Eric Ramsay- 'Born to Coach'.

For Eric Ramsay, the realization of a possible long term career as a professional footballer would only actually be a pipe dream..

Always the realist, even in his mid teens it seems coaching would be the vocation Ramsey could succeed at, although being a huge proponent of Futsal and a talented midfielder at Welsh National League level.

But it was the inner voice.

Informing.

To truly make a mark at the highest level, Ramsay’s undoubted, natural intellect and tactical acumen would be better suited to coaching than playing the game.

Ramsay, therefore would make his reputation from sheer coaching ability rather than being an 'ex player with a name', and thus Bilkul’s continued desire to aim for a younger manager for the longer run than the short term fix, became fixated on Minnesota United’s boss.

It is a pathway, consistent in Andrew Nestor's singular approach to their number one targets.

Individuals with potential, crucially though, unproven in The Championship level football.

Is it priority over practicality?

Only the future will reveal…

From Wicky to Mason, we now have Ramsay.

The initial chosen ones..

Ramsay is even the same age as West Brom's much maligned predecessor, Ryan Mason, but whereas Mason only had very limited experience as a caretaker boss, Ramsay has been a Head Coach for two challenging MLS seasons, a Bilkul judgement call, only results will reveal whether they were right.

Eric Ramsay was born in Shrewsbury, but grew up in the Welsh town of Llanfyllin, in the Welsh county of Powys, and his connection to Wales has extended to the fact, Eric so devoted to his roots, is teaching his three year old son to speak Welsh, whilst he was living in Minnesota.

Welsh looks likely now to be spoken in the West Midlands.

Languages are important to Eric, being fluent in a quartet of them, this scenario created by the background of his dad, who became a Foreign Language Teacher, after a career as a drummer in a rock band came to an end, and a new vocation for the Ramsay family was urgently required. 

Eric and his brother spent months in France and Spain, as their dad went to college as a ‘much older’ student to develop his language skills to teach and ironically those skills acquired by the teenage Ramsay, were vital in the heavily. multilingual dressing room he inherited at Minnesota Utd.

However the team that really opened Eric’s eyes to the beautiful game was Swansea City, being a perfect confluence of being an impressionable teen seduced by the free flowing passing style of that Swans vintage.

Swansea were beyond blessed in those formative Ramsay years, with the coaching triumvirate of Laudrup, Martinez and Rodgers.

In order to further develop the perceived skills needed to be a full time football coach, Eric spent three years at the prestigious Loughborough University, gaining a First Class Honours Degree, [says everything about his undoubted intelligence and commitment to education], and to this day, he attributes the Sports Science and Psychology components of that degree to be an absolute key to his coaching philosophy.

No doubt, this was a vintage group of scholars at Loughborough, attending the same Sports Science Degree Course was his future Championship rival, Ipswich Town’s boss Kieran McKenna, and they also both had significant roles as Assistant Coaches for the Loughborough University football team.

Ironically, Ramsay and McKenna worked together again five years later, as part of the Manchester United coaching staff and to this day, the pair are extremely close.

The first foothold into coaching came, naturally enough, at the team who’d shown Eric the vision of football he admired and wanted to replicate as a coach himself, Swansea City.

Ramsay speaks of, "Finding his coaching voice early", seeing the travails of leadership as his natural vocation, working extensively with 'The Swans' Under 18 and 21’s teams, and was based there for four years before being recruited by Shrewsbury Town, where he worked mainly as Assistant Manager, raising to the role of Interim Head Coach at just twenty six years old in 2018.

The self confidence, Eric reflects developed in these initial coaching roles were instrumental in his overall coaching development.

This unusually quick ascension for someone so young, would understandably be a calling card for more prestigious clubs, and so it proved, with Eric joining Chelsea in 2019, as Head of the U23 team, and he had what he calls "A footballing Disneyland of an experience", compared to his previous coaching roles.

The Chelsea U23 squad was replete with talent, such as Marc Guehi and Levi Colwill amongst others, and it was during his first season with The Blues that Ramsay became the youngest ever UEFA Pro A Coaching Licence Holder, no small achievement.

The next port of call was Old Trafford in 2021, under the umbrella term, ‘Player Development Coach’ and due to this 'time of flux' with Manchester United, in the two seasons there, Eric worked extensively with three different Head Coaches, OIe Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralph Rangnick and Erik Ten Haag.

