Portsmouth 3 West Brom 0: Albion humiliated again and swept aside in relegation six-pointer
Hapless Albion were condemned to another humiliating defeat as they were swept aside 3-0 by relegation rivals Portsmouth in a crunch six-pointer at Fratton Park.
A third defeat in four for boss Eric Ramsay extended a disastrous start in The Hawthorns hotseat for the 34-year-old as hosts Pompey sailed to their biggest win of the season and climbed above the lifeless Baggies.
A defeat elsewhere for rivals Blackburn left Ramsay's side just a single place above the Championship drop zone.
The clash was billed as a relegation six-pointer and the hope was Albion had shown the start of a response in the 1-1 draw at Derby eight days earlier.
But the visitors were embarrassed again in front of a 2,200 sell-out travelling allocation and those still in place at full-time - which was much of the away section - let players and staff know their thoughts in no uncertain terms after a pitiful display.
Conor Chaplin opened the scoring on 20 minutes and Millenic Alli made it two five minutes later and it had been coming.
Ramsay rang the changes with three at the interval and switched from his 3-4-3 to a back four but it did not help and Pompey made it three through Ebou Adams within five minutes of the restart.
The form and statistics make for horrible reading for Albion.
The diabolical away form reads just last week's point at Derby as a sole point in the last 36 available dating back to October 1. In all league games the Baggies have mustered one victory in nine as Ramsay's horror start in charge extends.
Chants of "you're not fit to wear the shirt" reappeared along with taunts aimed at Ramsay's football in just his fourth game in charge.
The head coach's side have conceded 12 goals in three defeats from four to start his tenure. It was a reign that required a 'bounce' to hit the ground running, but there has been nothing of the sort.
Albion were outfought and outbattled by a spirited Pompey under John Mousinho. The visitors were second to everything with barely any shots at goal and toiled badly as the anger from the away end rightly rose once again.
The Baggies were at sea on the coast in the opening few moments and guilty of leaving Chaplin unmarked, but the experienced attacker poked poorly wide.
Ramsay's side struggled to get their foot on the ball as debutant Danny Imray lashed a hopeful half-volley from 25 yards well over from a half-cleared corner.
That was as good as it got for the hapless Baggies in a desperate, woeful start to the fixture that had some of the hallmarks of the Norwich Hawthorns drubbing.
Loanee Charlie Taylor, who has struggled badly of late, was in for the injured George Campbell in one of two enforced changes in the back three and a poor error almost cost his side early on.
Taylor played a loose, blind pass which might have been costly but for Nat Phillips taking a caution for a professional foul.
The warning signs were there with several dangerous Pompey deliveries unconvincingly cleared by green and yellow striped Albion shirts. There was no shortage of let-offs as Chaplin tested Max O'Leary from range before a low cross-shot dribbled wide across goal.
Fears were quickly realised as Pompey continued to attack the home end and play off big frontman Colby Bishop, as the midfield won every battle and second ball.
Chaplin opened the scoring on 20 minutes with a fine high finish from 12 yards after Alli's cutback from the left byline.
The winger got in too easily and Chaplin had all the time in the world having ran off captain Jayson Molumby to finish well.
An ominous feeling emerged on those of an Albion persuasion.
Portsmouth wanted a penalty for handball but five minutes after the opener Alli made it two.
Midfielder Andre Dozzell had all the time in the world to find a wonderful through ball to release left winger Alli. The on-loan Luton wideman kept his composure to slip a low finish through the legs of O'Leary from the left of the penalty area.
By this stage fierce boos were audible from the 2,200 travelling Baggies.
Chants of "you're not fit to wear the shirt", heard throughout the Canaries embarrassment, returned towards those in yellow and green.
Taunts then turned to head coach Ramsay, who was deep in conversation with assistant Dennis Lawrence in a bid to solve Albion woes.
The Baggies were on the stunned and continued second-best to every battle and second ball. Confidence and willpower looked on the floor.
It could have been three before the break but left-back Zak Swanson - one of three full-backs in the injury-hit hosts' back four - was unable to control. Chaplin struck wide from an angle again and an effort deflected off Adrian Segecic to draw a fine O'Leary reaction save on the stroke of half-time.
Boos rang out from the away end at the interval as boss Ramsay unsurprisingly rang the changes, including a formation switch.
Alfie Gilchrist, Callum Styles and Josh Maja were summoned for Nat Phillips, Imray and Samuel Iling-Junior. Any of the visiting players could have been culled.
At a deficit of two there was hope for a response but the contest was over five minutes after the interval.
Johnston lost the ball cheaply on the edge of his own box and Chaplin punished him. His pass scythed through the new back four shape and midfielder Adams converted his finish despite the unfortunate O'Leary's efforts. The keeper almost kept the effort out but it bounced over the line in front of the away end.
More humiliation was on the cards and the only hope now was not to go under four or five.
Frontman Bishop nodded a corner just over the upright from a corner as gleeful home fans chanted "you're going down with the Wednesday" and "can we play you every week?"
The best and only effort Albion mustered was Johnston's left-footed strike from range tipped over by the totally untested Nicolas Schmid.
Ramsay further changed things with Jed Wallace and Alex Mowatt introduced but the contest was long over.
Mousinho's hosts dropped their intensity as Albion managed to keep the hosts at bay for much of the second period.
The final stages were broken by a lengthy injury to Bishop and the announcement that the assistant referee on the dugout side of the field was struck by a missile from the stands.
It ended at three with no further embarrassment but there has been enough humiliation to last several years in the last few weeks alone. Albion had no answer to Pompey and are yet to show any bottle for a relegation dogfight.
Portsmouth (4-2-3-1): Schmid; Devlin, Poole, Ogilvie, Swanson; Dozzell, Adams (Kirk, 84); Segecic (Pack, 75), Chaplin, Alli (Swift, 84); Bishop (c) (Anderson, 70)
Subs not used: Bursik, Williams, Le Roux, Bowat, Alese
Albion (3-4-3): O'Leary; Mepham, Phillips (Styles, 45), Taylor; Imray (Gilchrist, 45), Molumby (c) (Mowatt, 73), Diakite, Iling-Junior (Maja, 45); Johnston (Wallace, 63), Price, Heggebo
Subs not used: Griffiths, Whitwell, Bostock, Dike
Attendance: 20,413 (2,175 Albion fans)
Referee: Matthew Donohue
