West Brom may have missed Michael Carrick trick after what’s happened since managerial mayhem
West Brom may be regretting not appointing Michael Carrick.
After speaking his first words as West Brom head coach earlier this month, many Albion supporters instantly fell in love with Eric Ramsay.
However, any notion of a honeymoon period for Ramsay has quickly been extinguished, with no wins from his first three games as Baggies boss.
West Brom’s 1-1 draw with Derby last Friday saw Ramsay collect his first point in his new role, with a Chris Mepham header in the 95th minute to thank.
That followed West Brom’s 5-0 thrashing by Norwich City as well as a 3-2 defeat to Middlesbrough, as Ramsay goes in search of his first win when Albion travel to Portsmouth this Saturday.
West Brom must be having Michael Carrick second thoughts
Following Ryan Mason‘s sacking after West Brom’s defeat to Leicester on 5 January, it was abundantly clear that whoever his replacement was needed to be the right man.
Shilen Patel is still looking for his first big home run hire of his West Brom tenureship as Albion chairman, having now missed on both full-time managerial appointments in Tony Mowbray and Mason respectively.
Therefore, the pressure is on for Ramsay to be a roaring success at The Hawthorns, but the early signs are that success could be some way down the road just yet.
Given the size of the club, there was a host of candidates for the West Brom job after Mason’s departure, and Michael Carrick was strongly linked with becoming Albion’s new head coach.
Having spent two-and-a-half seasons in charge of Middlesbrough, Carrick had gained plenty of Championship experience.
He’d also taken Boro from relegation contenders to a play-off finish in 2022-23 after taking over from Chris Wilder in October 2022, but then recorded two disappointing eighth and 10th-placed seasons.
Regardless, he was still a more experienced option than Mason, and after Ruben Amorim’s sacking as Man United boss, the 44-year-old is now showing his coaching ability once again at Old Trafford.
Indeed, under his caretaker charge until the end of the season, United have won their first two Premier League games under Carrick, with those being against Man City and Arsenal no less.
So, there must be a concern growing among the West Brom hierarchy that they’ve let a quality coach slip through their fingers, but they must now double down on Ramsay regardless.
West Brom fans may turn on Ramsay if Albion lose to Portsmouth
Any lingering doubt must be stored away though, as Ramsay’s Albion prepare for their biggest game of the season this Saturday.
West Brom go to 21st-placed Portsmouth on 31 January, with Pompey sitting just two points behind the Baggies and so would leapfrog them if they win.
It’s a huge relegation six-pointer at Fratton Park, and should West Brom come out of it without any points to show for their trip, then Baggies fans could already start turning on Ramsay.
On the flip side though, a win on Saturday could really kickstart Ramsay’s reign, and provide Albion with the confidence to go on and start pulling away from the threat of relegation.
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