Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Sun 5 April 2026 7:00, UK

James Morrison continues to impress in his caretaker role at West Bromwich Albion, while owner Shilen Patel was in attendance for their 2-2 draw with Wrexham.

The 39-year-old had a disappointing start to his current tenure with defeat at lowly Oxford United but West Brom have been unbeaten since then.

Creditable draws with Sheffield United and play-off chasing Southampton followed, before impressive wins against fifth-placed Hull City and Bristol City.

It looked like it would be three wins in a row on Good Friday when West Brom went 2-0 up through a George Dobson on goal and a Josh Maja penalty.

But sixth-placed Wrexham pulled two goals back in the second half to secure a 2-2 draw at The Hawthorns. The Baggies inched closer to Championship safety, as Morrison’s quest to get the West Brom job full-time strengthened.

West Brom fans warming to Shilen Patel

In late February, West Brom fans were not exactly Patel’s number one fan.

That was because he had put his trust in two 34-year-old head coaches in Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay – both of whom didn’t last long.

A team like West Brom, with the squad at their disposal, should not be in a relegation battle and yet here we are.

But Morrison is doing a stellar job in their survival bid, with the Baggies four points above the bottom three with six games to go.

Patel was in the stadium to watch the Wrexham draw, as per the Express & Star, but it is not yet known if the American will see West Brom take on Blackburn Rovers on Easter Monday, where 7,500 travelling fans will be in attendance.

Patel received praise from supporters after reducing the club’s losses to £17million after their 2024-25 accounts were revealed.

He has also invested £31m since taking over the club and his ownership group covered the interest figure of £5.2m incurred from the MSD loans taken out in the final months of the previous regime.

That is endearing him to West Brom fans, who truly believe they can beat the drop.

West Brom trending in the right direction

During Ramsay’s tenure, West Brom had no vim and vigour, they barely created any chances, and squeaked out some unconvincing draws.

Now under Morrison, West Brom are a match for anyone, as evidenced by their performances against top eight sides Southampton, Wrexham, and Hull in particular.

They have some tricky fixtures to come, with a relegation six-pointer away at Blackburn up next, followed by automatic promotion-chasing Millwall.

But the fact that West Brom were so competitive against Wrexham, as they have been in every game of late, is such a boost to the club and the fans.

They seem to have more about them than their fellow lowly rivals. And if Morrison keeps this up, the job could be his this summer.