Tony Mowbray wants his side to bring a positive feeling back to The Hawthorns when they host Oxford United this weekend.
The Baggies face Gary Rowett’s Yellows in another Sky Bet Championship test on Saturday afternoon (ko 3pm).
Albion’s four-month unbeaten home record was abruptly ended last time out after a 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers - but they did follow that up by drawing 1-1 away at Millwall.
And the boss said they are now targeting going one step further by claiming three points against their next opponents, who sit 16th ahead of the clash.
“I think we should win every game at home,” revealed Tony. “You don’t always do that, and that’s natural in football. Who’s to say you can’t go to Leeds and win?
“I expect us to win every game as long as we have preparation time and select the team that we believe can give our opposition problems.
“I like to play most of the game in the opposition half, and I feel as though if you have 65 per cent possession, 20 or so shots, 10 on target – you generally end up scoring two or three goals and winning games.
“We’ve had control in most games so far. If you gave us an average of how much possession and control we’ve had in my games here, I would suggest it’s above 60 per cent.
“I think we control the games well. Millwall don’t really let you do that because it’s very stop-start and the ball’s so often in your box from free-kicks anywhere on the pitch.
“When I was talking on context to that game, it was that I’d have preferred to have more of the ball and stop them having as many opportunities to put it in our box as they did.
“If you have the ball and are passing it, even if you’re passing it in your own half, you’re denying them the possibility to put it in your box. That was the context to that.
“In the other games I feel like we’ve dominated, even Blackburn we had most of the ball, but the majority of that was too far from their goal to hurt them.”
Mowbray admitted it’s disappointing to be without captain Jed Wallace for several weeks following an injury he picked up in the capital.
The head coach said there’s now an “opportunity for someone else”, though, and that he’s enjoying getting to know his squad.
“It’s a blow because whilst Jed’s important on the pitch, he’s also very important off of it, too,” added Tony. “He’s a really good character, even when he’s not starting, he’s driving the team with his voice.
“He’s a loss to us, but there’s now an opportunity for someone else. We’ll push on and try to win the next game.
“Some days, expect to see Mikey (Johnston) and Tom (Fellows), and other days expect to see Karlan (Grant) or Adam (Armstrong) wide with (Will) Lankshear or Daryl (Dike) down the middle.
“The only issue comes when you don’t win on the days you try something different, because people might see that tinkering as the reason why we lost that day. Generally, it wouldn’t be the reason, it would be the way the opposition played.
“I think you learn about your players every day. I was at Blackburn for five-and-a-half-years and was still learning about my players.
“Players mature, they age, they might not be as petulant. You learn about footballers every day and get some surprises along the way too.
“You have to find out about their characters, personalities and when you make decisions how it affects them. Whether you’re putting them in, taking them out. You need to see how it affects them, who sulks, who moans, who is still encouraging the team.
“You learn about your players and you try to create an environment where they all support the team that’s picked.”
