It's been a season of chaos and redemption for West Bromwich Albion—a campaign that tested the resolve of fans, players, and the club itself. Three managers, a points deduction, a boardroom exit, a record-breaking defeat, and two agonizing six-hour-plus goal droughts could have broken any team. Yet, here we are, looking back at a season that, against all odds, ended with hope and unity.
This was a redemption arc written in the toughest ink. Albion started the 2025-26 season with an untested rookie manager, but they finished it with one who has been forged in fire. James Morrison arrived with little fanfare, but he leaves this season with something far more valuable: the trust of the fans and the locker room. He admits he has much to learn, but right now, he has very little to prove. That's a stark contrast to predecessors Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay, who arrived with bigger reputations but delivered far less.
The difference in atmosphere tells the story. The decisive game against Ipswich saw The Hawthorns buzzing with an energy rarely felt in a regular-season match. Compare that to the boos that followed so many of Mason's performances, or the chants of "you're not fit to wear the shirt" that echoed after Ramsay's eight league games. Under Morrison, the club feels galvanised, unified, and ready for what's next.
Many players have walked their own redemption path since March. After a defeat to Oxford in late February, Morrison publicly called out his senior players, and fans seemed ready to give up on the squad entirely. When creator-in-chief Mikey Johnston suffered a season-ending injury in that same game, most supporters feared the worst. Instead, it sparked a transformation.
Morrison shifted to a more robust, narrower midfield, allowing Isaac Price to thrive in his natural position off the left—a role he made his own. With a front two up top and more defensive-minded midfielders behind them, Albion found a formula that worked. It's a throwback formation in a modern game obsessed with lone strikers and fluid attacks, but it was exactly what this team needed. Mason had avoided it, but Morrison embraced it, and the results speak for themselves.
As the dust settles on a turbulent season, the question isn't just about survival—it's about what comes next. With a unified squad, a tested manager, and a fanbase ready to believe again, Albion's redemption arc might just be the foundation for something special.