Eric Ramsay’s main reason for heading to the US for his first head coach role was to avoid having a “big black mark” against his name.
After lasting just six weeks at the helm of West Brom, it seems his greatest concerns before returning to the UK have now been realised.
The 34-year-old arrived at B71 with a reputation as one of Britain’s brightest young coaches. And moving to the MLS was very deliberate, with the ex-Manchester United coach using data to pick out the best starting point for his career.
Being sacked by West Brom is the first real stumbling block of his career, but there’s no getting away from how big a set-back this could turn out to be.
Eric Ramsay ‘didn’t want to lose’ his first job
Speaking to Mpls.St.Paul Magazine last year, he said: “Being from the UK and having worked in the Champions League and the Premier League as an assistant, it’s difficult to not at least have some loosely held ambition to get back to that point as a head coach, but I appreciate how difficult that is.
“There are very few British coaches working at the top level of the British game. Part of the reason I wanted to come here was the objective data around the lifespan of MLS coaches.
“I didn’t want to lose my first job. If you lose your first job, it’s very difficult to get a second. I’ve seen lots of coaches who have had textbook rises, then they take their first head coach job in the Championship league, and they lose it within two months, and then they’ve got a big black mark against their name.”
Ramsay didn’t even make it to two months in the Championship; he is West Brom’s shortest-lived permanent manager.
Ramsay’s parting comments as Albion boss will do little to mitigate what has been a disastrous return to the UK.
Nine league games without a win. 18 goals conceded, just five goals scored. It took Ramsay’s final game in charge for his side to finally take the lead under his stewardship.
Ramsay was once dubbed “one of the best young coaches in football at this moment in time” by former Wales manager Rob Page. He may well still be, but he will have to right a lot of wrongs from his time at West Brom, where he just failed to make any sort of impact.
West Brom now face a battle to remain in the Championship, with Saturday’s trip to Oxford United undoubtedly a must-win if they are to survive the drop to League One.