West Brom defender makes 'every right' admission about the fans

Semi Ajayi concedes that the audible dissatisfaction from the West Bromwich Albion fanbase in recent weeks and months has been justified, as Albion begin to contemplate the prospect of a second successive campaign in the Championship.

Albion have actually fared a little better on paper recently, taking eight points from the last 12 on offer, but Adam Reach’s get out of jail equaliser at the death at Bristol City on Saturday failed to stem the criticism from quarters of the support. For many the inconsistency was the most frustrating aspect, having deservedly seen off Fulham days earlier to prompt optimism which appears misplaced again.

Albion were roundly booed off in a recent defeat to Swansea and at home to Preston, while travelling fans - bar one day out at Hull - have had precious little to shout about for months on end.

“The crowd’s reaction recently has been understandable,” Ajayi admitted. “If you want to play for a big club, you have to understand the expectations are high. The fans are expecting us to be challenging high up the league and winning games. If that’s not happening, they have every right to show their displeasure. As players, we have to be big enough to take that on our shoulders and react positively to that.”

On an individual level, the appointment of Steve Bruce has granted Ajayi with a new lease of life; between October and February, the Nigerian international - who was away for AFCON during that time - played just four minutes of Championship football under Valerien Ismael.

Since Bruce’s introduction, he has completed 90 minutes in every match, many of them on the right of a back three and he produced the cross for Andy Carroll’s first Albion goal, in the dramatic late comeback against