Brunt calls for West Brom aggression in survival battle
West Brom winger Chris Brunt has urged his team-mates to show more aggression after the latest defensive horror show against Arsenal left them six points adrift of safety in the Premier League.
Albion paid the price for failing to deal with straightforward crosses and free-kicks into their penalty area as they crashed to a 3-1 reverse against the Gunners on Tuesday evening.
It means they have now conceded 17 goals in their last six league games and they look doomed to the drop unless there is a massive improvement in the final 10 fixtures of the campaign.
Brunt, who scored Albion's consolation goal, said: "We weren't the better side against Arsenal but we were working hard and putting them under pressure.
"But it all comes down to defending the ball when it comes into your box - and we didn't do that and paid the price.
"We have to stick together as a group of lads and be more aggressive as a team. It's well documented that we're not the most aggressive of sides.
"But when the ball comes into the penalty are, you have to put your head on it - and not doing that is what's costing us.
"It's all well and good working on it in training and everybody knowing what to do before the game. But if we don't put our head on the ball when it comes into the box, teams are going to punish us and we have seen that in the last couple of games.
"We can't keep doing it because the games are running out."
Baggies manager Tony Mowbray admitted: "It is frustrating. We work on things. It is not just as if we wash it over and hope it doesn't happen.
"We have talked about it for many weeks and yet we concede the same goals, have the same problems. I have changed it. I have changed the individuals and yet the goals continue to go in against us.
"All you can do is try and pick them up, get them ready to go again, and get the balance between over-emphasising it and trying to get them to relax and just do their jobs because they can do their jobs."
