What James Morrison has to take from West Brom’s loss vs Hull ahead of Hawthorns rematch
West Brom are hoping to reverse the form when they take on Hull City on Saturday.
Indeed, it was Hull who emerged as the victors when the two sides met at the MKM Stadium earlier in the season, with the Tigers running out 1-0 winners over West Brom on 20 December 2025.
Albion will hope, and indeed need, it to be different this time around at The Hawthorns, as they start the weekend sitting 23rd in the Championship table, one point behind 21st-placed Leicester City.
One thing will definitely be different about Saturday’s game, and that’s in the Baggies dugout, as James Morrison leads the Albion side this time around as opposed to it being a Ryan Mason-led team last time out.
What James Morrison should learn from West Brom loss v Hull
With Hull going for Premier League promotion and West Brom battling to stay in the Championship, the outcome of Saturday’s game is sure to have major implications at both ends of the division.
Morrison wasn’t in the Albion dugout for the December trip to the MKM, but he’ll no doubt have combed through that match in preparation for this weekend’s meeting, and there’s some key takeaways he’s sure to have found.
Firstly, as per Sofascore, the Baggies dominated the possession stats that day with 57 per cent compared to Hull’s 43 per cent, and also played 456 passes as opposed to the Tigers’ 317.
That tells a large part of the story behind Mason’s dismissal as West Brom boss, as his side enjoyed plenty of the ball, but had no thrust or cutting edge to hurt Hull in attack.
Secondly, Mason deployed his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation that afternoon, which is something Morrison has dabbled with as Albion interim boss.
However, in the previous two draws with Sheffield United and Southampton respectively, Morrison has gone with a 4-4-2, and so he’s got even plenty of reasons to press on with that formation on Saturday.
Lastly, Hull were able to get the three points that day largely down to two self-inflicted West Brom wounds, as Oli McBurnie scored from the penalty spot, and Alfie Gilchrist was sent off in the 75th minute respectively.
Therefore, cutting out errors such as these will also be vital to Albion’s chances, and Morrison is sure to impress that upon his players in the dressing room just before kick-off.
What is Hull City’s away form like this season?
Jakirovic’s Hull side have been one of the big surprise packages of the 2025-26 Championship season, as despite being under transfer restrictions, they’re still just six points behind second-placed Middlesbrough.
But how good have they been on their travels this season? Well, unfortunately for West Brom, they’ve been good.
10 wins, three draws and five defeats from 18 away games this season culminates in 33 points picked up on the road, compared to their 30 at home from one game extra too.
The Tigers also roared back after suffering back-to-back defeats to Ipswich and Millwall respectively, by recording an impressive 2-1 win away at Wrexham last time out, so they’ll be full of confidence ahead of Saturday’s game.
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