Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media.

Richie Mills

Wed 29 April 2026 20:43, UK

West Bromwich Albion fans have welcomed news that James Morrison is set to become their next permanent manager after a successful caretaker stint.

Morrison began his third caretaker spell at West Brom in late February following the sacking of Eric Ramsay after a dismal time at The Hawthorns.

The Baggies were hovering around the relegation zone and seemed destined to drop into the English third tier for the first time since 1991 as they went winless under Ramsay.

But 39-year-old Morrison steadied the ship and went on a remarkable 10-match unbeaten run, which guided them to Championship safety.

Many have called for the Albion legend to stay on and now reports suggest Morrison will be in the dugout at West Brom next season.

James Morrison makes points deduction ‘irrelevant’

Before West Brom decided to look within and put Morrison in charge, the likes of Sean Dyche and former managers Slaven Bilic and Carlos Corberan were mooted.

Some pundits felt it was a tall order for an inexperienced head like Morrison to keep West Brom up. But the former midfielder has delivered and then some.

West Brom stayed up after a draw with Ipswich Town, despite getting hit with a two-point deduction for a financial breach.

Now, The Telegraph’s John Percy states that Morrison is set to get the head coach role on a permanent basis, after ensuring their points deduction was “irrelevant”.

While this news won’t please everyone, the majority of West Brom fans on social media have backed this development.

One fan tweeted, “Much prefer this info than the point deductions, cheers Percy,” while another wrote, “Amazing news! He so deserves it!”

Another supporter commented, “Be interesting what will be the contract length or will they announce it? Maybe I’m mistaken but I’m pretty sure when they gave it to [Darren] Moore they didn’t reveal the contract length.”

How far can James Morrison take West Brom?

Since Shilen Patel’s arrival, he has tried to make West Brom more financially stable, while also pumping in millions to try to wipe out debts from the previous regime.

With their parachute payments long gone now, the Baggies have to make their pounds go an extra long way, as they try to get back to the Premier League.

There is every chance that Morrison has been the right man to get West Brom out of this mess before reverting to type next term.

But Morrison has certainly done enough to get the West Brom job for the foreseeable future. Coventry City proved that you can get promoted without parachute payments.

And due to West Brom’s size and stature, they will always be able to attract a good calibre of player and maybe be in the mix of going up again. But whether or not Morrison can get them competing for promotion again remains to be seen.