West Brom player may be on Eric Ramsay chopping block after Coventry City defeat | OneFootball

Alfie Gilchrist struggled for West Brom in their defeat to Coventry City, with Eric Ramsay replacing the right-back in the first half.

West Brom’s poor form under Eric Ramsay continued on Saturday as they were comfortably beaten by Coventry City at The Hawthorns.

Whilst Albion rallied to some extent after the break, the damage had been done after a terrible first half, with the Sky Blues going two ahead thanks to goals from Ephron Mason-Clark and a superb Jack Rudoni strike.

Even though the Baggies struggled as a collective in the opening 45 minutes, they were particularly bad down the right flank, with Mason-Clark capitalising on some poor positional play from Alfie Gilchrist to get his goal.

Alfie Gilchrist struggled in West Brom's defeat to Coventry City

The former Chelsea youngster looked like a shrewd addition for Albion in the summer for £1.2 million, as he was highly rated by the Blues, and he had done reasonably well at this level on loan at Sheffield United previously.

However, for whatever reason, he has struggled since joining West Brom, and his display against Coventry was undoubtedly one of his worst of the campaign.

He switched off for the opening goal, failing to get back quickly enough to get goalside of Mason-Clark, and, after Max O’Leary had got a hand on the effort, Gilchrist didn’t exactly cover himself in glory as he raced back to try and prevent it going over the line.

Mason-Clark was a constant menace to Albion throughout, and with Gilchrist failing to get to grips with the wide man, it wasn’t a massive surprise when Ramsay turned to George Campbell to replace the right-back after just 40 minutes.

It should be noted that Gilchrist may have suffered an injury, but it was telling that Ramsay confirmed he made the change to ‘steady’ the right side of the pitch.

Clearly, Albion won’t give up on Gilchrist, and the challenge for the 22-year-old is to show the right mentality in training and then help the team whenever his next opportunity arises.

Yet, you get the feeling that Gilchrist has played himself out of favour under Ramsay right now, so he may have to be patient before he is trusted by the head coach during the run-in.

Eric Ramsay has a lot of problems to solve at West Brom right now

Ultimately, right-back is becoming a glaring problem for Ramsay, as Danny Imray, who was signed on loan from Crystal Palace in January, has also underwhelmed, even if it is early days and unfair to say he won’t be able to contribute over the remainder of the season.

Campbell, who is naturally a centre-back, does bring physicality and strength to the role, but his fitness issues are a concern, and some would argue that he should be playing in the middle, as Ramsay hasn’t settled on his preferred pairing in the heart of the defence.

Such instability is far from ideal for West Brom, and, if they are to survive, it will need to be built on those defensive foundations.

Sadly for Ramsay, that’s not the only issue he has to contend with right now, as Albion have gone four games without a goal, and they are really lacking any sort of attacking threat.

That’s why so many fans fear relegation to League One, and it’s why there is already huge pressure on Ramsay, despite the fact he was only appointed in January.

It remains to be seen whether the owner does make another major decision by removing the ex-Minnesota boss, but, in the meantime, Ramsay will be working to try and get Albion to climb the table.

Next up, the Baggies host Charlton in what is a huge fixture for the club, and it’s a game that Ramsay simply must win if he is to start the process of convincing fans he is the right man to take Albion forward.

The manner of the Coventry loss means changes to the XI feel inevitable, and, even if he is fit, Gilchrist is certain to miss out after his performance last time out.