Keith Hackett believes West Brom were hard done by following a questionable refereeing call during their heavy 5-0 defeat to Norwich City.
Goals from Oscar Schwartau and Ali Ahmed quickly put Philippe Clement’s Norwich side in control against Eric Ramsay’s Baggies.
West Brom attempted to respond, but their efforts only opened the door for the visitors to add three more goals and seal a comprehensive win.
One flashpoint involving Samuel Iling-Junior during the Championship clash prompted former PGMOL chief Hackett to offer his assessment of the incident.
Although West Brom delivered a poor overall performance, they did carve out a few attacking moments. One came in the 65th minute when Iling-Junior collected the ball out wide before being taken down by an aggressive challenge from a Norwich player, leaving him briefly grounded.
Speaking exclusively to West Brom News, Hackett was clear in his view of the incident. He said the challenge met the definition of reckless play under the laws of the game, explaining that any action showing disregard for an opponent’s safety should result in a yellow card.
Despite the controversial decision, Ramsay has little room to argue after such a damaging result at The Hawthorns. Even if a free-kick or booking had been awarded, it would not have altered the outcome of the match.
Attention must now turn to rebuilding, with Ramsay needing to push the board for reinforcements while also attempting to fix issues on the training ground.
While the situation is not entirely of his making, questions remain over whether he is the right man at the right time.
Unless tactical changes are made quickly, his tenure could end badly, leaving West Brom once again searching for a new manager as familiar problems resurface.
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