Eric Ramsay must look to Swansea hero to revive West Brom’s season
Eric Ramsay faces a mountain to turn West Brom’s season around, but he may have a solution.
Ramsay was appointed as Baggies manager on 11 January, and will have been keeping a close eye on the penalty shootout win over Swansea.
West Brom came out on top in the FA Cup third-round clash at the Liberty Stadium, and the match will have given Ramsay an indication of which fringe players may be useful.
There is one name that should stand out to the former Minnesota United boss as he prepares to wield his influence at The Hawthorns.
Ramsay must call upon Ollie Bostock at West Brom
Ollie Bostock is one of the most promising talents at West Brom, and he showed why that is the case against the Swans.
The 18-year-old showed composure and intensity when he came on after 60 minutes in Wales, and even nabbed an assist for Jed Wallace in extra time.
The crowning moment of his performance has to be when he stepped up and scored the deciding penalty to send Albion through to the next round and became the hero in the process.
The new boss should hand the 12-cap Welsh Under-19 international more chances to impress in the senior side, rather than sending him out on loan.
West Brom fans will love Ramsay if he turns to youth
Albion have seen several youth products in the side in recent years, with the likes of Alex Palmer and Tom Fellows breaking through, before being sold in order to ease profit and sustainability concerns.
Andrew Nestor has already said that the Baggies will not be very active in the market, so Ramsay may have to turn to the young players within the ranks.
There is nothing better than seeing players that have come through the club’s own system, and supporters will identify with the 34-year-old, if he manages to bring more through.
Bostock is perhaps the most talented, and first-team ready, so we may see more of him in the near future.
Harry Whitwell is another youngster who is highly-rated in the Black Country, so the new boss may have more than one academy graduate to call upon.