'Stand up and take responsibility': West Brom talking points from midweek Southampton defeat

Samuel Iling-Junior then missed a big late chance to snatch an unlikely point.

Jonny Drury brings you some of his talking points from the game:

Strange selections

For the second straight game, Mason has made a questionable selection.

As much as it would have been the right decision - he was never going to bring Josh Griffiths back in for Joe Wildsmith.

It wasn’t going to happen so soon - but he should have done. That is now six goals shipped in two games.

But elsewhere, decisions looked very strange. Ousmane Diakite for Jayson Molumby, but Iling-Junior for Mikey Johnston was even stranger.

Yes it is a three game week, but not playing Johnston just smashes any creativity Albion have. Everything goes through him.

It was five changes on Saturday and four tonight. It looks a little desperate from Mason.

Own it - take responsibility

For as much criticism as we and the fans have given Mason, which most of the time has been justified, the mistakes for the goals are just so ridiculously awful.

But what they are, are individual errors. Chris Mepham’s decision to dive in for the first goal - Nat Phillips’ howler for the second.

And a basic failure to close down a midfielder and prevent a through ball.

These are basics. There is an argument that lack of confidence causes it and that starts with the manager.

Maybe, but two players involved in glaring errors were signed from Premier League clubs.

They have to do better, step up and own it.

On a night like tonight, they should be made to come out, own up and front up.

Mason has to do it week in week out and maybe fans don’t like what he says, that is fine, but he takes responsibility.

The players should have to.

The baffling lack of changes

We’ve said it before that Mason waits too long to change it and his in game management has come under scrutiny.

We then thought it had changed when they beat Swansea.

But it has reverted back to type.

Albion got one back with half an hour to go at Boro. For the next five or ten minutes, they looked ropey.

Why not through two forward players on? Get another earlier and then the place really does start cracking.

Whether it is indecision, a concern about whether they would concede more, I don’t know.

But there is no ‘throw caution to the wind’ about this Albion side. If they had gone and had a real go with 25 minutes to left at 3-1, it may have salvaged something with the fans.

However, despite getting within goal of the hosts, most after left only remembering that first half.

Is this the system required?

Albion have played three at the back twice on the road this season - and twice it has worked.

At Charlton, they lost but had the better chances, created more and should have won the game, and a late mistake cost them.

At Southampton, three glaring early mistakes proved too costly.

But overall, Albion had better chances, and have seven shots on target, more than they have had in most games.

They were more front footed at times, certainly in the second half. Granted it is easier to play with your foot down when the pressure is off, but that is another matter.

However, attacking wise they are better in this system. So should Mason stick with it?

Heading into Friday, with an in-form Sheffield United at home, why not? I mean if they make horrific errors again, they could play five up front and it wouldn’t make a difference.

But if there is one positive out of tonight, it is that.