Escaped by skin of teeth thanks to familiar hero - West Brom 2025/26 review

For so long, Albion looked doomed to relegation to League One in a slump that would have set Shilen Patel’s ownership group Bilkul back significantly.

But Morrison - club servant of almost two decades - stepped in to steer the ship home at the 11th hour.

Success

These were few and far between.

The season's major success was from March onwards, when Morrison was somehow able to steer the Baggies from the mire with a remarkable 10-match unbeaten run.

He fully deserved to be appointed head coach on a two-year deal after achieving safety - something that essentially had to be completed twice following the controversial late two-point EFL sanction.

The first month or so of the campaign also brought some hope - it proved to be false.

Ryan Mason hit the ground running with three wins and a draw from four with his table-topping side, but things took a turn for the worst thereafter.

His successor Eric Ramsay struggled badly from the get-go.

Morrison brought in an inspired back-to-basics approach and, with players in more familiar positions and some new combinations, was able to inspire some consistent form from a squad lacking.

It was clear Morrison was a popular candidate and the players absolutely responded to his leadership.

Failures

Chairman Patel said in a club statement in February he takes full responsibility for the season's failings as the Baggies floundered around the bottom three.

That was a few matches into Ramsay's doomed spell at the helm and the former Minnesota head coach lasted another five winless games before his dismissal.

It was further bad news when it comes to on-field matters under Bilkul's Albion.

Ramsay, following Mason and Tony Mowbray, was a third head coach sacking in around 10 months at The Hawthorns and it all pointed towards relegation to League One.

Other failings came at boardroom level with the broken relationship between Patel and former sporting director and club president Andrew Nestor.

There was explosive news in the new year when Nestor, a close confidant of Patel, departed the club after a disagreement over the direction of travel.

Bilkul's Albion have rebuilt and moved on since. The next steps, under Morrison, brought success but the jury remains out on the ownership's calls.

Managers

The season started well under Mason with narrow victories putting Albion at the summit.

The goals did not flow under the former Tottenham man and it appeared his side was one build on solid foundations ready to nick a winner.

But things wen the other way as Mason's side looked for more in the final third. They unravelled spectacularly in the Baggies' defensive third with an appalling lack of clean sheets ramping up the pressure.

Sections of the support had lost faith by the end of October and results were not consistent enough to improve. Mason picked up the odd home win to stay in place - the board were particularly keen for him to succeed - but the beginning of January felt like a late dismissal.

Ramsay's 44-day nine-match winless spell brought zero encouragement.

The Welshman - like Mason aged 34 and inexperienced in the Championship - had to hit the ground running but did anything but. It was a gamble from the owners and the hopeless, despairing stint plunged the Baggies further towards relegation.

Ramsay's axing was humiliating for all involved.

There was still time to rally but things appeared bleak - more so after defeat in Morrison's opener - before he somehow pulled it together.

Off the field

There was instability off the field at The Hawthorns.

It was the first example of public disagreements and a change of direction under the ownership of Patel's Bilkul.

The season started with sporting director Nestor - elected as the man to lead the football calls - 'promoted' to a bizarre role of club president.

No more than a handful of months later, Nestor departed The Hawthorns after disagreements on matters surrounding the end of the Mason and start of the Ramsay era.

The recruitment drive, led by Nestor with Ian Pearce in tow, was at best mixed.

Albion had to respond to sales of Torbjorn Heggem and Tom Fellows where hands were forced. Key men like Darnell Furlong left on the eve of the season too.

In most cases, these were not suitably replaced.

January signings Danny Imray and Max O'Leary did, at least, help towards survival.

There was one big late off-field sting with the controversial EFL profit and sustainability sanction.

It was a peculiar episode in which Albion were found guilty, regardless of their disagreement.

PSR is soon to be a thing of the past, but it was a harsh lesson and could have proven very costly.

What next?

Nothing more than significant improvement is acceptable.

There can be hope and optimism for what is ahead this season with how Morrison ended the season.

But this is a different job for the club legend now and he will require support.

The late-season form showed what the squad was capable of but the group needs surgery for it to be a consistent outfit pushing for the top eight places next season.

Supporters remain grateful for how Bilkul rescued the club from the clutches of the doomed Guochuan Lai nightmare but, after a near-disastrous season and several failed appointments, there is a need for progress.

Twelve months ago, with top target Mason at the helm, was supposed to be a bright new era for the ownership but there has to be hope it is the familiar hero Morrison who can lead that cause.

Dominic Price, the newly-appointed technical director, has had time to get his feet under the table and already has a strong relationship with Morrison and Pearce as the trio plot the way forward.

Albion are working from a low bar when looking to improve. A repeat cannot be allowed.