Goalposts Hit! Morrison Returns for Albion Thrilling Victory

[BBC] A little over two weeks ago, West Bromwich Albion appeared destined for the drop. The Baggies had taken just one point from two 'must-win' games. The first, a home draw against Charlton, cost Eric Ramsay his job.

The second, a limp defeat at Oxford, saw James Morrison publicly call out his new charges for a lack of bravery on the ball. He was right to do so - Albion had become a dire, frustrating watch. Ramsay had started to stem the flow of goals against, conceding just three in his final four league games in charge, but Morrison knew the Throstles still had a huge problem at the other end of the field, scoring three in their past eight league outings.

Bill Shankly told us football is a simple game, and Morrison's overarching strategy to make Albion more of a threat was remarkably simple, even if the tactics behind it were more sophisticated. In essence, it boiled down to this: get players who can score goals in quality goalscoring positions more often. Morrison put passers at the back in the likes of George Campbell and Krystian Bielik (until the latter was injured against Sheffield United) and added pace to a side desperately crying out for it with Danny Imray at right-back.

He removed a player who seemed undroppable under the past four managers, Alex Mowatt and replaced him with perhaps less technical but certainly more physical and dynamic midfielders in Jayson Molumby and Ousmane Diakite. And, in a move which has had a huge impact, he put Isaac Price in a role where he could truly influence the game. After 11 Championship games, Price had scored just shy of half of the Throstles' league goals.