Lewis Cox's West Brom analysis: New lows in a never-ending nightmare only likely to end in one place
Just when you think the season might have hit rock-bottom this Albion team plummet to new depths.
Last Tuesday night saw the second permanent head coach of the season axed as relegation fears continued to grow.
Realistically Eric Ramsay had to leave. Nine winless matches at the helm made his position untenable despite just a 44-day tenure.
But Saturday's 2-1 defeat at a desperately out-of-sorts Oxford saw modern-day club legend James Morrison, in caretaker charge, seemingly at the end of his tether.
Albion look absolutely doomed.
It is a miracle - or more accurately a Leicester points deduction due to financial infringements - the hapless Baggies are not in the Championship drop zone.
But they will be, and quickly, if this continues.
There have been some dark days this season but Saturday's defeat at the Kassam Stadium was right up with defeats against Millwall in October under Ryan Mason and the efforts, or lack of, against Norwich and Portsmouth under Ramsay.
Relegation to League One is no longer unthinkable to Albion supporters, it is the absolute reality and it will take some change in fortune, performance level and results to retain the second-tier status.
Morrison is the latest head coach, albeit an interim one, to fail to get any tune out of this crop.
This was a spineless display. It lacked any conviction all over the pitch. It lacked any quality all over the pitch. The story of Albion's 2025/26 season.
Oxford, second-bottom of the Championship and seemingly doomed themselves, had not scored in six home games.
Upped stepped Albion to hand them a 2-0 lead in 26 minutes on a silver platter. Defending for Stan Mills and Will Lankshear headers from set-pieces was laughable. But this is no laughing matter.
As if it was bad enough Mikey Johnston, who had been sharp, hobbled off with a worrying ankle injury in between both U's goals. It is understood his injury is a significant one, to the point where it is feared the club's most likely attacker may not play again this term.
His replacement, young Ollie Bostock, did at least provide some cheer with his first senior goal, a deflected effort, on 33 minutes.
But that really was as good as it got. Albion failed to threaten again. Krystian Bielik, so culpable in defence with other backline colleagues, headed Albion's only clear chance wide in the 85th minute.
The sell-out travelling contingent of 1,450 all stayed behind until the final whistle for perhaps the loudest and most piercing rendition of "you're not fit to wear the shirt" yet.
Most of the players appeared to at least gingerly head in the general direction of the away end to stand up to the deserved criticism.
Many them sloped off towards the tunnel leaving six to stand and face the torrent of vitriol from a stewing travelling cohort for at least another 30 seconds.
Among them was youngster Bostock - who deserved no criticism - and loanees Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba and Danny Imray. These are individuals chucked in the deep end of a melting pot and unable to help.
Morrison delivered an eye-opener post-match press conference - one of the more memorable involving Albion in recent times. It carried the hallmarks of Tony Mowbray's mic-drop farewell last April, an hour before his axing.
Morrison took a leaf out of his old boss Mowbray's book by delivering some much-needed home truths.
Goalkeeper Max O'Leary and defenders Bielik and Charlie Taylor initially took the heat before a visibly angry and emotional Morrison took aim at the group as a collective.
The 39-year-old first-team coach said he started a side he felt had the "personality" to cope before questioning the "trust" that was not there. Damning.
It has descended into a desperately sad state of affairs for all involved that someone so committed to the cause, somebody like Morrison who bleeds blue and white, is at such a loss.
Morrison was visibly shocked that a group he felt were well-prepared and up for a fight could produce such a pitiful effort.
All this, of course, on the second anniversary of Bilkul's takeover of the club.
Where Shilen Patel and the ownership group go next is anybody's guess. Can Morrison go on? Not on Saturday's example. Experience in the dugout is surely needed - but what manager worth their salt would want to go near this hopeless affair when all the squad has achieved is to get bosses sacked?
Albion most likely require a handful of wins to stay up and there is zero evidence that is coming in the final 11 matches of a torrid season.