It seems to me, a common theme for Ramsay is learning from experience and taking the best of situations to make himself a more effective leader and he attributes, Solskjaer’s ease under pressure, Rangnick’s intensity and Ten Haag’s meticulous planning as traits he’d take to his own style of management.

In practice those adoption of admirable coaching traits has rung true and consistent mantras for Ramsay.

At Man Utd, Ramsay was working with some legendary players, often considerably older than him.

Ronaldo, for example is over six years older than Eric, but it was simply part of the learning curve of being a leader.

Respect is respect.

During Ramsay’s time at Man Utd, he was appointed Assistant Coach to his beloved Wales National Team in March 2023, a situation, Eric described as, "Being incredibly excited by."

The Wales Manager, Robert Page, lauded Eric’s arrival with The Welsh gaining, “Arguably the best young coach in football”, but it was to be a mere six month role, due to the birth of The Ramsay's second child allied to the intensity of the demands of his role at Man Utd, where he had graduated to the responsibility of the ‘Set Piece’ Coach. 

[Ironically set pieces were to become so crucial and a prime focus in Ramsay’s latter coaching days at Minnesota Utd.]

Other managerial offers were made to Ramsay, but atypical to his career, timing was everything in what has become a very calculated career arc.

Blackpool made overtures to Ramsay just one month into his Man Utd career and were ready to make him their boss, but the long term view of Eric was, "You cannot make mistakes in your first appointment as Head Coach, as it may well be your last.."

[Eerily prophetic to the situation Ryan Mason may now finds himself], so the Blackpool opportunity was wisely passed over.

In Ramsay’s words, the Blackpool offer, "Wasn’t the right time”, but two years later the right time was, across The Atlantic, to the home of ‘The Loons’, Minnesota Utd.

Minnesota is a proud sporting city, The Loons were formed just eleven years ago, and have only been in the MLS for seven seasons, being a recent expansion club, led initially by the enigmatic and hugely popular ex Everton and Stoke City striker, Adrian Heath.

'Inchy' as Heath is affectionately known, was recruited months prior to The Loons debut at the highest level in US Soccer in October 2016 from Daryl Dike’s former club, Orlando City.

Heath’s character as a player, [as often seems to happen], came out in his managerial style.

Energetic, heart on his sleeve, emotional.

Everyone knew where they stood with 'Inchy.'

Heath had an overall, very good record at Minnesota Utd, after a typically slow start for a newly franchised club, but then posting winning seasons for four consecutive years.

Ironically the two biggest defeats of Heath's tenure at Minnesota Utd were his first and last games, 6-1 and 5-1 losses respectively.

The Minnesota hierarchy considered, after seven seasons, and a losing record in his final one, that Heath had taken the club as far as was possible and a new, younger leader was needed.

One part of the attraction for Ramsey and a head coaching career with this move to the MLS was notion of stability.

In Ramsey's view, "The MLS is great for younger managers, you are given time to develop your younger players."

(This mantra is ironic looking at today’s move to The Albion, after just two seasons with The Loons, and MLS preseason due to start this Monday.)

What Ramsay saw, and I concur, was a fast improving, cosmopolitan league, a long way from the early incarnation of The MLS, being, a 'retirement league'.

Ramsay’s opening season with Minnesota set the template for his teams, the keys being high levels of preparation [a word Ramsay uses continually}, organization, fitness and commitment, making the opposition have a constant struggle.

Possession is not a vital, overall component, [rarely did Minnesota have more than 45% of the ball under Ramsey] and to hit opponents hard and fast on the counter attack.

Meticulous planning is a fundamental requirement and an absolute 'Ramsay hallmark', [the shorter gaps between games in the hurly burly of The Championship season may be an issue Ramsay has to quickly adapt to].

In Ramsay’s initial season, Minnesota finished a very credible 6th in the Western Conference, a huge improvement from Adrian Heath’s final season finish of 11th but were eventually defeated in the Playoffs by the eventual MLS Cup Winners, LA Galaxy.

The following season was another trip to The Playoffs, finishing two places higher in 4th place in The MLS Western Conference, proudly navigating the 34 game season, with no back to back losses, and by seasons end only defeated eight times.

In Ramsay’s mind, the development between Year One and Two of his 'Minnesota plan' were most satisfying viewed through the prism of team collective, 

“At our best, I loved what we were. A real team, eleven players fully invested in what defined them- and we were incredibly hard to defeat”

Defeat came in the Second Round of The MLS Playoffs, the opening knockout round was a brilliant triumph, over three legs, to defeat the perennial MLS powerhouse, Seattle Sounders, only to lose in the Semi Final, 1-0 away to San Diego FC.

