West Bromwich Albion

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Quite a few people will be raising an eyebrow at West Brom's perfect start to the Championship season.

They should not be because recent history shows Albion are awesome in August.

They are now unbeaten in their past 11 league games in August, spanning four different seasons.

You have to go back to the opening day of the 2023-24 campaign to find the last time Albion lost a Championship match in August, a 2-1 defeat by Blackburn.

However, those great starts have not counted for much in the grander scheme of things.

In 2024-25 they were unbeaten in their opening six league games, winning five of them, but won just one of their next 13 matches. They finished ninth that year.

Last season the drop-off was more dramatic.

After beginning the season with three wins and a draw, the Throstles won only six of the next 33 Championship matches, a run which cost both Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay their jobs, and nearly got the Baggies relegated.

So are we experiencing the same false dawn we've endured the past two seasons?

I do not think so.

Two seasons ago Albion's goalscoring was heavily reliant on two players. In the first half a dozen games, Josh Maja scored 60 per cent of the goals and over half of the assists were provided by Tom Fellows.

It was clear any dip in form or an injury for either of those players would heavily impact the season, and so it came to pass.

Maja had his season ended in January, while Fellows became a marked man and managed only four assists after the turn of the year.

That does not seem to be the case this year.

James Morrison's fluid system allows different players to get into goalscoring positions at different times.

The Baggies have scored five goals with four different scorers so far. While Jimmy-Jay Morgan can boast the bulk of the assists, Harry Whitwell and Isaac Price are hot on his heels, suggesting there will not be an over-reliance on the former Chelsea man.

Then there is the context around last season's deterioration. Simply put, we sold some of our best players after our good start.

Tom Fellows, Torbjorn Heggem and Darnell Furlong all played minutes in that excellent start, only to depart before the transfer window closed.

This summer it seems Albion are trying to keep their best players and to add to a high-performing squad before the window shuts, not to weaken it. There are discussions with Isaac Price and Harry Whitwell over new contracts, while Albion are linked with a host of potential new signings.

However, James Morrison needs the club to make some of those potential reinforcements a reality if this form is to be maintained.

The current squad is wafer-thin, with the departure of Alex Mowatt, a ludicrous suspension for Aune Heggebo and an injury to Mikey Johnston not helping matters.

If the club can help Morrison with the proper additions, there is every chance he can succeed where his predecessors failed in making a good start more than just a flash in the pan.

Image source, Getty Images

After 20-year-old Harry Whitwell and 22-year-old Isaac Price both scored to help West Bromwich Albion to a 3-1 victory over Burnley, Baggies legend Tony 'Bomber' Brown said the pair's performances give him hope for the side's future prospects.

"There's a freshness about this Albion side," Brown told BBC Radio WM.

"As a youngster you want to play, it's like in the school playground, and that's what it's like with these youngsters in this Albion side at the moment. They want to drive forward at every opportunity.

"The crowd have responded to it. They are enjoying it, they are loving what they are seeing.

"I know it's only a couple of games in but it's refreshing and the future looks more rosy at the moment."

Listen to the full reaction below or on BBC Sounds here.

Explore more West Bromwich Albion content on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after West Bromwich Albion came from behind to beat Burnley at The Hawthorns on Sunday.

Here are some of your comments:

West Brom fans

Paul - Super team effort, every player played well.

Russell - Great performance, especially to come from a goal down. It's a great start. We know there's a long, long way to go but we have something to build on.

Colin - Super energetic and disciplined display by the Baggies. Great to watch Isaac Price get on the scoresheet. Well played West Brom.

Nick - Best all-round performance I've seen in a long time. Didn't look panicked after going behind and the attack was beautiful to watch. Ousmane Diakite deserves special mention. His passing, dribbling, tackling and effort were all on display and his ball recovery reminded me of a decent player who drove his Mini to Leicester City. Very early and such a small sample size, but after a trying season last year there's so much to smile about right now.

Image source, Getty Images

Burnley fans

Tom - Abysmal. Burnley should know by now that with only one goalscorer you are certainly dead in the PL and probably in the Championship too. Combine that with routinely gifting the opposition at least one early goal and you are likely to be facing relegation by the end of the season. The new manager looks an improvement but so would I have been.

