Ally Robertson: Let’s hope Shilen Patel provides leadership West Brom need

By the end you could not wait for him to leave.

The difference in mood among supporters since news of the takeover broke last Thursday night has been remarkable. You can see it in their faces.

I just hope the news owners come in and pick the club up. You want people who are going to be a bit more hands-on, who want to really make something of it.

I didn’t feel as though Lai had any interest in the club.

The thing I could never get my head around, was how much money he paid Jeremy Peace for his shareholding and then how many matches has he actually been to? Not many, that is for sure.

You always got the sense he was only in it to make money and nothing else. It wasn’t like he ever really gave the impression he was trying to do something.

We never heard from him. We never really knew what the plan was.

That’s why I hope Mr Patel gets properly involved. If any club is going to be successful, it needs leadership from the top.

Talking to supporters before last Friday’s match against Southampton, it was almost like you were dealing with a different fanbase.

Everyone seemed to be thinking: “Great, now we have someone in charge who is interested in the club. Now we might get somewhere.”

I found out about the takeover myself on the morning of the game. My first thought was to hope we could then get a good win on the night, to really get everyone going.

Obviously, it didn’t quite turn out that way!

You have to give credit to Southampton. They are a really good side.

For me, the main difference was they seemed that bit much sharper. When they lost the ball, they chased back. When we had the ball, they closed us down so fast.

Having said that, had we got the penalty, or that lad not cleared the header off the line just after (how he managed it I will never know) then maybe it would have been a different night.

I’m writing this before last night’s match at Plymouth, the first of two big away matches in the course of a few days with a trip to Hull to come on Saturday. The way things are shaping up, that match could be a real six-pointer in the race for the play-offs. This next period is going to be tough, a run of five games out of seven on the road where, as we all know, we have not looked the same team as we have done at home.

That will need to change. We are going to need to win some games. The league is so close and we need to keep in the top six. It is going to be difficult.

Carlos Corberan has done brilliantly with what he’s had to work with.

You just hope now, with things finally sorted off the pitch, we can get something going over the final months of the season.