Kyle Bartley: West Brom are more together
Kyle Bartley has stressed having ‘no individual agendas’ is the difference between the Albion of this season and last.
The defender feels that Slaven Bilic’s squad is more of a collective than the side that lost out in the Championship play-offs last season.
Bartley, 28, made his 50th Baggies league appearance in the 3-2 win at Birmingham last weekend.
He was a part of Darren Moore and Jimmy Shan’s side that missed out on an immediate Premier League return.
Bartley said: “I think another year’s experience always helps. On a more personal level I think it’s much more of a team this season.
“Last season, for the right or wrong reasons after being relegated, some lads had individual goals or agendas and targets, that they wanted to get for themselves.
“This year as a collective, everyone is together. There is nobody wanting to get promoted so they could get another move, or they can do this or that.
“They all want to do it for each other.”
Bartley has completed the full 90 minutes in all but one of Albion’s 22 Championship outings this season – he came off with 25 minutes remaining of the recent 5-1 rout of Swansea.
The former Swans stopper’s form has impressed Baggies fans and Bartley explains how support from former defender Bilic has helped his game.
“There’s a lot (he’s done) really. You can’t really pinpoint one thing in particular,” the centre-back added. “I’ve been playing in a position I feel comfortable in which helps. He’s given me a lot of confidence.
“I remember at the start of the season I made a mistake which led to a goal and he spoke to me the next day.
“He said how much he enjoyed seeing my reaction to the mistake and how I rolled my sleeves up and tried to do the right thing again.
“He said that was a perfect example of what he wanted to see from his players.
“He says never be afraid to make a mistake if you’re trying to do the right thing and it’s given me a lot of confidence and my performances have probably improved because of it.”