Sam - Sad to see players pulling out of challenges and not working hard. Burnley's identity was once about running sides off the park and playing gritty, effective football. We've now accumulated PL and European academy prospects that don't have the fight or the nous to represent our club.

Hugh - Very worried by the reversion to familiar faces here - Josh Laurent, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Armando Broja. Kyle Walker maybe most of all - his pace is gone and that was his cheat code. His positioning, passing, and aerial ability just aren't up to it. Broja isn't interested and isn't any good anyway. I'd play literally anyone else up top.

Gareth - We gave the ball away cheaply, poor first touches, sloppy passes and we failed to win challenges. We made it easy for West Brom to come from behind and beat us convincingly. But at least we are now moving the ball forwards, rather than side to side and backwards (ie Parker-ball). But we still need to clear out the dross - Broja, Zeki Amdouni et al

Derby are keen on a loan move for West Brom and Republic of Ireland winger Mikey Johnston, 27, and Ipswich and Albania attacking midfielder Anis Mehmeti, 25. (Alan Nixon, via subscription, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

These sides will go into Sunday's game at The Hawthorns (12:00 BST) full of confidence.

West Brom opened the campaign with a 2-1 win at Norwich City while Burnley came from 2-0 down at home to West Ham to claim a draw at Turf Moor.

• West Bromwich Albion are winless across each of their past seven league games against Burnley (D5 L2), since a 1-0 away win on matchday two of the 2017-18 Premier League campaign.

• Burnley lost each of their first six away meetings with West Bromwich Albion this century but are unbeaten in their most recent four, drawing each of the past three (W1).

• After beating Norwich 2-1, West Brom are looking to win the opening two games of a league campaign in successive seasons. Prior to that, West Brom had completed the feat just once since 1998-99 onwards (2017-18).

• Burnley went unbeaten in each of their final 16 Championship away games en route to promotion in 2025 (W11 D5) and only three teams have had longer runs in the competition's history (since 2004-05): Leicester City (20, ending in Oct 2023), Hull City (17, ending in April 2011) and Reading (17 ending in Feb 2006).

• Since the start of 2024, West Brom have won just one of their 14 league games against sides relegated form the Premier League the season prior (D8 L5), though are unbeaten across their last six at home (W1 D5).

Bolton won on their return to the Championship, but how can they compete with their big-spending rivals?

Listen to the newest episode of the 72+ podcast as Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff are joined by Bolton manager Steven Schumacher to break down the opening weekend of league fixtures in the EFL.

The panel also discuss Will Lankshear's dream start at Middlesbrough, how Southampton will deal with being pantomime villains after Spygate and whether VAR is needed in the Championship after a blatant handball helped West Bromwich Albion beat Norwich.

Plus, Jack Wilshere joins the pod after his Luton side came from 3-1 down to beat Reading in their opener, and he talks about his first pre-season as a first-team boss.

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to the brand new 72+ channel to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

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West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison says the thing that most frustrated him about captain Alex Mowatt's eve-of-season exit to Derby County was the timing of it.

For the second season running, following Darnell Furlong's departure to Ipswich Town a year ago, the Baggies have lost the captain they started the season with.

But Mowatt's successor George Campbell proved a lucky on-field general in Saturday's somewhat fortuitous 2-1 win at Norwich.

And Morrison is now only looking forward after Albion's third successive opening-day Championship win in as many seasons.

"It's just football," Morrison told BBC Radio WM. "There's a little bit of a hangover. But am I going to let it derail me? No. I've got to lead the team and set an example and show that it can't affect us.

"The timing of it was the most disappointing thing for me. We'd been doing so much work - and him doing really well too. He's been the glue on the pitch and in the dressing room.

"But I can see both sides. It's a good opportunity for Alex - and for him to get the extra years too."

Albion's next key dates are this Sunday's opening home game of the campaign against relegated Burnley, followed by two tough trips to the North East, the Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, 26 August and the lunchtime kick-off at Middlesbrough three days later.

Albion then do not play again until 2 September, at home to Charlton Athletic, the day after the summer transfer window closes.

But, despite losing another midfielder, Ousmane Diakité, early in the second half at Carrow Road with what looked like an injury, Morrison said his only concern is replacing Mowatt.

