Shilen Patel may have just cost West Brom millions with Eric Ramsay succession plan
West Brom have sacked Eric Ramsay after just nine matches, with James Morrison set to take temporary charge.
Ramsay arrived following the departure of Ryan Mason earlier this year, but has failed to turn things around at The Hawthorns, with the Baggies going on a remarkable nine-match winless run since his arrival.
West Brom fell to a 2-0 defeat against league leaders Coventry City on Saturday, before they dropped points once again on Tuesday – drawing 1-1 with Charlton Athletic.
Albion owner and chairman Shilen Patel had seen enough, with Express & Star reporting that Ramsay and assistant coach Dennis Lawrence were summoned to a meeting directly after Tuesday’s press conference.
The Baggies sit just a point above the drop zone, and the decision-making across recent months could cost the club millions as they face the threat of relegation to the third tier.
James Morrison to take interim charge at West Brom
As was the case following the sackings of Tony Mowbray and Mason, former Albion midfielder James Morrison is set to take charge on an interim basis, with Patel once again prompted to search for a manager.
Morrison made 341 appearances for the Baggies as a player, and is yet to taste defeat in the dugout having took charge of three matches across both interim spells.
Given his history with the club, Morrison naturally has great affinity among the fanbase. However, he is far from experienced at both this level, and in the situation that the Baggies find themselves in.
Albion travel to fellow relegation-threatened side Oxford United on Saturday, where they are in desperate need of three points ahead of a tough run against multiple play-off chasers.
The Premier League’s current deal with the EFL means that they send around £350million down the Football League in parachute and solidarity payments, with Championship clubs receiving £5.19m each.
This drops drastically in League One, with clubs receiving £780,000, while money from the EFL distribution will drop from £3.92m to £950,000.
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Speed of West Brom decision will determine financial outcome
With those figures in mind, it goes without saying that relegation to the third tier would be a financial disaster for West Brom – a club always earmarked for promotion whenever they find themselves in the Championship.
Morrison may be a popular figure, but Albion’s fate simply cannot be left down to him until May.
Clubs around them have made smart moves for experienced figures, with Michael O’Neil joining Blackburn, while Leicester have picked up draws against Stoke and Middlesbrough under Gary Rowett.
The argument is there to be made that this is the sort of move Albion should have been prepared to make following Mason’s sacking in January.
Ramsay arrived drastically underprepared for the situation at hand, and the club have since regressed.
This is something that Patel must avoid in the coming days and weeks.
It has been a disaster of a season thus far, with two young and inexperienced managers in Mason and Ramsay failing. West Brom now need someone through the door who guarantees results, before the club can build again heading into next term.
The speed of the coming decision will be crucial. Relegation would mean a loss of millions, waving goodbye to any immediate Premier League ambitions in the process.
Sticking Morrison in charge – even if just for one game – is a grave error from Patel and Co. when a permanent successor could already have been linked up.
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