West Brom supporters all saying the same thing about Ryan Mason after Middlesbrough loss | OneFootball

Ryan Mason has come under criticism by the Baggies fans following their 2-1 away loss to Middlesbrough.

Ryan Mason has come under scrutiny from West Brom fans following the Baggies' 2-1 away loss to league leaders Middlesbrough.

On Friday night, Ryan Mason's West Brom suffered a narrow 2-1 loss away at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough which kept the hosts unbeaten after six games played in the 2025/26 Championship campaign.

As for West Brom, the defeat will certainly feel like a missed opportunity on the road despite losing out to tough opposition.

Boro took the lead in the 26th minute via David Stelec, who netted his first goal for the club from close range after signing in the summer from Slovan Britislava. A long throw paid dividends for Boro yet again this season as the Slovakian latched on to the near post flick on to tap home.

Just past the hour mark, Boro doubled their lead with a neat interchange on the edge of the Baggies box and was slammed home by Kaly Sene, who also notched his debut goal for his new club to give the Teessiders a bit of breathing room.

It was a night of firsts across the pitch as, in injury time, West Brom pulled one back through Aune Heggebo, who finally got off the mark for the season as he directed a Mikey Johnston cross past the onrushing Sol Brynn in the Boro gaol. However, his late effort wasn't enough as the Baggies left the Riverside empty-handed.

Following the defeat, many Baggies fans took to social media to share their frustrations, with Mason taking the brunt of the backlash.

Ryan Mason under scrutiny following West Brom's defeat to Middlesbrough

In terms of personnel on Friday night, Mason made one switch to his starting lineup from the last outing against Derby County, with Ousmane Diakite entering the fray in replace of Johnston.

However, one key theme that has emerged in the early stages has been Baggies fans crying out to start Nigerian forward Josh Maja.

Maja had an impressive season last year with 12 league goals to his name but has failed to be given the opportunity to shine for Mason so far.

One fan expressed their feelings towards the decision by commenting under the club's line-up post on X: "What does Josh Maja have to do for a start."

The majority of West Brom fans' frustrations came from Mason's changes coming too late in the game. The West Brom faithful via social media were largely in agreement that it was a game they had dominated in, but again, like the Derby defeat, football is a results game and the Baggies haven't chalked up any points on the board.

Many West Brom fans highlighted their opinion that Mason's management on the night was off, and therefore will need a big bounce-back performance next week when they play another promotion candidate in Leicester at the Hawthorns.

One West Brom supporter via X commented on the club's full-time post by saying: "Mason got it wrong. Hopefully he learns from it. AM [Alex Mowatt] and JM [Jayson Molumby] in the same team simply is too easy to play against we’ve seen it for way too long."

One West Brom fan commented via X: "Team selection, tactics, game plan, set up all wrong tonight. What’s clear is MJ [Mikey Johnston] and Collyer have to start."

"No problem with setting up differently but have to take responsibility when it doesn’t work out. had the chance to change it at 45 rather than 80 and we had more effect in them 10 mins than the other 80. writings on the wall, need a big response next week from the gaffer," said another.

"Mason got it wrong tonight, however he’s still learning as well. Still early in the season against a team who haven’t lost yet this season," wrote another Baggies fan.

"In a nutshell, I really hope our gaffer learns from tonight. If it's not working, don't be stubborn, football is a simple game, change it!" remarked another.

West Brom's upcoming run of Championship fixtures is going to really test Ryan Mason

With two back-to-back losses now for West Brom, it will be a tough pill to swallow for all involved at the club after arguably being the better team on both occasions.

If Mason is to get his fans back on board after a bitterly disappointing couple of weeks, the most important reaction will be picking up points next Friday under The Hawthorns lights vs Leicester.

However, it's not getting any easier for the Baggies after hosting the Foxes either, with back-to-back away trips to Norwich City and Millwall to follow, with clashes against Preston North End, Watford and Ipswich Town afterwards.

Albion have a very tough run of games on paper between now and the end of October, with all of them against sides who will have eyes on a play-off finish at the very least this term.

Therefore, this gauntlet of games is going to really put Mason's coaching ability to the test, with many Baggies fans evidently feeling as though he'll need to show considerably more nous with his team selections and in-game management if they are to come out of it with a healthy amount of points.