Ryan Mason believes his side will have learned a lot from their pre-season test against Blackpool on Saturday afternoon.
The Baggies were narrowly beaten 2-1 at Bloomfield Road in their first friendly played in front of supporters this year.
But the boss took a balanced view of the match, insisting there were both “positives” and “stuff we need to improve on” as they continue counting down to the 2025/26 campaign.
“We have work to do, we know that,” said the boss. “In the first half they were very aggressive and we didn’t quite figure out what we needed to do.
“But I thought as the game went on, we grew into it and had some chances. We created some good moments but, ultimately, they were better than us today.
“I thought they (Blackpool) put a lot of energy into the first half and they got their rewards. The first goal was a little bit fortunate and then the second goal, there’s stuff we need to improve on and stuff we need to work on. We’ve got time.
“There’s definitely learning. There’s a lot of learning. In the second half, we committed to certain things we’ve been working on and what we want to see.
“We had some good openings. Maybe if we had been a little bit more clinical and better in the front third we could have got another goal.
“Ultimately, the lads are still pushing. They worked hard today, they worked hard in the week.
“We’ve stretched some of them from a minutes point of view today, which is really positive.
“At this stage it’s not about the individual, it’s about the team and seeing what we’ve been working on.
“We need to work, we need to be humble, and we need to improve.
“The Albion fans are amazing, I know that and I knew that before I came here. I need to earn their belief and their trust. Obviously, I appreciate the support, and hopefully over time I can earn a little bit more.”
