Chris Mepham believes new Head Coach Eric Ramsay’s “attention to detail” will benefit the Baggies over the course of the coming weeks and beyond.
Ramsay, who signed a two-and-a-half-year deal on Sunday night, introduced himself to the first-team squad at The Fitlife Foods Performance Centre earlier this week, but it’s not the first time Welsh defender Mepham has come across the new boss.
After spending time with the former Wales Assistant Coach during his stint alongside ex-Cymru manager Rob Page between 2023 and 2024, the 28-year-old is all too familiar with his attributes.
And Mepham insists Ramsay is a man who can provide exactly what the group require and says both he and his team-mates are eager to impress.
He said: “I think it’s been a frustrating season for everyone.
“When I came to the club there were high expectations, and rightly so when you see the quality of players that we’ve got in the team. It’s now down to us. We’ve got 20 games left to put things right – especially with the addition of the new head coach.
“We hope we can turn things around. There are lots of opportunities and lots of points still up for grabs. I don’t think there’s ever been any question marks around the talent in the squad, it’s just about putting everything together and committing to what we’ve set out to achieve.
“I've worked with Eric Ramsay before during our time with the Wales national team. It was only one camp or two, but certainly, when he came in he was very vocal in the meetings and the attention to detail was really high.
“I think he and Rob Page complimented each other really well at the time.
“It was important to have someone with fresh ideas, and a new voice to come in and freshen things up. When you’re at international level and you’ve had the same stability from Rob Page for a number of years, it’s important to have someone come in for the manager to lean on in different moments.
“He’s a young head coach and a really good, aspiring coach. We can all see the progress he’s made in the MLS and if he can have a similar impact here, that would be amazing for everyone.
“It’s what you see in a lot of managers now. We came out of our first meeting with him with a clear idea as to how he wants to set us up.
“The instructions and the information is going to be crystal clear for us to go out and deliver. He’s someone I’ve heard really good things about, and my experiences, personally, in the small time I worked with him are really positive.
“He’s got ideas. Ultimately, they can only give you the foundations to go out and then it’s down to us as players to put that into practice to turn the season around.
“We’ll get a better idea in the weeks to come, but now is a great opportunity for him and his staff to get their ideas across and for us players to impress.”
Ramsay has the perfect opportunity to build momentum in the division as the busy Sky Bet Championship campaign motors on - beginning with Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns on Friday night (ko 8pm).
Mepham has encouraged his team-mates to “soak up” as much information as possible from the new head coach in the short time they have together during the rigorous schedule of matches.
He said: “It can be tricky when you’ve got the Championship schedule to contend with, when the games are coming thick and fast. There’s limited windows and opportunities to get messages across. That’s where team meetings, time out on the grass, or individual meetings can be really important for us. We need to soak up the information and ideas as quickly as possible.
“For a lot of players who haven't played as many minutes as they'd have liked to this season, it gives them an opportunity to have a bit of a fresh start. Any new manager, whether you’re playing, or you’re not playing, there’s new ideas and opportunities to take in bits of information.
“Some of our best performances this year have come against tough opposition. It’s all about finding that consistency and a Friday night under the lights is the perfect chance to back up the last result in Swansea.”
