West Bromwich Albion‘s woes under Eric Ramsay just aren’t stopping.
The Baggies did manage to bring a two-game losing streak to an end against Stoke City on Saturday, but they had to settle for a boring 0-0 draw, as Ramsay desperately still searches for a Championship win after taking over from Ryan Mason.
That leaves the West Midlands giants without a win in the second tier since the end of December, as only one point now separates Ramsay and Co from dropping into the bottom three, with Blackburn Rovers and Oxford United breathing down their neck.
The former Minnesota United head coach needs to get up to speed with the demands of the English game and fast, with the goal-shy performances of the likes of Aune Heggebo seriously troubling him.
The numbers behind Heggebo’s recent form
Heggebo was a major summer investment from the powers that be at the Hawthorns, costing West Brom a steep £4.7m to win from Norwegian outfit Brann. He has somewhat backed up his lavish fee, with nine goals coming his way across 33 appearances in all competitions.
But, having torn the Eliteseren to shreds at points with 51 strikes for Brann, even more might well have been expected of the Bergen-born sensation on his arrival in England, who has been prone to a barren display in recent weeks.
Worryingly, Heggebo last powered home a strike for his relegation-gripped side in the middle of December against Sheffield United, meaning he has now gone a colossal total of 667 minutes of league action without a meaningful goal contribution in his favour.
This has to improve sharpish, with Ramsay having only seen three goals hit the back of the net from his largely disastrous six games in charge.
West Brom barely threatened in the attacking areas against Mark Robins’ challengers, with only 0.32 xG accumulated on the hosts’ end come the full-time whistle, as Heggebo had to make do with a spot on the bench.
If the West Midlands side could turn back time, they’d have tried to keep a firmer grip on someone who could now be seen as an upgrade on their current options.
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Off the back of falling victim to recurring goal-shy displays, West Brom have no standout individuals in the running for the Championship golden boot accolade for the season.
On the contrary, league leaders Coventry City do possess former Baggies marksman Brandon Thomas Asante in this regard, who is only five goals off matching Swansea City’s Žan Vipotnik, who is currently leading the way with a mightily impressive 15 goals for his mid-table outfit.
During his time with West Brom, though, the Ghana international was unfortunately as hot-and-cold as a certain Heggebo, with audacious strikes such as his effort again Stoke in late 2022, then followed up by long dry patches in front of goal.
In total, he chipped in with a reasonable 21 strikes from 78 games, before moving on to the Sky Blues for £2.25m, an amount at the time that would have been deemed satisfactory.
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BTA vs Heggebo – 2025/26 EFL |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
BTA |
Heggebo |
|
Games played |
20 |
31 |
|
Minutes played |
1364 mins |
2205 mins |
|
Goals scored |
10 |
8 |
|
Assists |
4 |
3 |
|
Big chances missed |
7 |
9 |
Fast forward to the present and the relegation-threatened team should have demanded far more for his services, with the 27-year-old a red-hot individual under Frank Lampard when at the peak of his powers, having slotted home ten league strikes this season, from only 20 outings.
Undoubtedly, Thomas Asante – who was once labelled as a “shining example” to lower league forwards by ex-boss Steve Bruce – would slot into Ramsay’s set-up now and do far a better job than the inconsistent Norwegian is currently providing, with Heggebo fluffing nine big chances this campaign, next to the Ghanaian’s seven.
He hasn’t been without his own difficulties under Lampard, however, with the 27-year-old now out for three straight second-tier games due to a suspension.
But his ongoing trials and tribulations feel reasonably manageable compared to West Brom’s dire situation near the foot of the league, as relegation could depressingly be on the cards for his former employers.
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