West Brom’s next manager? James Morrison & Russell Martin must be on radar | OneFootball

FLW lists two candidates Albion should target to be their next full-time boss.

West Brom’s sole focus between now and the end of the season will be to secure their Championship safety.

The Baggies have had a campaign to forget in the second tier and remain at serious risk of dropping through the League One trapdoor.

Ryan Mason started the season off in the Albion dugout for his first full-time managerial role, but it went far from according to plan, departing The Hawthorns following Albion’s 10th straight defeat on the road, the worst away run for the club in almost a century.

Mason left Albion languishing 18th in the Championship table and seven points off the bottom three at the time, with the Baggies hierarchy bringing in former Minnesota United coach Eric Ramsay as his replacement.

And that was an even bigger disaster, with the Welshman’s 44-day reign in the Albion hotseat brought to an end following a 1-1 draw at home to Charlton Athletic, which meant the former Baggies boss had failed to record a single victory from the nine Championship games he was in charge of, leaving the club just one point above the relegation zone.

Now, the Black Country outfit have placed Albion legend James Morrison in for another spell as interim boss, and while suffering a damaging defeat to Oxford United in his opening game, has taken five points from his last three outings, which included a 3-0 rout over Hull City last weekend.

It has inspired confidence and optimism that the Baggies can get out of the situation they find themselves in and put this difficult period for the club behind them.

But regardless of which division Albion find themselves in next season, they will need a full-time boss at the helm, so Football League World has identified two candidates who should be towards the top of the shortlist.

James Morrison

While it could be viewed as a knee-jerk reaction to include James Morrison on the list, the Baggies legend has transformed what looked to be a rudderless set of players and has reconnected them with the fanbase.

The Hawthorns was at its raucous best when Hull City came to town, as Albion ripped their opponents apart and gave the Tigers a mauling.

Should James Morrison or Russell Martin be on West Brom's shortlist for the job next season? Who would you welcome to The Hawthorns? Comment below!

With the stadium bouncing, the players responded with a display full of heart and desire, while they showed similar attributes in their draw to Southampton last midweek, as they were rightly applauded off the field that evening too.

Morrison has restored the fight and determination that should be shown when donning the blue and white stripes, and there is hope now that the players have found a figure they can battle and scrap for during these final eight games of the season.

The 39-year-old’s ability to spot flaws and change his systems quickly has set Albion up for success as well, moving to an old-fashioned 4-4-2 setup after the Oxford defeat, which has helped the team look so much more free-flowing and dangerous in the final third.

That was on show through the Baggies netting three times against the Tigers last weekend, which hadn’t been achieved since the end of last November – when they turned over Swansea City 3-2 at The Hawthorns under Ryan Mason.

Morrison has put round pegs in round holes since stepping into the role, and it has seen a quick turnaround in both results and performances, so much credit has to go to the former Scotland international.

If he can keep the Baggies up, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be high on the shortlist for the job. The supporters still adore him, while he is showing signs of a top-class manager in the making.

The question will be whether he wants the role after all the stresses that remain of this term, but there’s a growing consensus from supporters that he should be handed the reins on a long-term basis.

Russell Martin

Russell Martin would certainly be an ambitious appointment and one that may not sit well with a few Albion supporters, but provided they retain their place in the Championship, the 40-year-old has previous experience of gaining promotion out of the second tier.

One significant factor that could lead Martin to Albion is the appointment of Matt Gill to assist Morrison for the final months of this season.

Gill has worked with Martin at MK Dons, before becoming his right-hand man at Swansea, Southampton and Rangers, so the two have a very close relationship, and Gill may be persuaded to stay on beyond this term should Martin walk into the building.

His dominant and possession-minded approach would go down well at The Hawthorns, with players encouraged to take risks, while he is in favour of playing youth and would set his sights on getting the Baggies as far up the table as possible.

An appointment of Martin would certainly divide opinion, but he needs an opportunity to rebuild his managerial career and get it back on track, while Gill already being in place could make it a partnership worth pursuing, given their past success together on the South Coast.