“A disastrous appointment” was how Albion fan writer Chris Hall described it, while BBC Radio WM’s Baggies reporter Steve Hermon called it “a horror movie”.
Whatever the assessments, by appointing 34-year-old Ramsay in the first place, Albion showed they were prepared to stick with a high-stakes strategy.
Their move to give a young head coach, unproven at Championship level, a chance had backfired with Ryan Mason – sacked after seven months and nine wins in 27 games.
The arrival of former Manchester United coach Ramsay came with an inevitable concern that history might repeat itself.
Two decent seasons with unfancied Minnesota United in Major League Soccer (MLS) was the only front-line managerial experience on his broad and “untypical” CV and his penchant for playing three or five at the back would always be a challenge to the dexterity of the squad.
Both Hall and Hermon highlighted the risk of pairing Ramsay’s lack of experience with a lack of a transfer budget, because of ongoing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) considerations, to help him get the players he wanted to fit his preferred system.
A last-minute winner deprived Ramsay of a point in this first game – a 3-2 loss to Middlesbrough – before a record 5-0 hammering at home by Norwich, who also knocked them out of the FA Cup three weeks later.
Defeat by Portsmouth at the end of January saw the 3-4-3 system shelved but that had little impact on results.
Two points from three games, and no goals scored, did not convince and meant the vibe around the club for the visit of Charlton on Tuesday was do-or-die for Ramsay.
Typically, as chance after chance came and went to add to George Campbell’s first-half opener, Lyndon Dykes’ equaliser 20 minutes from time for the Addicks ensured Albion were denied and Ramsay paid the price.
“It was inevitable,” former Albion midfielder Richard Sneekes told BBC Radio WM.
“It hasn’t been good enough. He continuously picked wrong players, in wrong positions, in wrong systems.
“Even against Charlton he got his team selection wrong in my eyes – three defensive midfielders and Isaac Price on the right where he doesn’t want to play.”
