One thing Eric Ramsay has done at West Brom is working – Birmingham & Stoke proves it | OneFootball

Eric Ramsay’s switch from a three to a four-at-the-back system has yielded two positive results against the Blues and Potters.

Optimism will be growing for West Brom in their quest for Championship survival following back-to-back goalless draws.

After keeping Stoke City at bay last weekend at The Hawthorns in a rather dour affair, Albion were tasked with replicating that on the road in a West Midlands derby against Birmingham City, which was a very tall order given how much of a fortress St Andrew's has been for Blues this season.

But against the odds, Albion ground out another vital point to create further distance away from the bottom three, with determination, grit and a little bit of luck the ingredients to frustrating their West Midlands counterparts.

In the swirling wind and rain of St Andrew’s, Callum Styles prevented a diving header from Paik Seung-ho crossing the line before goalkeeper Max O’Leary was in top form to tip over Bright Osayi-Samuel’s attempt in the first period.

In the second half, Charlie Taylor produced one of the goal line clearances of the season to keep out Ibrahim Osman’s sharp low shot, while O’Leary was on hand again to brilliantly deny Marvin Ducksch’s rasping effort.

Albion were then to thank some sharp spotting from the officials as August Priske’s last-gasp header from a set-piece was ruled out due to Demarai Gray impeding O’Leary in an offside position, before Carlos Vicente’s deflected cross struck the foot of the near post, as action was then called on a fiery and eventful affair.

It’s exactly the type of performance West Brom supporters will want to see when they are fighting for their Championship lives, and Ramsay has made one key change to unlocking such fight and spirit from his players.

When Eric Ramsay arrived into The Hawthorns dugout, he inherited a side that had kept just five clean sheets in 26 second-tier matches under predecessor Ryan Mason, with Albion’s inability to keep the ball out of the net costing them precious points and leading to them languishing towards the wrong end of the Championship standings.

The first task was to get Albion hard to beat, and the Welshman believed that adopting a three-at-the-back system was the way to move forward.

And there were signs of encouragement in his opening game at home to Middlesbrough. The Baggies had Boro running out of ideas in the first half before Charlie Taylor’s freak own goal put the Teesside outfit in front, while Albion had made a spirited comeback despite losing to a late goal packed with quality.

Expected to kick on, it was anything but, with the cracks in Ramsay’s setup showing rapidly. Albion proceeded to put in one of their worst home displays in their history, thumped 5-0 by Norwich City and conceding five goals in a Championship game for the first time since 1999.

The Baggies did earn a point away at Derby County at Pride Park the following Friday evening, but the Rams were a very poor side overall in that game, while the Baggies failed to add any potency in the final third.

And then in a vital game against relegation-rivals Portsmouth, Albion crumbled once again. With little courage and personality shown, the Baggies were washed away by a ferocious Pompey team 3-0, with the West Brom faithful deeply concerned that League One football could be on the cards at that point.

West Brom players improving with Eric Ramsay system change

With an alarming wake-up call at Fratton Park, Eric Ramsay decided to twist his setup, changing to a 4-4-2 formation, in the hope that his players could look much more joined up and organised to win crucial points.

And so far, it has come to fruition. Last weekend against Stoke City, Albion limited the visitors to very few chances at The Hawthorns through their dogged defensive work, with the particular experience of Nat Phillips and Chris Mepham restricting the opposition to registering just 0.39 xG all afternoon.

Isaac Price was played together in a front two with Daryl Dike, but was allowed to venture into a more free-roaming role through his pressing ability, while slotting into a midfield five without the ball to offer extra cover to one of Alfie Gilchrist or Danny Imray on the right side of defence.

And while it was an impressive display, Baggies supporters would still have been sceptical about the formation working long-term. There have been many points during the campaign where Albion have picked up a positive result and failed to back it up the following week, but it was pleasantly different at St Andrew’s.

While there’s no doubt the Baggies had luck on their side, some of their defensive performances were outstanding, with Charlie Taylor and Max O’Leary the pick of the bunch to keep Blues out.

In a relegation scrap, you need the goalkeeper and your experienced players to be on the top of their games and reading every bit of danger, as one lapse in concentration can be fatal.

Since having four at the back, the Baggies have gone from a disjointed and rudderless mess to a determined, knitted and well-oiled defensive machine in such a short space of time, with Ramsay’s ability to change something that isn’t working helping the team gain much-needed confidence heading into the last last 14 games of the season.

As long as West Brom can continue to do this, they will always give themselves an opportunity to steal three points. Up the other end, the attacking play has been quite toothless, with Aston Villa loanee Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba their only real threat at this moment in time.

But as long as clean sheets are kept, and the opposition is restricted to very little, there’s always an opportunity to win games, with good teams built off solid defensive foundations.

With Ramsay making this vital change, the future looks bright, with Albion now hoping they’ve found a system that will do enough to see the club avoid the dreaded League One trapdoor.