Why West Brom vs Stoke kick-off is delayed on Saturday
West Brom take on Stoke City in a crucial Championship clash at The Hawthorns this Saturday.
Eric Ramsay has had a miserable start to life at West Brom and has yet to guide his side to a single win.
The Baggies have lost three and drawn one of their matches under Ramsay, including terrible 3-0 and 5-0 defeats to Portsmouth and Norwich City, respectively.
To make matters worse for the Midlands outfit, they have now dropped into the Championship relegation zone, after Blackburn Rovers beat Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday evening.
West Brom vs Stoke kick-off to be delayed
West Brom have now lost nine of their last 12 Championship games, and really need to get back to winning ways against Stoke.
After an impressive start to the season, the Potters have dropped off in recent times and are in poor form themselves.
Stoke come into the clash off the back of four games without a win, which should give the Baggies some confidence.
Saturday’s match is not scheduled to kick off at the usual 3pm however, and instead will start one minute later.
It is part of the Every Minute Matters campaign, which is backed by both SkyBet and the British Heart Foundation to highlight how important speed is when it comes to performing life-saving CPR.
When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, instant response is crucial, and the likelihood of survival decreases by ten per cent every minute without CPR and defibrillation.
The campaign was launched after Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed while playing for Luton Town against Bournemouth in December 2023.
Lockyer’s heart stopped for almost three minutes, with paramedics at the Vitality Stadium performing CPR on the pitch to bring him back to life.
Eric Ramsay nearing the sack at West Brom
Ramsay took over from Ryan Mason at West Brom less than a month ago, but he is already under immense pressure.
Picking up just one point from his first four matches in charge has left the Baggies languishing in the relegation zone.
The 34-year-old desperately needs a positive result against Stoke, otherwise he will be in real trouble.
West Brom cannot afford to stick with Ramsay if their poor form continues, as their Championship status is at stake.