Albion chief Gus Poyet has told critics of Ashley Barnes they do not understand football.

Poyet has rotated record buy Craig Mackail-Smith and loan signing Sam Vokes in recent matches, while Barnes has been an almost permanent fixture in the team.

He has started 11 of the last 12 games and is expected to feature again as a deep-lying striker at play-off rivals Blackpool today.

Poyet said of Barnes’ detractors: “They don’t understand football. They just watch when somebody touches the ball and somebody has a shot and football is not only about that.

“It’s about much more, what you do for the team, how you move with the ball, without the ball, how hard you work.

“Also, he doesn’t have a name yet unfortunately. Sometimes you make that name for yourself in two weeks, because you do something unique and then people will watch you for the next ten years because of those first two weeks.

“He plays because he deserves to. There is not one player in this team who is playing without deserving to be there, either because of the way he performs every day, or what he brings to the team, or what he does on Saturday at three o’clock.

“He gives us plenty of options, he cares about the team, he wants to win, he wants to do well. Even when he doesn’t he brings something into the equation, so he is a very important player for us.”