Door always open to players, but must be constructive and well-intentioned - West Brom boss
Boss Ryan Mason has revealed his door is open to his Albion players - but only at the right times.
Albion have endured an inconsistent start to Mason's reign at The Hawthorns and failed to build any momentum as the season heads towards the festive period.
It has been suggested in some quarters that Baggies players have remained in support of the head coach despite the club finding itself as low as 17th in the Championship in recent weeks, but that theory will be tested as miserable runs of form continue, such as the away record and a seventh straight defeat on their travels at Southampton on Tuesday night.
Mason recently revealed striker Daryl Dike, scarcely used this term after a return from his latest long-term injury setback, had been asking how he can be more involved in first-team action - and the head coach suggested he was open to private conversation with players, but they must be constructive and with the best intention.
"It's part of it, yes," Mason said about his door being open for players. "There are some times where players don't want to speak to the manager, for sure.
"And there are times where they do need to be spoken to. So it's all part of it. It's just part of the day-to-day life of being in this role and trying to make sure everyone's in the right mindset to contribute to the team."
The Hawthorns head coach insists there is an expectation on all involved to 'understand your role'.
Mason added: "I'm the type of person that not just in football, but in life, I want to build those relationships. But at the same time, we want to build a culture and environment where everyone's working together and pushing each other.
"I think part of that is understanding your role to play. Sometimes that's from the start, sometimes that's from the bench and sometimes that's just encouraging your team-mates and being part of it.
"So it's not something that I expect every single day of the week, people knocking on the door, because that's not the culture that we want to create - and we certainly haven't created that.
"There are also times where I think when players do knock on the door and ask questions, that's also a positive thing."
Sign up to our free newsletter to get all the latest from from Albion sent straight to your inbox at https://www.expressandstar.com/newsletters/
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.