactly what happened here, as the Baggies were so much better after the break.

Ultimately, it got them a good point from a difficult fixture and the challenge will be to maintain the standards set from the second half moving forward.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.