Matt Maher: Fans always do their bit - it is those with real responsibility who must step up at West Brom and Wolves
No club has ever been relegated because their supporters didn’t make enough noise.
That was the first thought which sprang to mind, when listening to former Albion defender Kyle Bartley this week describe a “negative” atmosphere in the stands at The Hawthorns.
Bartley said it was the “responsibility” of fans to stay for the entirety of the next two home matches against Coventry and Charlton and get behind the team.
“Nobody in the building at West Brom wants us to get relegated,” he said.
Bartley is certainly not wrong there and in fairness, you can understand the point he was trying to make, during a midweek stint on Radio WM’s football phone-in.
We’ve all been at matches where it felt fans made a difference.
The only responsibility for results, however, lies with players and management and where the Baggies are concerned it really is time they gave those in the stands something to cheer.
This is an Albion team which has won only three matches since the start of November and none of their last eight in the Championship. Eric Ramsay is still searching for his first win, seven matches into a reign which has already featured the club’s worst-ever home defeat outside of the top flight.
The Baggies have only scored seven goals from open play at The Hawthorns all season.
None of that is the fault of fans, who have got behind the team as much as they can but who are also entitled, having paid their money, to react to performances and results however they like within the boundaries of common decency.
You have a bit more sympathy for Rob Edwards, who used an interview after Wednesday’s draw with Arsenal to call for more “backing” from the Molineux stands.
It’s always risky to read too much into things said just minutes after the final whistle and Edwards, importantly, did acknowledge the context of a dreadful season.
Even so, to be seen even vaguely criticising supporters might be considered somewhat shaky ground, for the head coach of a team with only 10 points on the board.
Empty seats might be increasingly common at Molineux but fans have continued to show up in their droves during one of the club’s worst-ever seasons. Neither their commitment, or that of their rivals at The Hawthorns, can be questioned. Supporters will always do their bit to help their team.
What it really needs is those who can have the biggest impact on performances and results, whether they be on the pitch, in the dugout or in the boardroom, to start delivering.
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