Nat Phillips admission may reveal James Morrison's biggest West Brom win already

Nat Phillips has lauded the impact of West Bromwich Albion assistant manager Matt Gill.

Albion sealed their spot in the Championship at the back end of last season, as a result of a sensational run under former midfielder James Morrison.

The Scotsman took over at the end of February, leading the Baggies on a 10-match unbeaten run heading into the final day.

Assistant Gill had a huge impact at The Hawthorns, after joining in March.

Ahead of the 2026-27 season, Albion confirmed that Gill will be staying on.

And based on Phillips' comments, Morrison has already secured a huge win.

West Brom players were 'desperate' for key appointment

After the immense work at the end of the season, Morrison's future at the helm was confirmed.

With this in mind, supporters were keen to see him put together his own group of staff.

And much like the fans, the players were "desperate" to see Gill confirmed as a permanent member too

"There's a really positive feeling. It's nice that we've managed to hold on to Matt Gill. I think all the lads were desperate for Gilly to stay - I don't think that was a secret, we're delighted that he has," Phillips told Express & Star.

"And the gaffer has added two more staff members as well in Tony McMahon and also Gavin Strachan, who I knew from when I was at Celtic. They've slotted in seamlessly and brought a lot of energy to training."

After finishing 21st, Albion are working extremely hard to ensure that last season is an anomaly.

Phillips outlined that the Baggies are on a positive track.

"Training has been intense, high energy and they've laid down their principles and how they want us to play early on - you can see that in the sessions we're doing," he said.

"It's really exciting to put that into practice with a few games in pre-season.

"I can't wait [for pre-season]. It's going to be a good season. It's a really competitive league this year and there are a few unknowns.

"We've seen that it is always an unpredictable league, but I'm really looking forward to building on what we started with James Morrison at the end of last season.

"We had a solid record in those final games and now he's got a full pre-season to implement exactly how he wants us to play. I'm excited to take that into the new season and hit the ground running."

Why West Brom hit the jackpot with James Morrison appointment

Of course, it is easy to say that Morrison's appointment went well given the results towards the back end of last season.

However, the Baggies completely hit the jackpot in multiple areas.

On the pitch, the former midfielder brought a common sense approach, getting the best out of each and every member of the squad.

At the same time, he was a strong communicator to the media, with a level of calmness not seen in either Ryan Mason or Eric Ramsay before him

And finally, he simply 'gets' the club, and this has only came to his aid when it comes to bringing in faces like Gill, and others who will compliment his work.

The job is Morrison's first, and his lack of experience is daunting, but so far, his own knowledge of the game has seen him navigate the waters with relative ease - with a calm demeanour that will only further benefit him.