Eric Ramsay not helped by ‘unacceptable’ oversight in West Brom loss vs Coventry – Exclusive
Eric Ramsay may have reason to be aggrieved by a decision that did not go his way in West Brom’s loss to Coventry, according to ex-FIFA-listed official Keith Hackett.
Ramsay has not had the rub of the green in his tenure so far, going winless in his opening eight games in charge.
That misfortune may have been on full show against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues.
In the opening 20 minutes of the game, Coventry’s Frank Onyeka caught Isaac Price with a late challenge.
The tackle, which was nowhere close to the ball, caught the Baggies’ number 21 on the back of his Achilles in quite a forceful manner.
The challenge, which was certainly dangerous, did not even result in a yellow card, as Hackett has now called the decision “unacceptable”.
What did Keith Hackett recommend as a punishment?
While the tackle on Price was not deemed worthy enough to be a yellow card by referee James Linington, Onyeka may be feeling lucky it was not a sending off.
Hackett has been left frustrated that in this instance there was not even a booking shown to the Nigerian.
The former official exclusively told West Brom News: “I will continue to state that these challenges do endanger the safety of an opponent.
“There is malice in the challenge and an element of excessive force from the player. There was no attempt to play the ball.
“Whilst referees fail to detect and sanction, they will continue. The sanction for me is a red card to ensure that players get the message.
“No action by the match officials is unacceptable, and they require the appropriate operational advice from the coaching staff at the PGMOL.”
With no red card shown as recommended, Ramsay would suffer yet another loss as Coventry bested the Baggies 2-0, with that decision having quite the influence.
Coventry benefitted greatly from referee oversight vs West Brom
If there was any sign that West Brom had zero luck against the Championship leaders, the player who committed the tackle, Onyeka, was ultimately awarded the Man of the Match award.
If the referee had provided the correct sanction as Hackett suggested, the outcome of the match could have been entirely different.
Instead, the Baggies’ opponents were able to continue with 11 men on the field.
While Ramsay may feel aggrieved, it cannot excuse him from the poor results he has had since arriving at the Midlands club.
His future is certainly up in the air, and he will need more than luck from referee decisions to turn things around.
Next up for the Englishman is a match against Charlton, who have previously beaten The Hawthorns club already this season.
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