When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (again, I don't mean Voldemort) returned to the Hawthorns on Saturday of course the eyes of the crowd, and actually the footballing world, was inevitably drawn to him. It is fitting, however, that the game was to be decided by one of Albion's most loyal and long-standing servants in James Morrison.
Whilst He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could not wait to leave West Brom, Morrison has been a constant and consistent figure in our rise to prominence in the Premier League and is currently in what could be considered in the form of his life. This Saturday coming, if he is selected, he will join a 45-strong club known as the "300 club". The last player to be inducted into this exclusive group was a player who joined merely a week after Morrison: Chris Brunt.
Brunt has been just as vital, if not even more so, as Morrison in establishing Albion in the top flight and making the current squad arguably the best we've had in over 30 years. Today Brunt signed a well-deserved new contract to keep him with us over the ten year mark and in the modern game this is a fantastic achievement for not only one but two players.
In the summer both Morrison and Brunt will be due for a testimonial. The former is about to surpass our record Premier League goalscorer Peter Odemwingie, whilst Brunt has been involved in the most goals (scored or assisted) than any other Baggies player in the same league. A magnificent feat.
Not long ago, Brunt in particular was hounded as the scapegoat whenever anything went wrong on the pitch and sometimes off the pitch. Those days are well and truly behind us now, although it is interesting to know where exactly those "boo boys" have disappeared to. Never one to hide or shy away from criticism, taking responsibility for his actions and handling losing his captaincy with dignity are part of what makes Brunt a very special player and person, not even taking his talent into consideration.
I seemed to cause quite a stir when I suggested that these two players were the closest our generation would be able to call legends. I should have clarified that they are legends to me. I've said in the past that it was the Tony Mowbray era that really gave me the Albion bug, and it was in fact James Morrison and Chris Brunt who played a huge part in that. It has been a privilege to watch them don the blue and white stripes with pride for the past ten years and for over 600 combined games. Their hard work, passion and loyalty is rare in this day and age, and every Albion fan should appreciate them whilst we can.
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