EFL star held back from confronting his own fans by teammate as new boss’ horror run continues

West Bromwich Albion’s latest Championship defeat sparked post-match tensions between midfielder Isaac Price and the club’s supporters.

The Baggies were beaten 3-0 at Portsmouth on Saturday to leave them just three points above the relegation zone.

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The result means Albion are without a win in their last six matches while newly installed manager Eric Ramsay has picked up just one point from his four matches in charge.

West Brom were swept aside with ease at Fratton Park and the club’s travelling fans were quick to vent their anger after the full-time whistle.

However, Price didn’t take too kindly to the criticism and had to be held back by a teammate as he edged towards the away end to confront the fans.

The Northern Ireland international was pulled away from the potentially damaging situation and pushed in the direction of the tunnel.

It summed up a dismal month for an Albion side deep in a relegation battle and with key Championship fixtures on the horizon.

Ramsay’s men face Stoke City next followed by trips to Birmingham and Norwich before hosting leaders Coventry.

Speaking after the defeat at Portsmouth, Ramsay admitted his side were second best from start to finish.

“That was a really disappointing performance from beginning to end,” Ramsay said.

“It’s one we have to own, take accountability for and really stare ourselves in the face as a group of individuals who are desperate to get better.

“There’s certainly no lack of will or lack of desire to improve the team’s situation, but what we saw today wasn’t reflective of where we need to be in any way.

“We had real intent to make sure we didn’t feed the crowd in the opening stages, and we knew how it would feel here. It’s a heavy atmosphere; their connection with their crowd at this point is good, they’re in a really good rhythm. It’s obviously a tough place to come and play.

“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t add to their momentum, that we took it away, we dampened it, but that wasn’t the case in the opening stages, of course.

“We fed it through not being competitive enough in the fundamental things in the middle of the pitch, not just the midfield players but the team as a whole.

“Obviously we lacked real quality on the ball when moments arose to take the sting out of the game and show some composure, so on a couple of levels it was really disappointing.”

Ramsey also touched on his side’s slow starts to matches as a key factor as to why he is yet to oversee a victory in his short tenure so far.

“I suppose, on the back of what was a really positive performance against Derby in that sense and in difficult circumstances, to have seen what we’ve seen today is nowhere near it,” he added.

“I wanted to make sure that we had a real sense of difference in the second half, hence the three changes.

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“There were elements of the performance that improved, but by the point you started to see those improvements, the game had largely gone.

“Over the course of my time here, we’ve started games poorly, and we have to make sure that we start games better.

“We have to make sure that we’re not constantly chasing and everything we talk about in the build-up to this game, from the coaching staff to the players, is with that in mind.”