Tony Pulis calls for chairmen to stay firm over pressure from social media

Albion have won just two of their last 18 league games across two seasons and plenty of supporters turned on Pulis online after last weekend's drab defeat to Southampton.

He accepts pressure will always build up on managers when results are poor because it is the nature of the industry.

But the experienced campaigner, who is not yet under as much pressure from the board as he is the fanbase, is not letting the latest shouts for his head affect him.

And he's confident that it will only take one positive performance to click his team into gear this season.

“What happens with social media and everything else is that there is always a clamour for people having a tough time," he said.

“But that tough time can turn very quickly. It would be nice if other clubs and other chairmen held their ground a bit more.

“I've been speaking to quite a few supporters outside this club and I think people are getting fed up of managers coming and going and it not being settled.

“But that's the way of the world and that's the industry we work in.

“I accept it. No one has put a gun to my head and I've been through it before."

Albion fans have been disappointed with performances so far this season and many are starting to wonder if Pulis has taken them as far as he can.

However, the majority of anger has been on social media. There hasn't been much vocal opposition to Pulis from the stands and some fans were even singing his name in the two games prior to Southampton, albeit when Albion were leading.

Pulis says he 'can't even get on Twitter' and doesn't read any of the comments, but he admitted the team needed to get results and show 'a bit of character'.

"We've fallen down on certain things in games that we haven't before," he said.

“When you're in the Premier League, you have times that are good and times when it's difficult and you have to stick at it.

“You believe in what you're doing and not get too carried away when things are going very well and not get too despondent when they're not.

“We're only a (good) result then from getting it all clicking again.

"Working in the Premier League, there’s such thin lines between success and failure.

"You’ve only got to look back at the last tree games.

"We play Watford who everybody is waxing lyrically about and they score with the last kick of the game to draw. So we left points on the pitch there.

"I thought we did enough to win the game at Leicester and again we don’t finish it off and get a draw there which going away is a good point.

"And then Southampton. I don’t think we played very well first half, but we were better second half and a wonder goal finishes the game and gives it to them.

"That’s the way this league is. It’s never ever plain sailng, you go up and down. You get real disappointing lows and real highs where people get excited.

“Last year it tipped with us, this year it's been tipping against us.

“That breeze is blowing a bit stronger so you've got to lift your head and keep walking through it.

"You’ve got to point yourself into the wind and take all weathers that come to you and get on with it."

Although the primary cause for criticism has been Pulis's tactical decisions and lack of ambition against weak opposition, he hasn't been helped by several players losing form.

However, he praised their attitude and said morale was good in the camp.

"The players have been really good," he said. " They’re as disappointed as anybody because they know we’ve been so close in their games.

"There’s areas we have to improve on and there’s areas we’ve talked about improving on.

“I still think the players that have gone out there for the majority of the season have really had a go.

“We've got to get results. I think we've been very close and it's not gone for us but we've got to show a bit of character."