Lewis Cox's West Brom analysis: Run and errors an embarrassment to Albion with boss let down

Beleaguered boss Ryan Mason, to his credit, has repeated time and again he is not in the market for excuses and always owns up and takes responsibility for the failings.

He knows it rests with him. He carries the can as head coach and the axe will fall on his head whenever the decision comes from owners Bilkul.

For some Baggies fans that time should have already come. Albion under Mason may deliver respectable enough results at The Hawthorns, but the desperate away sequence could very easily be a sacking offence.

Bilkul - Shilen Patel, Andrew Nestor and co. - are showing patience.

Mason is also showing patience with a group of players who continue to let him down with some incredibly abject decision-making on the pitch.

The 34-year-old, in his first season as a permanent senior head coach, is not exonerated from blame. He has made decisions people do not agree with, be it selection personnel, substitutes or a delay or lack of them, style and tempo or general in-game management.

But what Mason cannot do is atone for continuous mistakes - certainly away from home - you would see in Sunday league football.

This game-defining error from Nat Phillips, to inexplicably raise his arm and concede a needless handball not remotely close to the goalline while defending a corner, was the difference at Hull on Saturday. The wily old Oli McBurnie did the honours from 12 yards.

Talk about timing. Just like a fortnight ago at QPR it came deep into first-half stoppage time. Yet another example of hapless game management from those on the pitch.

Unlike at Loftus Road, where Mason's side put in a dismal first half, this was a bright and encouraging display where hosts Hull were comfortably second best.

The Baggies looked vibrant and confident despite recent events on their travels.

They should have had a lead but Isaac Price blazed over from five yards out with the goal gaping early on. Karlan Grant sent a stretched volley just wide across goal on half hour when he should hit the target.

These are not as costly as simple, basic individual defensive errors but they are also so damaging.

Price, hero of the first month of the season, is now a shadow of himself and out of form and confidence. He simply has to hit the target with that early chance. It was painfully obvious once the two chances came and went that Albion would rue them and pay for not taking advantage of the dominance.

Albion's second half was not as good. Hull changed things and stifled the visitors and deserve credit. Mason's men struggled to find a way through.

The red card to substitute Alfie Gilchrist with 15 minutes left was a shocking decision by rookie referee Ruebyn Ricardo, as replays proved, but it was not the reason Albion lost. Ricardo got the penalty call bang on.

Mason once again took aim at individual errors in his post-match interview. His first answer contained the repeated phrase "a gift. A gift. A gift" - in reference to Phillips' shocker for the penalty. The same experienced summer signing Phillips who wore the armband with others missing. He is not alone as a guilty party though.

Millwall, Watford, Ipswich, Charlton, Coventry, QPR, Southampton and now Hull. Zero points and many thousands of miles travelled for utterly dispirited supporters. An octet of misery. It is pitiful stuff.

Another experienced summer signing, Krystian Bielik, limped off just before the penalty with a bad looking ankle injury. The Pole is one of few to show any real consistency of late.

Unavailability is biting now with Bielik joining Jayson Molumby, Alex Mowatt, Toby Collyer, Jed Wallace and potentially Gilchrist suspended. A small squad stretched.

While Mason condemned the errors he has too much class to be publicly honest about his players letting him down.

The head coach cannot cross the white line and make a simple pass, or complete a simple bit of defending. But he will not hang his players out to dry while things remain on the line.

He cut an angry and worn down figure in his post-match duties in Humberside on Saturday. He looked exasperated as somebody who has tried everything to get a consistent tune from a group with no return or reward.

Ultimately, he will know, regardless of how committed the players remain to the cause, or how many points are picked up at home, if this continues on the road then he will pay the price.

Albion are 16th in the Championship and neither that nor a worst away run in the second tier in three decades is close to acceptable. It is not a happy Christmas at The Hawthorns.