Ryan Mason makes West Brom player claim as he reacts to sack talk | OneFootball

Ryan Mason insists that his players are still fighting for him after a big 2-0 win against Sheffield United.

West Bromwich Albion secured a big result on Friday evening, as the Baggies beat Sheffield United 2-0 to calm the nerves at the Hawthorns.

Second-half goals from Aune Heggebo and Karlan Grant sealed all three points under the lights, earning Albion their first three points in December.

After beating Swansea at the end of November, West Brom have since fallen to defeat against Queens Park Rangers and Southampton, prompting a strong reaction among the fanbase regarding Ryan Mason's future.

After the big win against Chris Wilder's resurgent Sheffield United, Mason has insisted that his players are still fighting for him - taking a shot at the outside noise in the process.

Ryan Mason insists West Brom players are fighting for him

The pressure was piled on Mason in the build-up to the Blades clash, with the Baggies losing their seventh away game on the bounce against Southampton last time out. Though Mason's side were able to put in a big second-half performance to seal all three points.

Mason told Express & Star that his side "played a mature game," and that "you could feel a bit of anxiety in the first half".

"I'm super proud of the effort the players put in - second half we were really, really good and could have scored a few more goals. Goals change games, the momentum changes, and the first one was outstanding."

Norwegian striker Heggebo netted his seventh goal in seven matches as he opened the scoring in front of the Birmingham Road end of The Hawthorns, before a 61st-minute goal from Karlan Grant put the Baggies on track for all three points.

After the pressure had continued to pile on Mason across recent weeks, with the ex-midfielder the odds-on favourite to lose his Championship job, he took the chance to insist that his Albion squad are still fighting for him.

"There's a lot of negativity from the outside I'm hearing when I speak to you guys [the media]," said Mason. "But we're not in a terrible place.

"You win two or three games in a row and the feeling outside changes, but internally the players are still there, they still believe, still running, still fighting, and they deserved that today."

West Brom have to build on the big win

While the current Baggies squad is not as strong as previous promotion-winning iterations, the fact of the matter is that West Brom are expected to be among the challengers whenever they find themselves in the second tier.

Over the festive period, the Baggies have two key fixtures against Hull City and Bristol City - both being sides currently in and around the play-off race. A good points haul from these would completely change the atmosphere around the club heading into the new year.

With this in mind, though, Mason's side simply have to solve their away record, with Albion winless on the road since beating Norwich at the start of November. This has led to a real lack of overall consistency.

Scorelines have not pointed to huge disparities against their opponents either, with the Baggies losing by more than one goal just twice this term. If they can put a run together and turn narrow defeats into points, things could change drastically in what is an incredibly tight division this season.