'Victim' claim made over West Brom star under Eric Ramsay - Baggies need to 'change' | OneFootball

FLW’s Baggies Fan Pundit shares his thoughts on Aune Heggebøs 11-game goalless run

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Bromwich Albion striker Aune Heggebø has been labelled a ‘victim of poor chance creation’ under winless head coach Eric Ramsay.

The 24-year-old, who joined the Baggies for a reported fee of €5.5m (£4.74m), is currently enduring a goalless run of 11 successive Championship matches, which is a surprise considering what happened earlier on in the season.

After a blistering spell that saw him net seven in seven at the back end of last year, the Norwegian spoke about feeling settled in England, yet there’s been nothing since his goal and assist in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United on 12th December.

Ramsay, who has failed to win any of his first seven games at the helm, has been told to change his ways to accommodate Heggebø.

Aune Heggebø labelled a 'victim' at West Bromwich Albion under Eric Ramsay

FLW’s Baggies Fan Pundit, Callum Burgess, does not believe Heggebø’s barren run can be pinned solely on the striker himself. Instead, Burgess feels the Nordic frontman is being let down by the way Albion are attacking under Ramsay.

"I’d say that Heggebo’s been a victim of poor chance creation under Ramsay," he told FLW, pointing out that, "games are going by where he was struggling to see any chances created for him."

Burgess then compared the current set-up with the period when Heggebø was flying, stressing how clear the game plan was during that hot streak, saying, "In his run of seven goals in seven games, the aim was to get the ball near the front post and cross it in early for him to find space and get on the end of chances.

"Whereas under Ramsay we’ve not been able to create many big chances whatsoever," the Fan Pundit added, arguing that West Brom have moved away from the quick, early delivery that once suited the striker perfectly.

The numbers and recent performances back up the suggestion that this is a wider attacking issue, not just an individual one.

Albion have failed to score in each of their last three Championship matches, taking 23 shots in that period without finding the net, while Ramsay is still searching for his first win as head coach after seven games.

Why Eric Ramsay's system needs to change at West Bromwich Albion

In regard to Heggebø, still, even if the goals have dried up, Burgess was keen to highlight that the striker is contributing out of possession. He claimed, "I look at his link-up play. You look at the game against Birmingham City, their defenders weren’t able to get anywhere near him at times with his excellent hold-up and link-up play."

This suggests the striker remains an effective focal point when West Brom actually manage to get the ball into him. Burgess added to this point with, "So, I think that Albion need to adapt and change their game into trying to get crosses in quickly."

There is also a clear reliance on the wide players at The Hawthorns to raise their levels. "Jed Wallace is looking like he’s coming back from injury now, hopefully he’s able to become prolific in assisting Heggebø, much like Tom Fellows was.

Fellows, of course, finished 24/25 with the joint-most assists in the second tier alongside Portsmouth's Josh Murphy, with 14 each. Wallace only has one at this point.

"Johnston needs to start improving in his assists as well, he’s got the joint-most assists in the league, of course, but as well he needs to start adding to his game again," Burgess concluded.

Mikey Johnston does have nine assists so far, but his last game against Queens Park Rangers in December, and is definitely another one who has 'fallen off' under Ramsay. Given how ineffective he was against Norwich in the FA Cup - no successful crosses or shots at goal - a case can be made for the Irishman to be spotlighted as well.

Ultimately, though, when a striker like Heggebø - who cost the club a decent fee - goes from a run like he did to nothing in 11 league games, it is understandable if some supporters start to lose their patience.

But, as Burgess thinks, the bigger concern may be the overall attacking style of play rather than Heggebø alone.