West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael has claimed it is up to him and his players to stop fans booing at the Hawthorns. 

Albion were held to a 1-1 draw by Middlesbrough on the weekend, with the visitors setting up defensively and making themselves very tough to break down.

Josh Coburn's 38th-minute goal meant the Baggies were one down at the break and not for the first time this season, Ismael and his side were booed off by home fans when they went in at half-time.

Speaking to the Express & Star, the French coach was pressed on the situation after the game and suggested the onus was on Albion to give the fans something to cheer.

He said: "We put the performance in on the pitch and our fans react to our performance – it’s as simple as that.

“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.”

The Baggies are going to have to wait nearly a fortnight for another chance to get fans back onside due to the international break while their schedule means they won't be back at the Hawthorns until the 26th of November.

They'll be hoping to close the six-point gap on the top two when they are back in action in the Championship, with games against Huddersfield Town, Blackpool, and Nottingham Forest inside a seven-day period.

The Verdict

You have to credit Ismael for coming out and shouldering the responsibility for the booing as some managers would likely have called for more patience and understanding from the fanbase.

The issue with the direct style in which the Albion boss has his side playing is that if it is not successful it can make for very frustrating watching.

That's certainly been the case at times this season and is why supporters have reacted in the way in which they have at points.

It's hard to see Ismael changing his approach but he'll be hoping that if they can rediscover some consistency and get back to winning games, that'll be enough for the supporters.