West Bromwich Albion have extended a good run of form that guaranteed survival in the Championship last season.
Not even the most optimistic Baggies fan that watched their team struggle under Ryan Mason and went through Eric Ramsay’s winless stint last year would have imagined they would be level on points with first place the following campaign.
And yet, despite sitting fourth in the 2026/27 Championship table, no team have picked up more points than West Brom. They are tied with West Ham United, Swansea City and Middlesbrough — two points clear of Queens Park Rangers and Charlton Athletic.
Club legend James Morrison seems to have beat the dreaded ‘caretaker manager syndrome’. After taking over as a last-ditch attempt from the board to keep the team in the second tier, not only did he deliver it but has also carried their form over to the new season, which is a rare sight for an interim head coach given the permanent job.
And that is actually a great place to start.
Why have West Brom been so good in the Championship?
James Morrison
Now permanent manager, Morrison has completely turned things around at the Hawthorns. The former midfielder took a broken squad following failures from Mason and Eric Ramsay and managed to give them new life.
It was a valid gamble at the time, considering he had managed them between appointments twice already. He took over from Tony Mowbray in April 2025, winning one and drawing one from two attempts to end the 2024/25 season.
And then from Mason in January 2026, leading West Brom to victory over Swansea in the FA Cup third round — via penalties.
In his first proper stint in charge, Morrison actually started with a loss to Oxford United. And it took him four games to finally earn his first win. But they would not lose again until final day, going from 22nd one point behind safety to finishing 21st four points above the relegation zone.
He was actually responsible for the third longest unbeaten streak of the league. Only Southampton (21 between January and May) and Coventry City (12 between August and October) went more games without defeat.
West Brom have picked up the sixth-most points in the Championship since Morrison took over. And that is despite a two-point deduction for breaching the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability rules.
This year, they won every single pre-season friendly and currently sit fourth in the table with four wins, two draws and just one loss. It was to fellow promotion contenders Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
Despite ranking eigth in possession (53%), the Baggies rank third in accurate passes per game (443) and second in tackles (17.9). They are also 22nd in long balls (11.1) and 23rd in crosses attempted (15.3), to illustrate how Morrison wants them to play.
Max O’Leary
They say every good team starts with a good goalkeeper. If that is really the case, then West Brom are in very safe hands – literally.
Max O’Leary has been one of the best players in the Championship so far this season. Which is actually a big part of the Baggies being in the top-four, considering some of their collective performances.
West Brom have had more big chances than their opponent in just one game in the current campaign. The most recent one — their seventh of the league season.
| Opponent | Big chances (for) | Big chances (against) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich City | 2 | 5 | W |
| Burnley | 2 | 2 | W |
| Middlesbrough | 2 | 6 | L |
| Charlton | 0 | 1 | D |
| Watford | 2 | 4 | W |
| Derby County | 1 | 2 | W |
| QPR | 2 | 1 | D |
Additionally, they are the biggest overperformers according to Opta’s exptected points model. Their expected table suggest West Brom should be 16th with eight points instead of fourth with 14.
And that is where O’Leary comes in. The Irishman single-handedly gave the Baggies all three points in the opener against Norwich. Not only for delivering the third highest tally in goals prevented in a single game so far (+1.9), but also for providing the assist for their second goal.
The 29-year-old leads all Championship goalkeepers in goals prevented (+3.6) and big chances saved (7, alongside Watford’s Federico Ravaglia). O’Leary also ranks fourth in save percentage (77%) among those to have played more than three games.
He has been a big part in West Brom having the best defence in the league since Morrison took over. The Baggies have averaged just 0.8 goals conceded per match in this span, being the only active Championship side under 1.0. Ipswich Town, who are in the Premier League, would be the other one.
Jimmy-Jay Morgan
Jimmy-Jay Morgan has only just joined West Brom and is already a sensation at the Hawthorns. The Chelsea academy graduate impressed in his loan stint at Peterborough United in League One last season, scoring 12 goals in 34 games.
This prompted the Baggies to spend just over £1 million for his services – which could be the bargain of the season.
Morgan has already equalled his league assists tally from last year, despite playing just seven times in the current campaign. He is also averaging just under one goal or assist per game across all competitions.
In fact, no Championship player has had more games scoring or assisting in all competitions so far than Jimmy-Jay Morgan. He is joint-first alongside many other stand-out, high-profile names from the second tier.
Morgan is also one of just two players with 3+ goals and 3+ assists in the Championship so far, alongside Jarrod Bowen.
His efforts even won him the EFL Young Player of the Month award in August. They have been a pleasant surprise given all the attacking talent West Brom lost over the summer.
Strikers Daryl Dike, Karlan Grant and Josh Maja all left on a free, leaving the Baggies with few options up front. Not to mention Mikey Johnston, their brightest creative spark, who has been dealing with constant injuries since the turn of the year.