The most unsettling aspect of Eric Ramsay’s brief 44-day stint at West Bromwich Albion wasn’t just the puzzling strategic choices or the apparent player confusion—it was the circumstances surrounding his appointment in the first place.

What stands out is that West Brom seemed to have chosen the 34-year-old Ramsay based on a presentation he delivered under entirely different conditions.

Daily Mail Sport has learned that before Ryan Mason took over last summer, Ramsay had captivated Albion officials during his interviews. Although Mason was their preferred candidate, Ramsay was a strong contender. Had it been more feasible to bring him over from MLS club Minnesota United at the time, he might have seriously challenged Mason for the role.

Even then, appointing Ramsay would have been a bold move. Despite his impressive credentials—having worked with stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United—he had never taken on a head coaching role in English football.

If hiring him seemed risky in June, by January 11, it felt like a huge gamble with the team sliding down the league standings and fans growing increasingly frustrated. “I wouldn’t trust the owners with a plastic knife and fork,” one caller expressed on a live fan podcast, The Liquidator, shortly after Ramsay’s dismissal.

Eric Ramsay lasted just 44 days and nine winless matches at West Bromwich Albion, leaving the club just a point above the Championship relegation zone

If this criticism seems harsh, consider the facts. Ramsay, a relatively inexperienced coach, preferred a 3-4-3 system, while Mason had favored a 4-2-3-1 structure. The club’s recruitment strategy was designed to support Mason’s style, so appointing someone with a drastically different approach seemed almost reckless.

There were five days between Mason’s sacking and Ramsay’s appointment and Albion would doubtless argue they conducted a thorough process.

Others have told Daily Mail Sport that this was not the case, and that Ramsay – having been interviewed already – was simply the next cab off the rank from the summer.

The situation called for a coach with course and distance form. Ramsay may go on to have a fruitful career as a boss in English football but this was not his time.

When Albion hired Ramsay, both Michael O’Neill and Gary Rowett were available but now they are trying to pull other clubs to safety, O’Neill with Blackburn and Rowett at Leicester. It is understood Rowett’s name did not feature on Albion’s list.

It would be no surprise if those managers keep their clubs up and leave Albion to reflect on their errors – as a League One club.

Mistakes at all levels

In April 2025, former West Brom president Andrew Nestor gave an interview to the Training Ground Guru podcast about how he chooses coaches. ‘We looked at whether their head coach created an uplift in performance,’ he said. ‘Because sometimes it can be hard to tell.’

Ramsay certainly did that at Minnesota, leaving the club when they were in the MLS play-offs. Yet the difference between MLS and the EFL is huge. Not so much in quality, but in scrutiny and the attitude of fans and players.

The club face the very real prospect of falling into the third tier for the first time in 33 years – they have only been out of the top two divisions for two seasons in their 148-year history

While Albion are not front-page news like Manchester United, their supporters are no less demanding. Battle-hardened EFL footballers will be naturally suspicious of a coach who arrives and rips up the plan mid-season, especially with players who do not suit his preferred style.

The decision to remove Mason after a 2-1 defeat by Leicester on January 5 was not unanimous. It is thought to have been fiercely debated among the hierarchy of Nestor, chairman Shilen Patel and director of football operations Ian Pearce. After such a robust discussion, simply to revert to your original list is naive in the extreme. Nestor, meanwhile, left West Brom on February 2.

It seems Albion, who were seven points clear of the bottom three when Mason was dismissed, did not fear a relegation battle. After nine games with Ramsay at the helm, they can ignore it no longer.

While cracks were appearing during Mason’s tenure and the away form was dreadful, Albion were not being routinely thrashed. So why did Ramsay insist on overhauling everything and trying to make the team play 3-4-3 in his first four games? The second of those, a 5-0 home defeat by Norwich, was described by some lifelong Albion fans as the worst performance they had seen in more than three decades. 

Ramsay had barely started but from that moment, the writing was on the wall.

The Albion squad lacks the forceful personalities who might have dragged them through this. Characters like these might even have confronted Ramsay, and indeed matters did boil over during certain training sessions – but these were largely player-on-player squabbles.

What seems beyond doubt is that while the players never downed tools, some felt Ramsay tried to change too much, too quickly and were unsure about what was required of them. Certain selections, like asking winger Mikey Johnston to operate at wing-back, left many puzzled.

As for who signed off on all of this, it is the oldest tradition in football. When a club pick a left-field manager and it pays off, every employee is desperate to claim credit. When it does not, you cannot see them for dust.

What seems beyond doubt is that while the players never downed tools, some felt Ramsay tried to change too much, too quickly and were unsure about what was required of them

Only those involved – Nestor, Patel and Pearce – truly know who played the decisive role in bringing novices like Mason and Ramsay to one of English football’s founder members.

Now it is left to Albion owners Bilkul Football Group, owned by Patel, to pick up the pieces.

What next for Bilkul?

American consortium Bilkul rescued Albion from an existential crisis when they bought the club for about £60million from Guochuan Lai in February 2024. Two years into their stewardship, they are facing significant fan dissatisfaction and they cannot afford more mistakes.

It has not been easy for Bilkul. In the early days, Patel was ploughing in £2m a month to keep the club afloat, and throughout their time the club have been walking a tightrope to stay within the EFL’s financial rules.

Key players have been sold, with the departures of Alex Palmer, Tom Fellows, Darnell Furlong, Caleb Taylor, Torbjorn Heggem, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Okay Yokuslu and Conor Townsend raising nearly £28m to keep the EFL’s accountants happy.

The financial picture should look rosier from this summer – but not if they are in the third tier for the first time since 1993, and only their third year of 149 outside the top two divisions.

Long-serving coach and hero of his playing days James Morrison has taken interim charge and if he manages a win at fellow strugglers Oxford United on Saturday, Morrison will put himself in pole position to land the job until the end of the campaign. 

‘Firefighter’ managers are few and far between right now and if Albion do decide to go back into the market, keep an eye on Darren Moore. Moore managed the club from 2018-19 – almost pulling off a Great Escape when he first arrived in the Premier League – and has taken charge of 378 games, so would have the experience the club needs.

Long-serving coach and former player James Morrison has taken interim charge and if he manages a win at Oxford on Saturday, Morrison will put himself in pole position to land the job

‘Firefighter’ managers are few and far between right now and if Albion do decide to go back into the market, keep an eye on Darren Moore

Whoever comes next needs the support of those above him. It is understood that during his short time, Ramsay often felt isolated, just when an inexperienced coach needs the backing of those who gave him the job.

It was the same for Mason. Too often in football, those who should be most visible are all too difficult to track down when life gets tough.

A phlegmatic character, Ramsay is said to have reacted calmly when he was summoned to the boardroom half an hour after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Charlton.

If Albion end up in the bottom three at the end of the season, Bilkul cannot expect a similarly measured response from their long-suffering supporters.