Lewis Cox's West Brom analysis: James Morrison delivers on vow to 'settle it on the pitch' after draining ordeal

Albion were admirably bullish when signing off Friday afternoon’s club statement having been found guilty of a financial breach.

Less than 24 hours later and the Baggies confidently completed their rescue act.

Step up James Morrison - the reluctant and understated hero.

The goalless draw against high-flying Ipswich was all the hosts needed to secure their Championship status once again. Has any club had to do so twice in a week?

What an unbelievable feat Morrison has achieved.

A run of 10 games unbeaten, four wins and six draws, was simply impossible to predict.

A defensive resilience so missing this season under Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay has been the bedrock to success.

Seven clean sheets in eight games and five in a row - no goals conceded for nigh-on 500 minutes - speaks for itself.

But it is not to say Morrison’s football is totally inspired by one of his old bosses Tony Pulis. It is not a shut-up-shop, pragmatic, safety-first approach.

Albion have looked as bright and vibrant in possession and on the front foot under Morrison as they have in several years.

The former midfielder’s approach to the game in an attacking nature is a big part of why fans have been so on board. Six draws included three 0-0s, but that does not tell the full story.

The Hawthorns was rocking on Saturday. That was among the best it has sounded for some time.

The fans certainly had the bit between their collective gnashers, that much was clear early on. There was an injustice felt in the stands due to the English Football League’s points deduction.

The backdrop spurred on Morrison’s men, not that they needed any more motivation.

Indeed, the head coach told the Express & Star afterwards he barely had to give a team talk ahead of kick-off.

The club learned their fate regarding the two-point deduction late on Friday afternoon. Morrison was addressed by club chiefs, Shilen Patel, Ian Pearce and Dominic Price among them, before the head coach spoke to his players.

“You don’t need to speak to us, Mozz” was how his squad responded to the news of a potentially damaging points penalty.

The focus and belief, both at the training ground and at the team hotel nearby in Walsall, was unwavering.

The players were, perhaps helpfully for the penultimate match, crystal-clear on their requirements.

Albion were excellent and definitely value for the point against a Tractor Boys side gunning for promotion.

For much of the the first hour in particular, Morrison’s determined troops ran all over the visitors from Suffolk.

The supporters and players fed off one another. There was an extra tingle in the air and the decibels cranked up further.

There was a sense of injustice in the stands as fans broadcast their ire against the EFL. The atmosphere in the final five or 10 minutes was spine-tingling and helped carry the hosts over the line.

You wondered whether the Baggies may be left to rue the gilt-edged opportunities spurned while on top.

Daryl Dike had two, one in either half, and Aune Heggebo had another in a full-throttle first period. For Dike and substitutes Josh Maja and Karlan Grant, all out of contract, it was likely to be a Hawthorns farewell.

Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich improved, with help of their stronger bench in reserve, but bar a couple of Jack Clarke openings the Baggies were barely troubled.

Championship survival is not to be celebrated for Albion but where the club have come from in eight weeks is remarkable.

The Baggies were doomed. They looked dead and buried around the time of defeat at Oxford in Morrison’s first game.

Many, certainly externally, had given up hope and had resigned themselves to League One football for the first time in more than three decades.

Not Morrison and his staff, though, who retained belief and a clear message that results and confidence can snowball.

The former Scotland international is determined to make it 11 games unbeaten and properly box-off the campaign at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough next weekend.

What a statement it would be to finish up having not been beaten since his first match. Not that Morrison needs it, his efforts over the last two months have been astounding.

Morrison has saved the day. No question.

He deserves the job. He is understood to be keen on the job and could not have done any more.

The structure and backroom team must be right. But Patel would be a bold man to go in any other direction.