Isaac Price's brace against Burnley gave West Brom a 3-1 win and kept their record spotless, but the same was true at this stage in each of the previous two seasons. The Baggies have gone 11 consecutive August league fixtures without defeat across four campaigns, a run stretching back to a 2-1 loss at Blackburn on the opening day of 2023-24. History, in other words, flatters them in summer sunshine and punishes them when the nights draw in.

The pattern that haunts The Hawthorns

In 2024-25, West Brom were unbeaten in their first six Championship games, winning five. They then won once in the following 13, finishing ninth. The collapse a year earlier was sharper still: three wins and a draw to open the campaign, then six victories from the next 33 matches, a run that cost Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay their jobs and left the club scrapping to avoid relegation.

Both collapses shared a structural flaw. That earlier campaign leant almost entirely on Josh Maja and Tom Fellows. Maja scored 60 per cent of the team's goals in the opening six games; Fellows supplied more than half of the assists. When Maja's season ended in January through injury and opponents worked Fellows out of matches, the goals dried up entirely.

Why this start looks different

James Morrison's system distributes responsibility far more evenly. Five goals in the opening fixtures have been shared among four different scorers. Jimmy-Jay Morgan leads the assist charts, but Harry Whitwell and Price are close behind, which suggests the team will not crater the moment one contributor goes missing.

The context off the pitch also looks cleaner than it did 12 months ago. Last season the club sold Fellows, Torbjorn Heggem and Darnell Furlong before the window closed, weakening the very squad that had earned the good start. This summer the approach appears reversed: talks are under way over new contracts for Price and Whitwell, and the club are reportedly pursuing additional signings rather than preparing departures.

The concerns Morrison cannot ignore

The squad, though, remains thin. Alex Mowatt's departure removed experience from midfield. Aune Heggebo is serving a suspension. Mikey Johnston is sidelined through injury. Three absences at once strips the depth that a second-tier season, with its relentless midweek fixture pile-ups, demands.

Morrison has shown he can build a system that does not depend on one player catching fire. His fluid shape creates goalscoring opportunities for several different runners, and the early evidence suggests opponents have not yet found a reliable way to close that down. That is genuinely encouraging after two years in which the template was obvious from the first month.

The harder test is whether the club's recruitment matches the manager's ambition before the window shuts. A wafer-thin squad that encounters a short injury run in October or November could find itself back in familiar territory, counting the cost of another promising summer frittered away by mid-autumn.

Morrison deserves credit for what he has built in a short time. But the lessons of the previous two seasons are clear: a good August at The Hawthorns means little unless the business done before deadline day gives the manager something to sustain it.

Frequently asked

How has West Brom started the Championship season?
West Brom have made a perfect start, winning their opening fixtures including a 3-1 victory over Burnley, and remain unbeaten in 11 consecutive August league games across four seasons.
Why did West Brom's form collapse in previous seasons after good starts?
In 2023-24 the team relied too heavily on Josh Maja for goals and Tom Fellows for assists. When Maja was injured in January and Fellows was nullified by opponents, results deteriorated sharply. The following season key players including Fellows, Heggem and Furlong were sold before the transfer window closed, weakening the squad mid-run.
Who is managing West Brom this season?
James Morrison is in charge at The Hawthorns, having succeeded previous managers Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay. His fluid system has so far spread goals and assists across several players rather than depending on one or two individuals.