West Brom Q&A Baggies Broadcast leftovers: Nestor, Bilkul, League One fears, Ramsay, formations and Derby team prediction

Fans were left furious after Albion rolled over against a relegation rival - a result which now puts them in the midst of a dogfight to survive in the Championship.

On the back of the result, the Express & Star's Baggies Broadcast podcast was inundated with questions from Albion fans. Unfortunately, Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox were unable to answer many of those questions, so here is Q&A of those burning queries from you Baggies fans.

Spencer George: Do you think it was arrogance or nativity on behalf of the new ownership not to bring football people on board to help them early on? A reliance instead on data has delivered terrible player recruitment and questionable manager appointments. Can Nestor survive this season? 

I think there are elements of this that I would totally agree with. On recruitment, I would say back when Albion made the majority of their permanent signings under Bilkul, we all looked at them and were impressed. For example, small fees for Mepham and Phillips looked like steals.

After five games, we were even more impressed, then their levels have dropped off a cliff. On the flip side, no one had ay expectations for Torbjorn Heggem, before Albion then went on to make £9.5m in profit in the space of 12 months. So on certain things there is credit.

However, the frustrations are right because the loan market has been a disaster for Albion - and that is an area where a club like this, under the PSR limits, have to strike gold.

I would say in hindsight, yes it is surprising. Nestor's previous roles such as this have been in the US, not on this scale. From what we're aware, they have spoken and had conversations with sporting directors about coming in, so the hope is that moves on soon.

Robbo: For the sake of staying in this division, do you think we should bring in an experienced coach like Warnock or Rowett to work alongside Ramsay to stave off relegation? Ramsay's not going to do this on his own and is the risk of letting him try too great? I fear it is!

Understand what you're saying but I don't think it should or would happen. He has experience in Dennis Lawrence with him, and there was talk of another coach but that has gone cold. I think bringing Neil Warnock into any Albion occasion would be an own goal, in any scenario.

Sunil Patel: We already look like we’ve made a mistake in choosing a manager whose style and formation are ill fitted to this squad (which is on Bilkul). We can’t buy our way out of trouble, so how on earth can we turn this around? We look doomed in my opinion.

Far too early to judge. The feeling after Tuesday is understandable. No doubt that are points that sit at Ramsay's door in terms of systems etc, but as will be the answer with a lot of this, the bottom line is that the desire and character, or lack of it, from the players, was the architect of the Norwich defeat. Regardless of system, if those given qualities are at 100 per cent, Albion get a result. 

Jamie Rossiter: Why did they think a manager with no Championship experience was a good idea? How are Nestor and Ian Pearce still in a job?

Time will tell I suppose. What I do understand is the owners sticking to their guns in terms of a progressive, young, up and coming coach. Whether it is the wrong decision or not, well the proof will be in the pudding. On Nestor, it is believed a sporting director will be coming in. 

On Pearce, it is an answer I can't really give. He has quite rightly had flack in the past, during a period where resources were limited. But I agree, certainly on loan additions etc, he has to shoulder some blame.

Coltayler - If the team play bad the coach is looked at - if the keepers both play bad do we look at the goal keeping coach? Not saying JG was the problem tonight, whole defence seemed slow, weak and disinterested, but our keeping department seems below par also.

I think Albion have known this department needs a change since before Ryan Mason was sacked. There has been links to some keepers, but it seems Max O'Leary is now coming in from Bristol City. On the coach, it is hard to gauge, but I get the thought behind the question.

Paul Gainham - Have they done any financial assessment on what it means to the club to be relegated to L1? 

Unsure on this, and couldn't say either way. However, in my view, I don't think it will come to that. Albion will get out of this.

Albion in Amsterdam - Who are you looking forward to us signing the most when we aren’t bound by financial restrictions in League One? 

Cross that bridge when we come to it - although I don't think we'll need to.

Richard Underhill - After seeing that pathetic performance do you think the recruitment team will actually look to get some fresh faces in (& give away a few) even if it’s only loans & frees? Or will they let this squad limp into League 1? Will Ramsay make it to the end of the season?

They need to, Albion need reinforcements. I know money is tight but by hook or by crook, they have to make something happen between now and February 2. In terms of outgoings, I would say it is unlikely and will be the odd youngster out on loan. 

On Ramsay, I think he will.  I have no doubt he is a quality coach given his background, but yes, this is different. His success also boils down to the attitude of the players and getting the best out of them. 

Chris Adams - When will these players take responsibility for their failings? ER’s radical formation change, with so few training sessions, has to be partly to blame for last night’s catastrophe. Will he choose another formation for Derby or stick with it? 

