'Fresh slate': Eric Ramsay sends clear message that will be welcomed by West Brom players as new boss speaks for first time
Eric Ramsay has sent a clear message to his West Brom players - as the new Albion head coach spoke for the first time since arriving at the club.
The 34-year-old former Swansea, Chelsea, Shrewsbury Town and Manchester United coach joined Albion from MLS side Minnesota United on Sunday - replacing Ryan Mason who was axed following a rotten run of away results.
Ramsay, regarded as one of the best young coaches in the country, has been offered jobs in England before, but turned them down to kick off his managerial career in the US.
He now returns to take over an Albion side who are sitting 18th in the table after a dismal campaign.
He spoke to the club's media for the first time since his arrival on Monday - and spelled out a message that will be welcomed by Albion players.
During Mason's time in charge there were players who struggled for game time, who the former Albion boss did not fancy.
However, Ramsay explained that the whole squad now has a clean slate - and he insists there are no positives to come out of dwelling on what has gone on already this season.
He said: “I’ve spent the last week or so watching clips from this season in real detail. I feel like I know the squad as if it’s my own, which I think is a really important thing going into the really busy period that we find ourselves in front of now.
“I think it’s important to have my finger on what has gone on previously. What I want to achieve over the course of the coming days as we move into Friday’s game is to take that knowledge and push it towards what the team is going to look like moving forward. I don’t think it pays all that much to look at what has gone on before because I think everyone is starting from a fresh slate from this point onwards.
“I won’t cast any judgement until I really feel that environment from the players. I’m sure there will be a fresh sense of optimism as there always is in these situations, so I’ve just got to make sure that lasts."
Ramsay takes over a side that has lost ten away league games on the spin - and despite the home form is languishing just seven points above the drop zone.
Mason paid the price for Albion's poor run of results, but his successor believes Albion's season has had an 'element of misfortune'.
Although he did insist the squad should be a lot higher in the table than where it currently sits.
"It’s undeniable that the squad is capable of more than where it is at the moment, and that’s not making reference to anything that has gone before in terms of how the team has played or how the team has been set up" explained the new Albion boss.
“Everyone who has watched a good chunk of this season will recognise there’s been an element of misfortune. People will also look at the group and the calibre of players and the squad that has been put together and feel that there’s only one way from this point onwards, and that is up.
“However, I would caveat that by saying that entails some real work and a real focus on the very short term, the minute-to-minute, the session-to-session and the day-to-day.
“This club has a huge history and there is expectation. There’s also a sense of optimism and direction, but, as I’ve previously said it doesn’t pay to look backwards or forwards too far.
“I’ve got to look at how we tackle tomorrow, and then the next day and then how we tackle Friday’s game. We need to trust everything we put into each session amounts to a really competitive team. I’ll let the players know how important that is.”