Both seasons, with Ramsay in charge, Minnesota Utd outperformed the limited budget of their team and were even further hamstrung, by the seemingly tradition of selling one of their best players.

The loss in August, 2025 of Canadian World Cup striker, Tani Oluwaseyi, for a club record $8 Million to Villareal, was critically, right in the 'business end' of the MLS season.

Rather than perceiving it as a negative, Ramsay saw Tani’s leaving 'as a feather in The Loons cap', and a motivation for others in the squad to the possibility of career development, and a lucrative career overseas.

(Seems this is the path Ramsay is treading now??)

The MLS, traditionally is a selling league, a grim but realistic scenario we’ve also clearly had to get used to again at The Albion, due in recent years to the awful legacy and horrific debt of the Guochuan Lai regime.

I am beyond lucky to be privy to such valuable insights from various MLS commentators and analysts, it was beyond blessed to get their personal views, for example, reflecting on Eric Ramsay’s strengths as a coach,

“Ramsay always finds a way to win”

“Tactically intelligent”

“Ramsay will succeed wherever he goes” 

‘Ramsay’s playing style is pragmatic, contain, counter”.

“Got more than was expected from this Minnesota squad.”

“Very good tactical acumen, plays the margins VERY well.

“Opened by trying to be expansive, but pivoted into a more effective, stable way of playing.”

There was also a universal positivity over the character and personality we are about to get at The Albion.

“Tremendous how he carries himself.”

“ I highly rate him.”

“ I like Eric, a great lad”

Certainly possession is not vital, as I said earlier, less than 45% is the norm, but also seems to be the desire to match the growing trend in football, from Arsenal to Altrincham.

An adherence and devotion to effective set piece football.

Set pieces were attacked with relish in particular last season at Minnesota, long throw-ins being a primary source of goals, via New Zealand International, Michael Boxall’s and his penchant for launching the long ball and worked avidly in training to perfect the art and maximise the reward.

Players admitted they relished this hyper focused training, as the rewards from winning games was clearly there.

Such was Minnesota’s lethal nature of taking chances from throw ins, just six months ago, The Guardian newspaper, after Minnesota’s record 6th goal before mid season break, described Ramsey’s Loons, as ‘ The most aggressive set-piece team in the world,’

As Ramsay argued, playing more direct is one way to compete with the more free spending, richer, MLS clubs, in his words, 

“By wanting to squeeze every advantage from the squad of players we’ve got.”

The need to get the ball forward early, rather than play the ball out of the back, was also a direct 'doffing of the cap' to other clubs without the same financial wherewithal, for example, in the Premier League, such as Brentford.

With the total outlay of salaries at Minnesota Utd being less than half of Lionel Messi’s annual Inter Miami wage, for Ramsay, it was simply a matter of finding ways to compete.

Ways to win.

Ways to avoid defeat.

With The Baggies presently on a 10 game losing streak away from home, it’s a lesson worth adhering to, but at what price? 

Ramsay’s run of success at clubs, for one so young, particularly punching above their weight on a limited budget was bound to create suitors, and he was originally connected with Albion prior to Bilkul taking the Ryan Mason option.

Other clubs were interested.

Southampton, last season put out feelers for Ramsay, and only this week, Strasburg were also said to be keen on Eric, prior to, in their infinite wisdom, to settling on Gary O'Neil

At times under Ramsay, Minnesota Utd were more effective than easy on the eye, but organization was paramount.

You buy TOTALLY into the Ramsay system.

There are no passengers.

Ever.

Ryan Mason could never fully astride this Albion squad, possibly through muddled tactics or lack of force of personality?

How many games this season were one half performances?

I don’t see that being a factor under Ramsay, but the clock is ticking.

Twenty games to go and the flirtation of a relegation battle to Division 1, seems more and more likely to be a tawdry affair.

We are just seven points from the bottom three and 22nd placed Norwich are improving.

Ten points from their last six games says it all.

Can we improve and get the beyond needed, new boss bounce?

It won’t be easy.

Andrew Nestor’s long term Albion plan is now in the hands of a young manager who has never competed at The Championship level and in short order has to scrutinize, galvanize, motivate and improve an imbalanced underachieving squad.

In a division new to him.

If Ramsay fails, so does Nestor.

And so does The Baggies..

This Ramsay appointment may be the most crucial in the last twenty years at The Hawthorns and one that has to go right.

The price of failure?

Unimaginable.