James Morrison explains how Sheffield Wednesday celebrations impacted West Brom performance
Hillsborough was rocking on Saturday as Sheffield Wednesday marked the beginning of a new era with a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion.
West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison admitted that Sheffield Wednesday’s takeover celebrations had an impact on his side’s performance in their 2-1 defeat at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.
After urging supporters to be in their seats for midday, new Wednesday owner and chairman David Storch, alongside his son, Michael, and Tom Costin, who are also leading members of Arise Capital Partners LLC, were introduced to the Wednesday faithful 15 minutes before kick off, officially confirming the club was under new ownership.
Outlining just a few of his plans, including the reveal of Wednesday’s new badge, Storch also revealed the Owls will start next on zero points after an anticipated 15-point deduction had been quashed. That, unsurprisingly, increased the volume levels and only energised what was already a party atmosphere even further.
With positive energy flowing in the stands, that translated down onto the pitch as Wednesday’s players fought to the bitter end to secure just a second win of the season and a first at Hillsborough in more than a year.
Quick-fire first half goals from Nathaniel Chalobah and Liam Palmer got the job done for Wednesday, who held their nerve in the closing stages after Karlan Grant pulled a goal back for the Baggies with eight minutes of normal time remaining, ensuring they ended what was a nightmare campaign on a high.
West Brom, who installed Morrison as their permanent head coach on Thursday after he had successfully guided them to Championship safety after replacing Eric Ramsay on an interim basis back in February, arrived at Hillsborough unbeaten in their last ten games and on a run of five consecutive clean sheets.
However, in the opinion of Morrison, the celebratory scenes at Hillsborough did have an impact on his players.
“It was certainly their celebration, and we let their occasion probably affect us, really,” Morrison. “They probably wanted it a bit more than us, which is disappointing.
“That's what we've built our principles on, really, of that fight and that hard work, and it wasn't there today.”
Morrison also admitted that he “had to get angry” with his players during the half-time break after they returned to the dressing room 2-0 down.
He added: “It was the first time I've had to get angry at half-time. The positive thought came into my head, thinking about where we were and where we've been and what we've achieved.
“Because imagine if we didn't do it last week, coming here today, needing something. It would have been tough. So, that's a positive in itself, if there's one.”