West Brom boss Eric Ramsay delivers verdict on squad mood and 'desperation' within training ground

A hapless 3-0 defeat at lowly rivals Portsmouth saw Pompey leapfrog the visitors last weekend and angry scenes from the away end at full-time.

Ramsay was satisfied with the response in terms of mood and emotion throughout the week and underlined his players' determination to put right an abject situation.

He said: "We've struck that balance well between the obvious need for disappointment and the humility that comes with a game like that.

"There has been a real sense of urgency and desperation to put it right. That was a tough day for obvious reasons for all involved, from fans all the way through to the players, and I didn't want that to be lost on anyone.

"We've responded as you would expect, of a group absolutely desperate to look different tomorrow."

Ramsay added of managing emotions: "It starts with me to make sure we stay level and that people can look at us for solutions, we are constantly trying to find a way to move the team forward, to make sure we're not too bogged down by everything that surrounds the situation.

"It's sport. Everybody is desperate to win and with that comes emotion. I want to see that, and that passion and desperation to win but it needs to be channelled really well."

Ramsay explained he felt attacker Isaac Price's minor exchanging of verbals with fans at Fratton Park was a sign of care on both sides and has had a conversation with the Albion player about such "emotionally-charged" scenarios.

He added: "You always find in these solutions nothing can be said, any magic words, to make the situation better. Everybody will feel it in different ways.

"But ultimately the feeling you want is real disappointment, a sense of looking inwards across everyone, from top to bottom. That was the message.

"By the time you come back together to train on Tuesday there is a real sense of positivity.

"You have to strike that balance in the Championship of having a very short-term memory, but it does have to hurt, have meaning and have implications for how we look on Saturday.

"We can't sweep it under the carpet and be positive and move on. It has to be constructive."

The beginning of the week brought rumours of training-ground bust-ups involving Jayson Molumby and Mikey Johnston and even one or both of the players "storming out" but those were understood to be wide of the mark.

Ramsay denied any such flare-ups, having only heard of the rumours shortly before Friday's press conference, and suggested levels of competitiveness were where they should be for a club pushing to change the narrative.

"I would probably say don't believe what you read online!" Ramsay smiled. "And as you can imagine I'm not at all dialled in to that stuff and the first I'd heard of that was five minutes before this press conference.

"It certainly hasn't been the case beyond what you would expect to happen in this environment, where you want a level of competitiveness.

"Based on what I've been told the individuals involved we've had zero problems. Competitive characters but nothing that has gone beyond that line of constructive tension and competitiveness. It's news to me on that front.

"It's a coin with two sides, we have to have that (hurt) and draw upon those players like Jayson, it doesn't need me to tell people what a competitor he is and how much eight he carries to try to move the team and club into a better position.

"We have to draw on that, find it among the group and multiply it. We need to give a real clear sense of purpose and direction. But it's a positive."