Midfielder insists it was mission accomplished
JAMES Morrison hopes the 2013/14 season serves as a reality check for Albion after finishing just above the relegation zone.
But the Baggies midfielder says beating the drop – and securing a fifth successive Barclays Premier League season - is ultimately an achievement.
And he believes the key component in the club flirting with danger was simply too many draws.
Albion played out 15 stalemates - four more than any other team in the division – while they actually lost one less game than the previous campaign when they finished eighth.
“We just drew too many games and didn't score enough goals to turn draws into the wins which helped us finish eighth the season before,” said the club’s longest-serving player.
“That’s the big difference in this league.
“But we’re still in the Premier League; we could have been Norwich and the rest of them playing in the Championship next season.
“We’ve done our job and we’ll look forward to next season.
“We said in the changing room it is a big achievement.
“The lads rallied in the last few months and credit to them.
“The fans stuck with us and with the new head coach coming in, we rallied behind him and did our job.
“We played with pressure from Christmas when we got sucked into the relegation battle.
“It’s never easy going into games under pressure.”
The Scotland international added: “I said at the start of the season it would be really tight and go down to the wire – and it proved that way.
“But we stayed up.
“We need stability now, to bring in a few players and get the togetherness again.
“West Brom is all about hard work and I think we got away from that a little bit.
“We maybe got complacent; four years in the Premier League, having previously finished 11th, tenth and eighth, is a big achievement for this club.
“This season has been a bit of a reality check and I think it will be good for us going forward.”