Journalist Luke Hatfield has revealed that a section of West Brom supporters are frustrated with the side's style of play under Valerien Ismael this season.

Ismael took over at the Hawthorns over the summer, and has put the Baggies in a strong position to challenge for promotion. However, his tactics have not been accepted by the all of the club's fanbase.

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West Brom started the campaign in fine form, picking up 22 points from their opening 10 fixtures to move into the automatic promotion places.

Cracks have begun to appear in recent weeks, though. The Midlands side have lost each of their last three away matches, which has seen them slip to third in the table.

Their most recent defeat was arguably their most humbling, as Ismael's men were beaten 3-0 by Fulham on Saturday, leaving them four points behind the Cottagers, and nine points adrift of leaders Bournemouth.

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What has Hatfield said about the reaction of fans towards Ismael?

It is hardly time to hit the panic button at West Brom, but Hatfield has admitted that some supporters do have concerns about the way the team are playing this term under Ismael's guidance.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “This season, we’ve seen it’s not about getting the ball on the floor and tiki-taka passes left, right and centre, and that has angered some fans who have maybe gone to a game expecting to see a good result and a good performance, and not had the experience that they’d maybe hoped for.”

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Do these West Brom fans have a point?

When West Brom were consistently winning at the start of the season, Ismael's tactics were vindicated, and it was hard to argue against his methods.

Things seem to have changed over the past month or so, though, and there now may be a case to question his style of play.

It has not all been doom and gloom during this period, with the side picking up a derby win over Birmingham and a comfortable home victory against Bristol City.

Yet their away form has fallen away badly. The side are not particularly pleasant to watch, and they are now not getting the desired results on the road. This is a dangerous combination for a manager.

Ismael has previously stated that he will stick to his principles, and that stubbornness could help West Brom through this tricky spell. However, it could also hold them back if they keep playing poorly and losing games, which may see them slip even further off the pace at the top of the table.  

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