Mid Wales to Championship management - Eric Ramsay's rise
It has been some rise for Eric Ramsay - from humble Mid Wales beginnings to Championship management.
The Powys coach has taken over at West Brom - after a rise that has seen him become the most highly rated British coach in football.
But who is Eric Ramsay, the man who left England behind to start his managerial career in the US?
Always coaching
Born in Shrewsbury and brought up on the Mid Wales border - Ramsay started out as a player in local football and spent time playing in the academy set up for The New Saints, the only domestic Welsh professional football club.
As a player he featured for Welshpool Town.
Despite his talent as a player, he turned to coaching, and explained in an interview earlier this year that he began at the age of around 14 or 15, having realised he probably wouldn't make it as a professional footballer.
He did feature as a Futsal player and captained the Wales side in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
But having moved onto university to study a degree in sports science. It was here where he coached alongside Kieran McKenna, who went on to work at Manchester United before leading Ipswich Town on back to back promotions and ending up in the Premier League.
From there is journey went up - working as an academy coach at Swansea City before a move closer to home came - as he took on the role of academy manager at Shrewsbury Town.
Taste of management
It was at Shrewsbury where the first taste of management came - as at the age of just 27 he was placed in joint charge of Salop following the sacking of John Askey.
He then moved to Chelsea and after a spell there he made arguably his most progressive move in the game - as he joined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's backroom team at Manchester United as a player development coach.
He was also in charge of set plays and during his time at United he earned a host of plaudits from United's players.
While at Old Trafford, he also briefly spent time coaching in the Welsh national set up.
In his first six months at United he was being touted as a candidate for managerial jobs in the EFL - and was offered a League One role which he turned down.
Big chance
Then in February 2024 he left the UK behind for the US, becoming head coach at MLS side Minnesota United.
He made waves in the 2025 campaign across the pond and while working with a modest budget helped the club reach the play-offs with a finish of fourth in the Western Conference. It included a memorable 4-1 victory over star-studded Inter Miami.
