How James Morrison Is Keeping West Brom Alive With a Skeleton Squad
West Bromwich Albion are riding a six-game unbeaten streak—their best run in over a year—and it’s happening under some of the toughest conditions imaginable. After three winless months and eight losses in their previous 12 Championship matches, survival looked unlikely. But interim manager James Morrison has somehow turned things around using the same handful of exhausted players, week after week.
A Run Built on Grit, Not Glamour
This isn’t a story of tactical masterclasses or star signings lighting up the pitch. It’s about resilience. Seven outfield players have started every single one of these six games. Between the Good Friday clash with Wrexham and the Easter Monday match against Southampton, Morrison made just one outfield substitution across both lineups. That kind of consistency usually signals depth—but here, it screams desperation.
The lack of fresh legs showed. In both Easter fixtures, West Brom dominated the first halves but faded badly after the break. Against Blackburn—a crucial six-pointer in the relegation scrap—only two of the substitutes were older than 22. The rest of the bench had combined for just 12 league starts all season. As Morrison admitted afterward, he wanted experienced heads in such high-stakes games, but simply didn’t have them available.
Walking Wounded and Iron Men
The injury list reads like a who’s-who of key contributors:
- Karlan Grant (main striker)
- Mikey Johnston (creative winger)
- Tammer Bany (versatile defender)
- Chris Mepham (defensive anchor)
- Jed Wallace (attacking full-back)
- Krystian Bielik (central midfield enforcer, likely out for the season)
Yet despite that, the team hasn’t collapsed. Instead, a core group has played through fatigue, pain, and mental exhaustion. Consider these iron-man stats:
- Aune Heggebo: 64 consecutive league appearances across Brann and West Brom, with no off-season break due to Norway’s different football calendar.
- Isaac Price: 60 straight club-and-country appearances over more than a year.
- Danny Imray, Callum Styles, George Campbell: Every single minute of every game for over a month.
- Ousmane Diakite and Jayson Molumby: Missed just 10 and 13 minutes respectively in the same stretch.
It’s borderline miraculous that this group hasn’t buckled under the load. Their physical and mental endurance is carrying West Brom’s survival hopes.
Light at the End of the Tunnel?
There’s finally hope on the horizon. Morrison confirmed last week that Mepham, Bany, and Grant have all returned to training. None are guaranteed to feature immediately, but even partial availability would be a massive boost for the final stretch of the season.
With just a handful of games left in the Championship campaign, every point matters. West Brom currently sit just above the drop zone, and those dropped leads against Wrexham (2-0 up) and Southampton (late equalizer at home) sting—but also prove they can compete with play-off contenders. That alone is a huge shift from their form earlier this year.
Key Takeaways
- West Brom’s six-game unbeaten run is their longest in over a year, achieved despite missing six key players.
- Seven outfielders started every match in this streak; squad rotation was virtually nonexistent.
- Multiple players have logged 60+ consecutive appearances with zero rest—raising serious fitness concerns.
- Karlan Grant, Chris Mepham, and Tammer Bany have returned to training, offering potential reinforcement.
- The team’s late-game fadeouts highlight the cost of extreme player reliance—but also show improved quality when fresh.
Morrison hasn’t transformed West Brom overnight. What he’s done is extract maximum effort from a depleted, overworked squad—and that might just be enough to keep them in the Championship. If even one or two of those returning players can contribute meaningful minutes down the stretch, the Baggies could pull off a great escape. For now, it’s a testament to squad spirit, smart man-management, and sheer willpower.
— Editorial Team
