West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mobray has moved to defend the recent outburst of his stand-in captain Paul Robinson.
Robinson claimed earlier in the week that some of his team-mates were lacking in "passion and pride" as they languish at the bottom of the Premier League.
The comments are believed to have alienated the 30-year-old from some of his team-mates, but Mowbray insists that Robinson's aim was to unite the players in the battle for survival, rather than isolate himself from the squad.
"I think you've got to understand Paul's personality and character, the way he plays his football," Mowbray told Sky Sports News.
"He's a very passionate guy, he plays like that, he tackles like that, he roles his sleeves up and he shakes his fist and he gets on with it.
"I always encourage players to demand of each other - that's something I talk about a lot because ultimately coaches and managers can demand of players' blood, but once they go over the white line they've got to demand of each other to do their jobs."
With West Brom six points adrift of 17th place and clear favourites for the drop, Mowbray expects that Robinson's outburst may well have been a reaction to the looming threat of relegation.
"I genuinely believe that Paul's frustration is borne out of our current plight. No one likes being bottom of the league," added Mowbray.
"Frustration is OK as long as it's channelled in the right direction.
"Someone has got to take the mantle because that's what football and leadership is about."
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