Bristol City v West Brom: 'I couldn't get Tony Pulis off the phone!' - James Morrison so grateful to lean on former bosses

Even Alan Pardew had no shortage of games on his CV.

Morrison also acted as Hawthorns first-team coach under Sam Allardyce and Steve Bruce.

Now the young coach is cutting his teeth as boss in the deep end as he attempts to lift his beloved Albion away from Championship relegation peril.

The Baggies boss, in place until the end of the season following the failings of Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay, is preparing for a trip to mid-table Bristol City to sign off before the international break after inspiring a fine first win of 2026 against Hull last time out.

And he has, unsurprisingly, sought a few of his veteran former bosses on the phone for advice as he takes his first steps into the cut-throat world of football - and specifically, Championship - management.

"I've made some calls!" Morrison told the Express & Star. "I spoke to Tony - that's Pulis and Mowbray - and Steve."

Morrison admitted he would be "stupid" not to have the ear of such experienced and highly-regarded managers.

The 39-year-old added that even though the likes of Pulis has not managed in more than five years, football remains largely the same - albeit sometimes with different, fancier words.

"I've had good conversations with more experienced managers than me and they've been really good," added the Baggies boss. "So I'll take little bits from when I was playing under those managers, thinking about that and then also speaking to them day-to-day or when I need to make a call, they're there for me."

Morrison's Baggies can take another big step towards avoiding third tier football for the first time in more than three decades with victory at Ashton Gate on Saturday. In doing so it would be a first away league win in five-and-a-half months.

One of the keys to the legendary former Hawthorns midfielder's changes at the helm has been to switch to a retro, scarcely-seen-today 4-4-2 formation.

Pulis was appointed to The Hawthorns in January 2015 and guided the club away from the Premier League mire to safety and recently wrote in a column about how that formation was key to making Albion "solid and compact".

"I think I'd be stupid if I didn't dive into that, they're experienced in all these situations," said Morrison, who then smiled as he added of the modern game: "It's just a different terminology sometimes!

"Everyone sees the game in different ways and sometimes the game doesn't change that much. It's just with some different words sometimes."

Morrison added of his calls with Pulis, 68: "I was speaking to Tony Pulis and I couldn't get him off the phone for 35 minutes!

"But it was great. The same with Tony (Mowbray) and Steve.

"I'd be stupid to think in my position now that I know it all. I don't. That's why my staff are really important to me. People in this building here are really important. I'm open and then I'll make my decisions and I'll stick with it."

Albion's current boss revealed he already had 4-4-2 in mind, but Pulis was very much in line with the thinking and offered to be a soundboard for the crunch weeks ahead.

"Before I spoke to him we had a game plan, I told him what we were thinking and he agreed to what we were," added Morrison. "He offered advice and we can talk through the weeks going forward so it was really helpful and I can't thank him enough for that."

Morrison admitted the likes of former bosses Pulis, Mowbray and Clarke, who also worked with on the Scotland national team staff, were 'probably surprised' he has entered the world of head coaching.

It made headlines on the penultimate day of last season when Morrison lined up in the opposition dugout against Cardiff City caretaker Aaron Ramsay, who he previously did battle against in midfield. Jack Wiltshire, 34, has stepped into the hotseat at Luton this season.

Morrison added generally: "You do get surprises when you look at managers now and you maybe never thought he would become one, but obviously when you come out of this bubble of football and you look at the bigger picture, it changes you.

"Players are different to when they step out (of the game). When you get asked to do it, you stick your chest out, step over the line and you go full throttle."

Albion's head coach confirmed he does not see it necessary that any of his former bosses are drafted in for an advisory role as the Baggies push for safety. He said: "Ultimately it's got to be me."