Tactical inflexibility and fractured West Brom dressing room - why Valerien Ismael had to go

The Valerien Ismael era at West Bromwich Albion is over and not a moment too soon.

That is the comprehensive view of supporters who took part in BirminghamLive 's recent survey asking fans for their thoughts on the ex-manager's recent sacking.

The Frenchman succeeded Sam Allardyce in the dugout following the Baggies' relegation from the Premier League after impressing many with the job he did at Barnsley.

However, his game plan and style of play failed to translate from Oakwell to the Hawthorns and his side boasted the worst shot conversion rate in the division.

Having won six of their opening ten matches in the Championship, West Brom went on to win six of their next 19 games in the league as they gradually slid further and further away from the automatic promotion spots.

Ismael's rapport with the players clearly worsened over time, too, and once that begins to happen it becomes almost impossible to reverse.

"The fractured relationships with a host of squad members wasn’t healthy at all, and neither was the ill discipline - six red cards in the space of 12 games either side of Christmas - which gave Albion’s name an ugly reputation, wrote our West Brom correspondent, Joe Chapman, in his assessment of his sacking.

By the end there were more than enough reasons to part ways with the manager, with 90 percent of 1,870 respondents agreeing with the ownership's decision to let him go.

While that is as comprehensive an answer as you are going to get on just about any issue, far fewer fans think the club are any better off in the promotion race as a result.

Half of the fan base believe a return to the Premier League is more likely now with Ismael gone, while just over a quarter of fans say the opposite is the case. A