West Brom's Eric Ramsay 'positive' about backroom team - and reveals colleague he 'knows well without knowing'

Ramsay leads a coaching staff including club stalwarts James Morrison, who is first-team coach, goalkeeper coach Boaz Myhill and statistical analyst Damia Abella.

Former Wrexham and Swansea defender Lawrence, previously a coach under Mark Robins at Coventry, is so far the only member of backroom staff to arrive with Ramsay.

Albion were in talks with former Manchester City promotion-winning captain and hero Andy Morrison joining Ramsay but it is understood that move will not go ahead.

It is believed there is, however, set to be a further addition made to Ramsay's backroom team. Owner and chairman Shilen Patel said each move comes with profit and sustainability (PSR) consideration.

The new head coach said of the reception he has felt at the training ground: "You don't get a sense of walking into something that feels troubled, for want of a better word. There is a great culture among the players and staff. You have some very good staff there.

"It's tight-knit. You've got a lot of experience. You've got people that have worked at a really high level.

"You've got people that have been at the club for a long time and shown themselves to be able to work at a really high level. It's a very tight-knit, cohesive, capable staff.

"I've come in with Dennis, my assistant, and we've been really well welcomed by Damia, James Morrison, Boaz Myhill, and Tony Strudwick too.

"I feel like it's a really capable staff. There's been a relationship built very quickly with those guys and I think that's really helpful. We've got our finger on the pulse very quickly as to how it feels.

"Some of the things that we can really push to improve in the short term, but I'm walking into something that feels ripe for someone to come in and enjoy success in those conditions.

Experienced director of medical Strudwick moved to The Hawthorns in 2022, when Steve Bruce was at the helm, and shares mutual contacts with Ramsay with both having worked at Manchester United, the Welsh national set-up and also attended Loughborough University.

Ramsay said: "We're really open to working with the club staff and there were nothing but positive things said to me in coming here about the guys that we find ourselves with and I would add Tony Strudwick to that, who's a guy that I feel like I know well without knowing him.

"We've been to the same university, Manchester United and Wales and there's lots of people in common and he's been brilliant so far, so I think the combination of those guys has made the first couple of days very easy and that's what you want, to feel warmth, you want to feel welcome but you also want to feel that sense of capability and people that can really help you with the work day-to-day and certainly that's what we've got there."

Albion owner and chairman Shilen Patel told the Express & Star of the club's backroom set-up: "There are conversations within the footballing group.

"We look at our overall situation, I know everybody is pretty fatigued with PSR discussion, but all of those movements around coaching have an impact on that.

"There's a balance between what we are allowed to invest from a PSR standpoint, so there is always an element of trade-offs there. We feel we have an excellent group, players, staff. We felt at the start of the season and still do that we have the opportunity for some great outcomes."