West Brom now keen on hiring manager who was second choice to Ryan Mason
West Brom have already sounded out their potential replacement for Ryan Mason.
West Brom’s chances of promotion are looking incredibly slim this season, and whoever takes over at The Hawthorns will face a gargantuan task of getting the Baggies to pick up results consistently to change that.
With 20 games to be played, Albion sit 18th in the Championship, and 10 points adrift of Watford, who occupy the final play-off spot.
Their chances of closing that gap are going to hinge on the next appointment, with one candidate already said to be interesting the Albion hierarchy.
Ex-Man United coach in running for West Brom job
Mason was a disastrous appointment for West Brom, all things considered, though he was seemingly their first choice appointment after the sacking of Tony Mowbray.
Second on the list was Eric Ramsay, who, according to Lewis Cox, is back in contention to take over at The Hawthorns.
The 34-year-old spent some time as a player development coach at Man United before stepping into full-time management as Minnesota United boss.
Ramsay has taken charge of 81 matches in the MLS with Minnesota, averaging 1.6 points per game throughout that period.
Minnesota have scored 157 goals in those games, with 38 games and 16 draws.
Eric Ramsay explained why he opted against Championship job
West Brom were keen on Ramsay in the summer, as were several other Championship clubs.
However, the 34-year-old remained in the MLS, in fear of facing scrutiny if things were to turn sour in the Championship.
In an interview with BBC Sport, he said: “I wanted an experience that was going to give me the best chance to develop, the opportunity to make some mistakes and manage something that feels big.
“It feels like there is scrutiny on MLS. There is media to deal with. There is pressure you have to deal with, albeit not to the same extent as England.
“The Championship would have been equally as testing, if not more so, but with that constant nagging doubt, looking objectively, that there is a much shorter life-cycle for guys who go into that league. All round this was a relatively sensible decision.”
Ramsay has worked for other EFL clubs as a coach in the past, with stints at Swansea City, Shrewsbury Town and Premier League outfit Chelsea.
Whether he would consider that jump in his career now remains to be seen, though West Brom are certainly keen on his services.
However, given the situation that the Baggies currently face, it may prove to be too hard a task for Ramsay to consider midway through the season.