James Morrison insists he’s “eager” to ensure Albion enjoy a positive run in the cup under his stewardship.
The Baggies kick the 2026/27 campaign off with a Carabao Cup first-round clash against Sky Bet League Two side Rotherham United at the AESSEAL New York Stadium on Saturday evening (ko 5.30pm).
Albion have had a number of disappointing results in previous years in the tournament, and will be determined to start the new season with a morale-boosting triumph ahead of their Sky Bet Championship opener at Norwich City next weekend.
Morrison’s men will be backed by over 2,500 supporters in Yorkshire and the boss is aware of the importance of delivering a “strong showing”.
He said: “It’s great to get a competitive game in before the start of the league season. We’ve played pre-season games and we’ve done well in pre-season games, but we’ve all missed that competitive action.
“We need to take the competition seriously. Over the years, Albion haven’t had little cup runs and I’m eager to make sure we have one.
“We’re taking a sold-out allocation to Rotherham United on Saturday evening, so we owe it to the fans to put on a strong showing. We respect the fixture, we respect the competition and we respect the fact our supporters are putting their time and money into following us yet again.
“I’ve got a close friendship with Rotherham’s boss, Alex Bruce. We struck up that friendship when he was here as a coach under Steve Bruce. Steve Agnew is with him there as well, and Steve and I go way back as a result of my time at Middlesbrough.
“They are both very good people and I got to know quite a lot about how they like to work and how they view the game. It’ll be really nice to see them, but it would also be really nice to get one over them.”
The head coach also mentioned how impressed he’s been with the players’ effort, togetherness and determination during pre-season when speaking to members of the media at The Fitlife Foods Performance Centre on Friday lunchtime.
Morrison stressed the importance of building a “culture” over the summer, one which prepares the group for the mental and physical challenges of a full campaign.
The gaffer added: “Pre-season has been really positive for us. We’ve had a clean bill of health, the trip away to Portugal was just what I wanted and the effort and the hard work from the lads has been just what I wanted.
“We put a lot of effort into making sure pre-season was really tough for the lads so that when those difficult moments come in the season, we’re ready to tackle them as a group.
“Working hard in pre-season creates that culture of what I want – togetherness and determination.
“We’ve done some good business in the transfer window and we’ve brought six new players in. We’ve got competition for places and that’s what I want. I want more good players to arrive and I want that excitement to keep growing.
“We’re in a good place and I’m happy with everything.”
