Gaetan Bong has appealed to fans to keep faith with the players as Albion embark on a big triple test in the Premier League.

The left-back had to give Jose Izquierdo a pep talk at half-time on Monday against Stoke at the Amex, because the Colombian had been affected by criticism from supporters.

Record signing Izquierdo responded with his first home goal and a subdued celebration as Albion came from behind for the second home game in succession to grab a valuable point.

The Seagulls face Manchester United at Old Trafford today before home games against arch-rivals Crystal Palace on Tuesday and Liverpool four days later. Bong believes they are ready for the challenge.

He said: "I love the mentality we have right now, because even when we are losing, we just say f*** that, let’s go. We know where we are, we know what we are doing, and I know sometimes it is not easy, even for the fans.

"That’s why I always try just to say to people, go easy, because you are losing the game and in the end you draw the game, be happy because the players reacted.

"Sometimes we can just lose that game, and we did nothing, we tried nothing, we didn’t even react. I think we have this strength right now, and we need to keep going.

"Everyone needs to be on the same side, because we all have only one goal, which is to stay in this league, and every single point we keep moving on."

Izquierdo had some wayward moments against Stoke but the £13.5 million left-winger squeezed in Albion's second equaliser after the break to add to his first goal for the club in the win at West Ham last month.

Bong revealed to The Argus: "At half-time I was talking with Izquierdo. He'd tried one or two things, and he missed one or two things and me too, I try and you miss.

"His head was a little bit down, and I caught him and I said: 'What’s going on? He said I cannot understand why the fans are complaining'.

"And I said I don’t care, we don’t care. Because you are going to try, keep trying, and you will see. That’s why I grabbed him (below) when he scored, and I said 'What did I say, look at me'. And he said okay. Because football is football. You cannot control everything.

The Argus: "Sometimes you have to try, if you don’t try you don’t miss. And if you missed, it means you tried something.

"You are in the PL, the best league in the world. Even when you are not good, you're still good, because you are there. If you were not good, you would not be there.

"I know they (supporters) love us. But sometimes when you are playing you are trying your best but sometimes you miss. Sometimes the fans start to sing at another player.

"This does not help you. It does not help you to give your best. You can prefer one player to another, I know that. It's normal. We all know that. But it is just for 90 minutes, push and give him the best to do his best."

The Argus: Bong (above) speaks with the authority of a seasoned professional who has come through the school of hard knocks and endured his own fair share of criticism.

The 29-year-old ex-Cameroon international and Olympiakos defender has ticked his last box by reaching the Premier League with Albion.

He said: "I had many dreams when I was young. The first one was to be a professional footballer, second was to play at a World Cup or Champions League, the last one was to play in the PL. That was the three dreams I had as a player.

"I didn’t think about money and being rich. Just things you want to do. As any kid who loves football. And I am lucky because I realised these three things.

"The World Cup you just realise you are in with the best, playing with the best players in the world, and you don’t have words to explain that. I'm just happy because I know how it is.

"Maybe I could do another one. Or maybe I will decide to step back, because you cannot control everything, and with my character I can accept some things.

"But I hope, because I think we have some players in the team, they have the potential to play in a World Cup, maybe with England.we have Maty (Ryan), and I hope he enjoys it as well, this moment."

It has been an eventful journey for Bong to end up in the same defence as Australian goalkeeper Ryan (below). The former winger, a Rivaldo fan when he was growing up, spent the first eight years of his career in France with Metz, Tours (on loan) and Valenciennes.

The Argus: He played against Holland for cameroon in the 2010 World Cup and represented Olympiakos in the Champions League before a fall-out with the manager, caused by reporting for his country when unfit for club duty.

That prompted an improbable short-term move to Wigan, then Chris Hughton snapped him up for his first full season in charge in the summer of 2015 after steering Albion clear of relegation trouble in the Championship.

Bong said: "I knew Wigan was a step, because where I was coming from I just needed a step to go again. Before I signed here and I came to visit I asked the manager what he wanted to do. It was early in the transfer period and he said he wanted to get the team to the Premier League.

"If he'd said I want to just chill in the Championship I'd have said 'Okay, thank you gaffer, see you next time.'

"But he showed ambition and he knew how to talk to a player like me who has done good things and he knew where I wanted to go.

"I've brought small things but if you do that you arrive somewhere. We have players who were in the Championship, some new players, and we are doing a great job."