Morrison impresses as Albion hold on
Bryn Lennon/Getty ImagesZoltan Gera and the Baggies had plenty to celebrate vs. QPR.Albion made it four home wins in a row by beating QPR 3-2, entering the international break on 14 points. The last time Albion won their first four home games was in 1919 -- and they went on to win the league that year. So no pressure, Steve Clarke!
Yesterday's game was the definition of a game of two halves. In the first we were outstanding, the passing game in particular was a joy to watch, but the second wasvery much a backs to the wall performance -- Albion didn't have a lot of the ball but in this we saw a noticeable improvement compared to our play over two years ago.
Under previous regimes, the defence would have collapsed under the pressure and we would not have walked away with all three points. Against QPR, despite our poor play with the ball, we contained the opposition -- an area we have really focused under Roy Hodgson and now, Steve Clarke -- keeping our shape and remaining compact, making us difficult to break down.
On the attacking front, James Morrison was once again hugely impressive in the advanced midfield role behind Shane Long, who also had another good game. The improvement in Morrison's game over the past season has been nothing short of amazing. It was clear that he always had the talent - you only have to look at some of the goals he has scored for us in if you need proof -- but the question was always there. Can he produce these performances consistently?
The answer now is yes and that is no doubt due to the fact that Morrison is being employed in the midfield position he always said was his best. And he is proving himself right, starting the season like a house on fire and becoming a pivotal cog in the 4-2-3-1-/4-3-3 system used by Steve Clarke. Morrison links play well, has good movement, makes good passes and scores important goals. Yesterday's tally was his second of the season, a header after a fine Shane Long cross.
Morrison also had a direct involvement in the second and third West Brom goals. It was he who sped away down the right to square for Zoltan Gera to tuck away. And even when moved out to the right wing to accomodate a change in formation to 4-4-2, Morrison demonstrated his football intelligence with the role he played in the third goal.
He received the ball from Mulumbu with his back to goal and spun it out to Gonzalo Jara. It's what Morrison did when he got it back from Jara that stood out; where some players might have tried to fashion a shot from an impossible position, he instead laid a perfect ball back into the path of the Baggies' full back who then squared for Youssuf Mulumbu to put the game beyond doubt.
Morrison has recently signed a new long-term deal at the club and with Jonas Olsson doing similar, Albion have tied down the core of their line-up for a long time. We can only hope these players continue to produce at such a high level.


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