Just six weeks ago, I penned a piece about being conflicted when Albion’s head coaches get sacked after Ryan Mason was shown the door, and while the decision to move on from Eric Ramsay is difficult to argue with, I find the pile-on about how dreadful the decision was to appoint him in the first place somewhat excessive.
Furthermore, the insults directed to Ramsay by some sections of the supporter-base are quite frankly distasteful and uncalled for. It’s not like he has tried to fail and he knows far more about football than 90% of the supporters, myself included.
As I said in my preview to Ramsay’s first game, every head coach appointment is a risk, but no one making them is trying to get them wrong. None of Shilen Patel’s head coach appointments have worked but I’m sure they have all been made in good faith. Without being close to the events themselves, we can only guess exactly what went on regarding the aborted appointment of Raphaël Wicky but, without that protracted affair, Tony Mowbray wouldn’t have been tempted back to the fold.
Of all the head coach decisions that have been made since Bilkul took over, the decision to sack Mowbray is the one that I’m still not comfortable with. The timing seemed strange given the top six was already out of reach and, for me, it suggested that his appointment was always a stop-gap after the Wicky situation – of course, in hindsight, his results don’t seem that bad!
An opinion piece by Michael Hinks published on Thursday morning is damning of Bilkul, but is basically saying that you shouldn’t appoint young coaches. That is such a short-sighted view, in my opinion, and he cites Bournemouth’s appointment of Eddie Howe as the only successful example, conveniently ignoring the current success being enjoyed by Kim Hellberg at Middlesbrough, not to mention Chris Davies at Birmingham City. As I said earlier, every appointment is a risk – different coaches work well with different players in different environments – Hellberg, although four years older, had less experience in the UK and less overall coaching experience than Ramsay although more as a head coach, while Davies, albeit appointed in League One, had no previous experience as a head coach. Furthermore, Hinks’ reference to Ramsay as a “34-year-old former futsal player” is just a cheap shot that adds nothing to his argument, for me rendering his article more click-bait than responsible journalism.
I do wonder whether, had Ramsay been appointed in the summer rather than Mason, it may have turned out very differently. I suspect he was loathe to leave Minnesota mid-season and that sense of loyalty may ultimately have cost him – it certainly made the job at the Hawthorns much more difficult. In the summer, Ramsay was arguably a stronger candidate than Mason, but the latter’s failure to get results left the former with a job that proved to be beyond him.
However, while the statistics of Ramsay’s tenure are dreadful, I still think Blues’ decision to sack Eustace and appoint Rooney was a worse decision – the owners at St Andrew’s have managed to recover that situation just about, ironically by appointing a first-time head coach. Shilen Patel must now look to build his own recovery, hopefully without the drop to League One.
It would appear that James Morrison will be given the opportunity to stake a claim to keep the job until the end of the campaign starting with Saturday’s crucial trip to Oxford United. I’ve seen many suggesting that Mozza is “part of the problem” given that he has been part of the coaching setup for a few years. However, as a first team coach, he is only implementing the head coach’s instructions and, has can be seen from his team selections in his three games in caretaker charge so far, he doesn’t necessarily agree with them.
He is popular with the players and has the club’s best interests at heart, obviously not a CV full enough for a head coach appointment, but he probably has as good a chance as anyone at this stage of the campaign. Gary Megson was appointed with 11 games to go in 2000, but he was able to bring in six players to spark his revolution – such an overhaul is not possible at this stage of the season in today’s world of transfer windows, and an entirely new face will have his work cut out to get to know the players, let alone transform their performances.
There have been suggestions of bringing in a more experienced on a short term head to work with Mozza, an idea I am not entirely against, but the pool is perhaps a little limited. Darren Moore has even been mooted – Big Dave almost pulled off a dramatic escape in similar circumstances in 2018, but his record after leaving Albion is less than impressive. Having said that, as a short term boost to morale, it may not be the worst idea.
Whatever happens, now is not the time to make another long term decision. There are problems at the club that need to be addressed in a calm and considered manner – specifically, the football knowledge amongst senior management needs a massive boost. With Nestor having left not too long ago, there are indications that a new Director of Football has been chosen but no announcement has yet been made – perhaps to shield him from any fallout this season. Furthermore, the conversation on what happens next season will be massively impacted by the division in which Albion will be competing.
Sticking with Mozza for now is an easy choice to make, but defeat at the Kassam on Saturday will make that more difficult. However, as it has been all season, it is the players who will have the biggest say on how this campaign ends – they have the ability to get the club out of the mire, but have rarely showed the fight and passion needed. It’s time for them to step up.
