West Bromwich Albion have dismissed head coach Eric Ramsay following a 1-1 draw against Charlton Athletic, a result that leaves the club precariously positioned just one point above the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone. The decision brings an end to Ramsay’s brief 44-day tenure, during which he failed to secure a single league victory.
Ramsay oversaw eight league matches, accumulating a mere four points from a possible 24. Albion now sit fourth from bottom with 12 games remaining. First-team coach James Morrison will step in as interim manager for the second time this season, with his first challenge being Saturday’s crucial fixture against relegation rivals Oxford United.
Confirming the departure, the club released a statement: “West Bromwich Albion have parted company with men’s first team head coach Eric Ramsay. Assistant head coach Dennis Lawrence has also departed The Hawthorns. The club would like to place on record its thanks to Eric and Dennis and wishes them well for the future.”
The 34-year-old had taken over from Ryan Mason with Albion 18th in the table and seven points clear of the bottom three, but his arrival did not spark the desired improvement. Fan frustration had been mounting, notably after a 3-0 defeat at Portsmouth and during Saturday’s 2-0 home loss to Coventry, where supporters chanted “You’re getting sacked in the morning” and “Eric Ramsay, your football is s***”.
In his final press conference after the Charlton game, Ramsay conceded the overall situation was “not good enough” and felt his side had taken “a step backwards”.
He elaborated: “We’re not talking about this performance in isolation – we are adding this to multiple draws, not enough wins and not enough getting over the line so it has the feeling of a step backwards. I know what this situation needs at the moment – it needs wins, it doesn’t need draws. The number of chances were enough to win the game but it wasn’t good enough. We are lacking a real spark and quality in front of goal.”
Despite the mounting pressure, Ramsay had remained defiant about his position, stating: “I am not sat here on the back of five losses where the team has not been competitive. Over the last four league games, the team has been competitive, it’s fighting and I don’t feel there’s a lack of connection between me and the team.”
The draw against Charlton saw George Campbell’s header end a 405-minute goal drought for West Brom in first-half added time, but Lyndon Dykes’s 70th-minute equaliser extended the Baggies’ winless run to 10 games.
Charlton manager Nathan Jones revealed an unusual pre-match incident for his side, stating: “We had a real problem before the game, arriving 30 minutes late. It was an internal thing. We ended up walking to the game – we couldn’t get through so the full squad ended up walking half a mile. Memories of Brian Clough and his Nottingham Forest team! We can’t allow that to happen again.” J
ones admitted his team was “really poor in the first half” and that the draw was “probably a good point for us.”
