West Bromwich Albion head coach Eric Ramsay said he has a “vision” for the team, but accepts it will take time to take shape.
The Baggies are 19th in the Championship table, three points clear of the relegation places, and Friday’s trip to Derby County will be their third game in less that two weeks since Ramsay’s appointment.
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“I have a vision for the team that I think will stand us in good stead in the long run,” he told BBC Radio WM.
“My standpoint will always be, it starts with the work, and the focus every day. It doesn’t pay for anyone to think too much about the table, the consequences, the gravity of the situation.
“It has to be about the mornings we spend together, and how across the little prep time that we have we can start making the team feel good.
“I knew I was walking into a period of the season and a set of circumstances that was challenging, so I’m not complaining. But I’m sure everyone can empathise in that sense. It isn’t easy when you’re going from game to game so quickly.”
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Tuesday’s 5-0 home thrashing by Norwich City was an eighth defeat in 10 league matches, and Ramsay’s second loss in a row since taking over. He knows he needs to build back team confidence.
“A lot of the difficulty at the moment comes from the gravity of the situation.
“We have to navigate that difficulty we’re having in terms of finding that solidity and sense of self, and balancing it with a recognition of what the opposition are trying to do.
“I don’t want to see over the course of a season 46 different versions of ourselves according to the opposition. I want there to be a real solidity and a real assurance as to what we’re doing.
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“There’s no magic switch that I can flick that makes the team immediately confident. Its not a case of trying to lay blame at anyone’s door, but as a collective, a real sense of responsibility, and a will to meet the challenge head on.
“We are in no uncertain terms as to where we are, and what we are fighting for.”
