Albion are investigating a pre-match incident which saw excrement left in the away team's changing room ahead of their play-off exit to Crystal Palace.

Manager Gus Poyet emailed club employees insisting “someone should lose their job” over the security breach.

Poyet told employees: “I am angry that someone within this club could endanger our good reputation and stoop so low.”

Albion have today refused to comment on the incident other than to confirm it took place before the match.

No players were involved in the incident.

The Argus understands embarrassed senior club executives apologised to Ian Holloway and Palace directors before and after the match and officially the following day.

The online fans forum North Stand Chat has been rife with talk about the messy incident dubbed ‘poogate’.

If rumours are to be believed, someone managed to get into the away team’s changing rooms and make a rather unpleasant display of their thoughts towards the team, using their natural bodily functions.

One user, who heard the tale through the friend of an Albion employee, wrote: “Holloway went mental. Poyet is saying it’s what spurred Palace on to beat us.”

A national newspaper claimed they have seen an email from Gus Poyet sent on Tuesday night about the alleged incident with the culprit leaving excrement all around the toilet in the away dressing room.

The tabloid also claimed the email criticised the club's decision to hand out paper clappers to home fans before the game.

The paper printed the details of an email sent by Poyet at just after 10pm on Tuesday to all Albion staff.

The message read: "...when Crystal Palace players and staff arrived to the Amex and went into their dressing room, they found themselves in a very uncomfortable situation, for some reason that still no clear to me , someone during the day had access to the away dressing room and done something terrible, trying to upset everyone related to Palace.

To say it in clear English, someone had a ‘poo’ all outside the toilets, over and around the toilets.
 

Now, after careful consideration, and even after a meeting with the Chairman who assured me that MY REPUTATION IS INTACT, I feel that I must express my anger that anyone inside this organisation thought they could interfere with it.

I am angry that someone within this club could endanger our good reputation and stoop so low - did they imagine that this would affect the Crystal Palace players - well it possible did - it may just have fired them up even more.

Well someone made a very bad decision and I think it is time to stand up and take responsibility - not just the culprit but those employees who are supposed to make our stadium safe and secure.

Surely changing rooms are high up on securities check lists???
 

Surely someone should lose their job to allow such a breach of security - they do not deserve to be part of this club!...
 

2)...would someone like to admit it was their idea to hand out stupid pieces of noise-making paper - can I tell you it was an extremely silly idea and the result was an annoying noise - I am not for one minute blaming the result of the game on this, but it added only negative vibes to the proceedings along with the rubbish filled balloons that littered the pitch.

My team of players and staff have worked hard this season and I do not appreciate negative actions from others within the club...whoever you are, you let the club down very badly.