I agree totally and a lot of what I said on the actual podcast relates to this. Using the manager's system/changes can't hide the dross and lack of fight we saw from the players. It was clear for the crowd to see that was the case. That has to be better.

On Ramsay, I do question if it has changed too much too soon. He has a history of being adaptable so it is possible on Friday, but he may stick to it. On that, I don't think that system wholly lost us the game, it certainly wasn't the reason for losing 5-0.

Arguably all five goals were players losing their man and basic individual errors. The system may have contributed to a defeat, but not a 5-0 one.

 Mark Davies - Can we sign players and take the PSR fine next season? We need 4 or 5 players minimum else we are League One bound.

If signing players takes us to the PSR limit, but keeps us just this side of the line, then for me it needs to be done. This squad needs fresh faces.

Whether it needs four or five, I'm not too sure if I'm honest. There is enough in it along with one or two additions, to survive - but only if they raise their levels ten fold from Tuesday. 

Joe Webb - Are you shocked that he didn’t change formation to something more conventional at goal 3 or 4? Is this a worrying sign of things to come?

Maybe. However, taking the two games into account, against Boro I thought Ramsay showed his quality by identifying where Albion needed to change. He made two substitutions and changed the system and it all worked.

As Albion had nicked an equaliser as they had threatened to do, we'd all be calling him a tactical genius. But they didn't.

On Tuesday, maybe he could have tweaked it but at three and then four, the game had completely gone. It of course got worse than any of us, including the manager, could have predicted.

But we saw enough in that first game showed us that he can spot the needs for changes and be adaptable.  

Baggie Al - We’ve spoken before about poor player mentality but I'm starting to think its just set in stone at the club now, three managers, new players/staff and we’re constantly weak mentality wise. No matter what player or manager we bring in, it doesn’t seem to change. I genuinely think as much as I want to put it on the players, is it now just a club culture? And does that mean we look at what the owners are setting?! I’m just lost for words to be honest. I never thought I’d be genuinely worried about relegation to L1 but I have no faith in this squad. 

Maybe. That is hard to answer but the point is a valid one for sure. Are people at the club too comfortable because of that culture? Is there enough competition? Does that stem from Albion being a club who may push for the play-offs, but also are collectively happy to be mid-table at the moment?

The situation and culture could be a bi-product of that. One thing is for sure that mentality does need to change because of the situation Albion find themselves in.

Mike Campbell - Why oh why oh...do we never play two out and out strikers upfront! None of this Grant nonsense or Price in behind Heggebo. All season I've been begging us to go 4-4-2 and two strikers up top and play to our strengths. We've overthought everything all season. Time to go back to basics.

A hint of Mike Bassett about it, I love it! But in all seriousness, I agree with you. Sides don't play two up anymore, and because of that sides who face it would struggle to deal with it. I'd say Albion have those combinations of players to do that. 

Very early in the season, it was as close to a front two with Price very close to Heggebo. Back to basics is a great way to put it - Albion aren't doing the basics right, the things that should be a given. Do them, apply them, and they will get out of it.

Mike Griffiths - Do you genuinely hand on heart see this improving? The current players don’t have the grit, fight or snottiness to partake in a relegation battle and we don’t have the money to improve it. We only going one way.

I do see it improving Mike, but only if those qualities you mentioned there are applied. The positive side of me says they will be. If they show them in the next 18 games, then they will survive and I think alongside that Albion will get better the longer Ramsay has on the training field with them.

But the worry of relegation is real, and grows if they don't show that fight or grit.

DK - Who would you like to see move on in the window if we can get a fee for them. Also what would your starting XI be for Friday? 

In the reality of the situation, I wouldn't like to see anyone moved on. In an ideal world maybe, where replacements would come in, but I can't see it happening with a thin squad already.

For Friday, I'd say the goalkeeping situation is up in the air with a new keeper coming in. Ideally he goes straight in ahead of Griffiths, but for arguments sake if he persists with the three at the back system. I would say this is the side I would like to see.

Griffiths/new goalkeeper, Campbell, Phillips, Bielik, Iling-Junior, Wallace, Molumby, Mowatt, Price, Johnston, Heggebo

That may be harsh on Grant, but you can only play so many and you have to play your best attacking players. At the back, personnel needs to change because sticking is just rewarding bad displays. Phillips is in there but wouldn't be if there were other options.

There may be an argument to play Alfie Gilchrist at right wing back, but Wallace for me could do a job there. A question mark is over the guys in the middle, are they fit enough to start? If they are then they have to.