Kieran Gibbs: Give the West Brom fans something to cheer

The Baggies host Burnley tomorrow desperate for a victory to keep alive their slender hopes of avoiding the drop.

Despite sitting ten points adrift with only seven games remaining, full-back Gibbs insists Alan Pardew’s team still believe they can pull off the Great Escape.

But he hopes that, at the very least, they can give the fans something to shout about before the end of a miserable campaign which has yielded only three league wins.

“The most important thing is not to talk about it like it is already over. We have to remain positive,” he said.

“At the same time, obviously, we have to accept the situation we are in.

“Most importantly of all we want to give something back to the fans because I think they have been brilliant.

“They could have been a lot worse with us. They have really stuck by us. We have to give something back to the fans and people at the club.”

The Baggies head into tomorrow’s game on a run of eight straight defeats in all competitions, with their recent results having included some particularly painful setbacks.

Pardew’s men were beaten at Watford at the start of the month despite a decent performance, while they conceded twice in the final 13 minutes to go down 2-1 at Bournemouth prior to the international break.

“It’s tough,” admitted Gibbs. “It’s tougher when you have put a performance in and you don’t get a result. When you don’t stick to the gameplan, you only have yourself to blame. But it is far worse when you put a shift in and get nothing.

“We have to hold our hands up. We have not been good enough for the majority of the season.

“But there have also been games when we have not had the composure to see things off. We have seen the ruthlessness of this league.

“A lot of times we have gone ahead. When you go ahead it is more of a mental thing. You are so desperate to hold onto a lead you start to do things differently because you are so excited about winning the game. That plays a big part.

“The most important thing is we look forward and try to stay as positive as we can.”

Record signing Nacer Chadli could return to the bench for the Baggies. The playmaker has played for only 16 minutes in the last five months due to persistent thigh problems.

On-loan Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is also nearing fitness having been out since early February with a hamstring problem, though tomorrow’s game is expected to come too soon.

Promising young forward Rayhaan Tulloch has signed his first professional contract at Albion.

The 17-year-old, who was named on the bench for December’s defeat at Swansea, has signed a two-and-a-half year deal which will keep him at The Hawthorns until the summer of 2020.

Key man: Jay Rodriguez has been the best weapon in the Premier League’s poorest attack. The 28-year-old has netted nine goals in all competitions.