Explained: How 'quiet man' James Morrison has surprised former West Brom team-mate

Former team-mate Paul Robinson has revealed how James Morrison went from the “quiet man” of the Albion dressing room to managing the club.

Robinson concedes he did not have Morrison down as future management material when he joined the Baggies aged 21 in 2007.The pair played three seasons together, winning the Championship title in 2008.

And while Robinson is delighted to now see Morrison in charge at The Hawthorns, he concedes he would not have seen it coming back in the early days.

Asked if he saw Morrison as a future manager, Robinson told the Express & Star: "Not really with Mozza, no, because he was so quiet.

"Some people go about their business quieter, don't they? He learnt, he studied, he's watched people and he's now taken full control of that.”

Morrison oversaw a dramatic reversal of fortunes after taking over in February with the club sliding toward relegation.

The Baggies went 10 matches unbeaten to preserve their Championship status, with the former midfielder then given the job on a permanent basis.

Robinson, who made more than 700 appearances in a career which spanned two decades, reckons Morrison will have benefited from the culture he first found at the club as a player, under then boss Tony Mowbray.

"When we were in the building it was all about standards. It was about the culture of West Brom,” he said.

"If you crossed the line, we saw it out as a group of players and that's the way it was.

“Unfortunately football is coming away from that side of it now, where you can have a go at certain people, it's not acceptable now for some reason or another.

"But what Mozza has instilled is that togetherness and of what West Brom is all about and how we go about our business at West Brom.

“As soon as you get all that in place, you're then onto a winning formula for me. It's just getting the basics right.

"When you look at it, he just got all the basics right and he put the players in their best positions and he asked them to go and express themselves. That's the best formula to do it. Don't complicate things.

"Don't ask players to do things that they can't do. It's just simple, simple stuff.”