Ryan Mason says his group are “calm” on the inside despite suffering back-to-back defeats, but admits there are plenty of areas for improvement moving forward.
The Baggies will be hoping to respond to last week’s Sky Bet Championship setbacks at Watford and Ipswich Town by claiming three points against bottom side Sheffield Wednesday in front of their own supporters on Saturday lunchtime (ko 12.30pm).
The boss insists the squad are striving for consistency and believes with a huge amount of effort and dedication, as well as time, that can be achieved.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference at The Fitlife Foods Performance Centre on Friday afternoon, Mason said: “We’re looking for that level of consistency, both out on the training pitch and in games. Consistency is our goal and something we want to achieve.
“We understand the demands of this league and the fact each match is so challenging. Results can sway. You can have a busy game week where lots of things look good or times where you lose back-to-back games and the feeling from the outside is bad.
“We’re calm inside, we’re working hard and we’re trying to improve every aspect of our game. It’s still relatively early in the season, but there’s three games this week and it’s important to arrive into every one in the same mindset.
“We know we’ve still got loads to improve on, but when you look back at the end of the window, that wasn’t that many weeks ago and things evolve and grow with time.
“I want to see us win games of football, that’s the most important thing. We can talk about things looking different, being more fluid and creating more chances. That’s completely normal.
“We’re learning more about our attacking players. Samuel Iling-Junior has played as a wing-back for a lot of his career and we feel like he has the attributes to really help us in this league. Mikey Johnston’s output in terms of numbers has been okay and we’ve got Isaac Price to a place where he’s scoring and affecting games.
“The challenge, in terms of creating chances and scoring goals, is for the whole team. It’s not just about individuals creating moments, it’s about how the team works together and improves.”
The Owls arrive in the West Midlands 16 points adrift of safety having been hit with a 12-point deduction as a result of going into administration.
Saturday’s visitors are in a difficult moment both on and off the pitch, but Mason warned situations such as theirs can help galvanise a group of players.
He said: “It’s a very tricky game on Saturday, but we’re at home and we need to head into it with as much energy and personality as possible in order to give ourselves the best chance of getting a positive result.
“Every team in this league is difficult to play against and that’s been the message this week ahead of Sheffield Wednesday’s visit.
“They’ve got things going on outside of the pitch, but sometimes that can bring the group together. I’ve watched a lot of their games this season and they’ve been tight, there hasn’t been much in them, they’re competitive, they’re a good team and they have good individuals who can hurt and punish you.
“If we’re going to win tomorrow, we’re going to have to earn it because there are absolutely no easy games.
“The reality is, we need to function as a team to limit them to as little as possible and create as much as we can at the other end.”