"I'd like to bring in another one to replace Alex, " he said. "As for Ousmane, he has an ice pack on, but he's stronger than he thinks."

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk after his side's 2-1 defeat by West Bromwich Albion.

On West Brom's opening goal, he said: "It was a decisive moment in the game. I think this is a clear-cut goal that should be disallowed.

"We were dominating the game, we were creating the chances, the best chances, most chances.

"Then they have one counter-attack where they make it 0-2, but you see again the right reaction from my team and they kept going and we scored the goal. But we should have scored much more goals today.

"You have games where things don't go your way; for sure it was the case today, because my team deserved the three points."

West Bromwich Albion manager James Morrison spoke to BBC Radio WM after his side's opening win over Norwich City at Carrow Road.

For a written selection of Morrison's quotes click here.

Steve Hermon
BBC Radio WM's Albion reporter

Image source, Getty Images

For the second summer in a row, the Baggies have left it late to sell an experienced player who wore the captain's armband in their first match of the season.

Twelve months ago, Darnell Furlong was skipper as Albion opened the Championship campaign by beating Blackburn.

Two games later, then-boss Ryan Mason was blindsided by the sale of the full-back to Ipswich just four days before transfer deadline day.

Now, Alex Mowatt has walked out of the same door less than a week after leading the team out for a 4-1 win over Rotherham in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

It is not known if head coach James Morrison knew a bid was coming, but Derby's admiration of the 31-year-old has been longstanding.

There is a fair argument that both deals made sense for Albion.

They are ageing players on decent wages. Furlong's sale gave them much-needed money at a perilous time financially, while although officially undisclosed, Mowatt's move was believed to be worth about £650,000 and avoids the prospect of him leaving for nothing in the summer.

However, as with Furlong, the Yorkshireman's departure leaves big boots to fill with not much time to fill them.

Alfie Gilchrist was billed as the right-back replacement when he arrived from Chelsea a day after Furlong was sold, but it was centre-half George Campbell who was deployed there for the rest of Mason's reign.

As for Gilchrist, he was loaned to Leyton Orient this week, with his agent pointing out on social media that it was a "great opportunity" for the 22-year-old to "play regular football in his natural position at centre-back".

The club are better stocked to cope in the midfield department in terms of numbers, but Mowatt played a vital role, pulling the strings at the heart of the team.

Under Carlos Corberan, he was often the player who touched the ball more than any other, and all the head coaches that followed leant on him for inspiration.

He's racked up almost 500 career appearances in the second tier, so that's a huge amount of experience gone from a squad containing several players poised to make their Championship debuts.

Perhaps Albion are confident they already have the solution in their squad?

Irishman Jayson Molumby, who's been the subject of some speculation over his own future recently, played more games in central midfield alongside Ousmane Diakite than Mowatt during the 10-game unbeaten run that kept them in the division at the tail end of last season.

Academy product Harry Whitwell has blossomed in pre-season, albeit further up the field.

Left-back Callum Styles could replicate the midfield role he plays for his national team, Hungary, and Felix Horn Myhre may be another viable option. A Norwegian journalist told me that "everything" went through him at SK Brann, and he was their "most important player".

It would be an unenviable task for box-to-box Frenchman Rabby Nzingoula.

He's 20 years old and only arrived in England a few days ago.

We won't have to wait long to find out who steps up to the plate as The Throstles open their league season at Norwich on Saturday.

Baggies name new captain

One problem they have solved on the eve of the campaign is who the new captain will be.

Morrison has turned to George Campbell with the American describing the role as "an absolute honour".

He told the club: "I understand the privilege and great responsibility that comes with wearing the armband, especially at a club that has had so many iconic skippers over the years."

The 25-year-old became a fans' favourite in his debut campaign, so it should be a popular choice.

He wore the armband in a pre-season win at Peterborough earlier this month, but his leadership qualities were evident much earlier than that - none more so than when he fronted up and spoke to the media after February's disastrous defeat at Oxford in Morrison's first game in interim charge.

It is not an easy thing to do when things are not going well.

Hopefully, he will not have to talk too much about losses this season and will be leading the team to some success.