Steve Bruce makes defiant pledge after West Brom suffer another defeat

Steve Bruce is still of the opinion that West Brom’s season can be salvaged after the latest damaging defeat on the road at Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening.

Albion have now won just one of their last 12 matches in all competitions stretching back to mid-December. Despite Jayson Molumby’s first-half goal, their first in just shy of eight hours of football, handing them the lead, Albion’s away day pattern which has dogged them for the three matches on the road previous to this occurred once more - they conceded two goals.

Bruce has lost three of his first four matches in charge and he’s awaiting his first victory in charge, something he’s hoping to inspire against Swansea next Monday, but despite Albion now sitting in 11th and cut adrift of the play-off places, the new manager is optimistic that they can still resurrect their quickly spiralling season.

“I am still convinced we can turn it around. We have eight of the 13 games at home, we have done well at home but we have to improve away. We have to get that first win under our belts and hopefully we can get it, we have a long wait until Monday, but the signs of how we want to play are there.

“We’ve seen a goal, which is good, but the longer the game went on the attacking threat left us along. I was pleased in the first half, we showed ability to get the ball and not go route one straight away, but in the second half we did it too much in my opinion.”

It’s a low bar that Albion have set their supporters right now, but the first half was better here and it did produce their goal.

Bruce, though, was left bemoaning individual errors as Paddy McNair and then Marcus Tavernier were presented with the freedom of the visiting penalty area to turn the game on its head inside a