How James Morrison's reaction to West Brom development shocked his family | OneFootball

The new West Brom boss struggled to keep his emotions in check when he was announced as permanent head coach, which surprised his family

West Brom's Championship future looked bleak when Eric Ramsay was sacked after only nine games in charge at the Hawthorns.

The Baggies were just a point above the relegation zone, having not won under the 34-year-old. They'd then lose a massive relegation six-pointer against Oxford United before James Morrison was named head coach until the end of the season.

Despite his club legend status as a player, his inexperience as the main man in the dugout didn't strike West Brom fans with confidence, especially having not won in 11 league games before the appointment.

And while that run would extend to 13 with a couple more draws, it actually proved to be the beginning of the 10-game unbeaten run, which would steer the Baggies to safety, even with a late two-point deduction being imposed on them for financial breaches.

West Brom were impenetrable at the back under the 40-year-old, going on a run of seven clean sheets in eight games, leading to their final-day defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, where they were a side very much on the beach.

After that, the idea of Morrison being named the permanent head coach was a popular one.

How James Morrison reacted to West Brom news — his family was surprised

Morrison was a stalwart in the West Brom side throughout the 2010s, spending 12 years at the Hawthorns, from signing there from Middlesbrough in 2007 until he retired in 2019.

After retiring, he remained in the backroom with the Baggies, first as an academy coach and then as a first-team coach, initially under Sam Allardyce in 2020. Even when he was appointed as a coach for the Scotland national team in 2023, he still remained with the West Brom academy.

Therefore, with a near 20-year association with the club, it's clear to see how much it means to the 40-year-old, and despite him always keeping his emotions in check as a player, he admitted to the Express and Star that the announcement of him being named as the permanent head coach made him feel a little emotional.

"When we were in the office, that was the emotion I felt — how proud I am to lead this club and certainly the emotion took over," he said.

"When I spoke to the family, they couldn't believe that I showed a bit of emotion!

"That's what this club does to me. It means I'll give that extra bit working for the club day-to-day.

"I am ready. I think it's about getting the work-life balance right and me being in a positive mindframe to make big decisions and the best decisions for the club to try and improve the players and environment to be successful."

The final 11 games of the Championship campaign were a little taster of what a James Morrison team can do, but now he has more time and a full pre-season to put his stamp on things.

Morrison sees this opportunity as the endpoint of his association with West Brom, transforming from a player to a coach and then to a head coach, and he's ready to continue to prove doubters wrong who may feel it still to be a step too soon to name the Baggies legend as the main dugout man.

"I've got a unique journey at this club, and this is the end of that line, really," he added. "I want to prove to people I can do it."

James Morrison will still have some doubters to overcome in his first full managerial season

There's something to be said about a new manager bounce, and, evidently, West Brom had that under James Morrison, who clearly knew the club and drilled in what it means to be a Baggies player in the Championship just in time.

But now that the relief of survival has set in, all eyes will be on what the 40-year-old can do in his first full season, where the expectations will be a lot higher, and the focus will be on pushing the Baggies up towards the reformed play-offs.

There's no doubt that Morrison deserved to be given the job past the end of last season based on the performances that the club had under him and the immense defensive record that came with them, too. However, there'll still be some critics waiting to see how the start of next season goes before forming a full opinion on him.

One thing is certain, though, the West Brom fans will be fully behind him, given his legendary status as a player, and a loud and supportive Hawthorns could go a long way to ensuring that the momentum generated in the latter stages of 2025/26 can be capitalised on in 2026/27.