West Brom vs Everton: Ben Foster urges West Brom supporters to lay off the boos

West Brom 0 Everton 2

Ben Foster is beaten by Romelu Lukaku on Saturday (GETTY IMAGES)

The Hawthorns was not a happy place on Saturday. There was booing on both the half-time and full-time whistles and ironic cheers for Chris Brunt after his substitution. The frustration was understandable given that West Bromwich Albion, after losing 2-0 to Everton, have won just two of 12 home league games in 2014. But goalkeeper Ben Foster feels the boo boys went too far.

“It’s pathetic, to be honest,” said Foster of the scorn faced by Brunt. “There’s no need to boo somebody. If he wasn’t putting it in or couldn’t be bothered then fair enough, but that’s not the case.”

Winless Albion have not scored since the opening day. They paid for defensive mistakes by Jonas Olsson and Foster himself yet the goalkeeper insists the shoots of recovery are there under new manager Alan Irvine.

“It’s obviously disappointing hearing the booing but we’re working our socks off and have a very good group of players,” he said. “We’re definitely a much better team than last season but it’s just not going for us at the minute.”

Irvine, who has had to integrate 11 new signings after 13 summer departures, will know the importance of winning his next home game, against Burnley; Albion’s other three upcoming league fixtures are against Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United.

“You can’t throw a team together overnight, especially with the number of outs and then ins that we have had,” Irvine said. “But I also understand you can’t lose games too often. It’s difficult for me to ask for patience; other people will decide whether they’re going to be patient or not.”

Romelu Lukaku’s superb first goal since his permanent £28m Goodison switch underlined just what Albion have missed since his 2011/12 loan spell there.

“They have got a worldie there,” said Foster, endorsing his opposite number Tim Howard’s view of the single-

minded Lukaku. “He is not affected by his fee. He wants to play video games and football, that’s it. He is not going to get distracted. With his talent, the sky’s the limit.”