By Steve Hermon, West Brom commentator for BBC Radio WM
It has been a dramatic 2026 for West Bromwich Albion and there is a fitting sense of narrative that Eric Ramsay takes the reins just hours after the Baggies have finally ended their away woes at the football club where he earned his first professional coaching role in the game.
His route into coaching began at Swansea after he stopped playing in the Welsh Premier League for Welshpool, near to where he grew up.
That decision means that while he might be the same age as predecessor Ryan Mason, he has racked up some valuable experience at Swansea, Shrewsbury, Manchester United and Chelsea, which is where he became the youngest person to achieve their Uefa Pro License.
Despite interest from English clubs, he took the bold step of becoming a head coach in the MLS in 2024. He was tasked with coaching a Minnesota United squad that did not have the biggest budget, and he got them into the play-offs in his two seasons there.
He will be hoping to do exactly same at Albion, perhaps not this season, but certainly there will be the expectation to make a push for the top six in the next campaign.
Some fans will have reservations that the club has gone for another young head coach, but the cliché is that age is just a number and owners Bilkul have praised his “significant experience” and “deep understanding” of English football.
They have also picked out his “intensity, organisation, and adaptability”, and he will need all those skills to help make an immediate impact and move this underperforming squad back in a positive direction.