Tony Pulis applauds 'absolutely fantastic' call that's paying dividends for West Brom
Tony Pulis has explained why West Bromwich Albion's decision to hire James Morrison will continue to pay off.
The Baggies put Morrison in caretaker charge towards the end of last season with the Black Country club mired in a relegation battle.
Morrison did what Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay could not before him in finding a winning formula for Albion.
West Brom won four, drew six and lost only one of their first 11 games under the former midfielder, which landed him the job on a permanent basis.
After leading Albion away from the relegation zone, despite a points deduction, his first full season in full-time charge has also started very well.
And in the view of ex-West Brom boss Pulis, things could continue on this current trajectory.
Tony Pulis uses perfect word to sum up James Morrison
While it is true West Brom produced a poor performance in their most recent outing when losing 1-0 to Wolves, they have overachieved up to this point.
Nobody realistically expected the Baggies to be knocking around in the playoffs at this stage, but there they sit in fifth place.
Fourteen points from eight matches is a great return and, if replicated over the campaign, will have West Brom in the mix for Premier League promotion.
Morrison is largely to thank for that, and Pulis has applauded the club's decision to bring him in as manager.
"He took over last year and I think it was one defeat in a certain number of games," Pulis said on The Managers podcast.
"They've started this season fantastically as well. He's been there for a long time, Moz."
Pulis went on to nicely sum up Morrison as "intelligent" and suggested he will continue to learn and get better as a result.
"I've worked with him and know what he's like," Pulis said. "He's intelligent rather than a shouter and he will pick things up and understand them in a way to get results.
"The club have done absolutely fantastic and he's done brilliantly."
How does Morrison's West Brom record compare to Pulis'?
Pulis spent just shy of three years in charge at The Hawthorns and did not exactly depart with the well wishes of supporters.
The Welshman's win rate across his 121 matches as Albion boss stands at 29.75 per cent.
Across the 11 clubs he has managed, only at Bournemouth (28.18 per cent) and Sheffield Wednesday (10 per cent) does he have a worse record - lasting just 10 matches at the latter.
Morrison's win rate, when also including his games in caretaker charge, is 40 per cent.
The former Scotland international is clearly doing something right, then, and long may that continue.