Lost in Translation: Why Eric Ramsay and Wilfried Nancy’s MLS Success has Not Travelled

Tactical Brilliance Alone Couldn't Save Nancy and Ramsay’s British Move, the Culture Shock had Already Got Them

Eric Ramsay’s trip to Fratton Park last Saturday could not have gone much worse. Crouched on the touchline with an astonished look cast upon his face. Three weeks into his West Bromwich tenure, and his job is already under serious scrutiny.

The Baggies’ relegation six-pointer at Portsmouth presented itself as a chance for the 33-year-old to finally win over the supporters who had travelled down to the South Coast that day, but a 3-0 defeat did anything but that.

Now three points above the relegation zone, West Bromwich Albion are fiercely approaching third-tier football for the first time in almost three and a half decades.

Eric Ramsay joined West Brom from Minnesota United just 20 days ago.

Since then, these have been West Brom’s results:

3-2 LOSS vs Middlesbrough (H)
5-0 LOSS vs Norwich (H)
1-1 DRAW vs Derby (A)
3-0 LOSS vs Portsmouth (A)

What on earth is happening there? pic.twitter.com/zWj53PkMWw

— george (@StokeyyG2) January 31, 2026

The Midwest ≠ The West Midlands

West Brom have conceded 12 goals in four painful games under Ramsay. To compare, his Minnesota team reached that milestone 13 games into the 2025 MLS season.

Upon joining the Loons a handful of games into the 2024 campaign, notably without any pre-season preparation, it still took 10 matches for Ramsay’s Minnesota to reach that elusive 12 goals conceded mark.

The Welshman has brought his feared trademark 5-4-1 formation to the Championship and transformed WBA into a team with the threat of a thimble, in a strikingly similar fashion to Wilfried Nancy’s misfortunes in Glasgow.

This poses the overriding question: Why are MLS coaches, tipped for greatness within U.S. borders, failing miserably once they hit the United Kingdom?

Some might be stunned to discover that it has more to do with off-the-pitch rules than the actual 90 minutes of football being played.

Ramsay and Nancy’s football ideologies are hardly similar. The former’s low-possession, transitional, and clinical game plan cannot be compared to the Frenchman’s fluid, ‘total football’ tactics.

Both styles can be found anywhere in the world, after all, this is a pair of coaches born in Western Europe, raised watching European football. It’s not like either spent their weekend watching the NASL or MLS’s early years.

To pan this off as the football tactics on display in America simply not being up to scratch with England or Scotland would be lazy. Ramsay spent over a decade at clubs reaching the size of Manchester United and Chelsea, and he has closely witnessed the work of many who have succeeded this side of the Atlantic.

This is about mentality more than anything.

Wilfried Nancy flaming out at Celtic and being sacked after a month of horrendous results (while your British predecessor got results w/ the same squad) tells you everything you need to know about coaches from MLS adapting to an actual sporting environment of accountability.

— SuperiorUSMNT (@EinSchwarzwelt) January 5, 2026

Calendars Don’t Just Determine Dates

The first factor to draw attention to is the scheduling of MLS compared to the majority of Europe. Running from February to December, when the division reaches its halfway point, your Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, or Bayerns of the world are gearing down for a summer break.

Call it trivial reasoning, but MLS managers will rarely rip up their script in the U.S. mid-season and head overseas, unless forced to. In fact, Ramsay was West Brom’s go-to man last summer, yet the Welshman opted to finish the 2025 season in America’s Midwest.

Therefore, Ramsay and Nancy’s first-ever head coach ventures in Europe were not blessed with a couple of months to build a fitting squad, instil their theories, and prepare for success. Instead, they were thrown into a hellish pit of snakes, facing a team used to a different manager, in the midst of a crisis, with little room for a roster rehaul.

Fortunately, with MLS changing to a summer-to-spring calendar in 2027, this hindrance will be eliminated, as the division looks to align with top leagues around the world.

The change would see the season kickoff in mid-July and run through the Spring, with Decision Day in April and the MLS Cup playoffs in May.

The 2027 season will shorten beginning in February featuring a 14-game regular season, playoffs, and MLS Cup in May. pic.twitter.com/Hg63EvBlY6

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 13, 2025

An American Safety Net

A rule less likely to be revised in the near future, though, is the absence of relegation from MLS, which also has its influences when coaches exit the league for expeditions elsewhere.

A manager can become adjusted to the stable environment which MLS creates, and with no threat of falling into a lower division, they are given time to create a blueprint for success.

Whilst pressures to deliver exist in the league, an overwhelming number of MLS franchises would be happy to reach the first round of the play-offs in their debut season under a new manager.

D.C. United’s René Weiler, for example, joined the club in July, won one of his eight matches in charge, and overlooked as the Eagles finished bottom of the entire 30-team standings. That was always the plan, the front office in Washington had already directed their attention to 2026.

Now, after a huge revamp, and the incomings of Tai Baribo, Sean Johnson, and Louis Munteanu, amongst others. D.C. are looking forward to a brighter season regardless of what happened in 2025.

Ramsay simply cannot enjoy that level of comfort in the Championship, nor could Nancy at Celtic.

MLS fans shouldn't be shocked about Wilfried Nancy getting the axe...

THIS is how you actually run a high-level club. In Europe or South America, you don’t get three years to "find the chemistry." You don’t get results? You’re out.

The problem with MLS is there’s too much… pic.twitter.com/J8Os82fnqm

— Daniel Solana (@DiceElDani) January 5, 2026

Both could be labelled as ‘project coaches’; their track record has left them with no experience in delivering instant results or entering an environment which creates pressure before you utter a word.

Nancy joined a Columbus team who had failed to qualify for the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns under Caleb Porter. Ramsay joined a Minnesota outfit who had recently finished in the bottom half of the table and had tasted little success since their introduction to MLS in 2017.

These are not bad coaches; a bad coach would not attract the attention of clubs such as Celtic and West Brom in the first place. The pair are victims of success in an old climate that fails to translate to their new surroundings.

Ramsay faces an out-of-form Stoke City next, in what could be his last roll of the dice at the Hawthorns before even tougher fixtures against fellow Midlands opposition, Birmingham and Coventry.

Nancy, on the other hand, appears to be off to Saint Etienne to have a punt at Ligue 2 football in his homeland. Away from the spotlight, do not be surprised if he finds a formula to thrive once again, as he did so in Columbus.

This is ultimately a story of culture shocks and individuals set for disappointment due to circumstances out of their control. The U.S. might speak the same language as the U.K., but it shares few commonalities otherwise.