Morrison keeping future open

08 April 2009 16:09
James Morrison admits his future may lie away from The Hawthorns if West Brom fail to keep their Premier League status. Morrison was the subject of a £3million bid from Bolton during the winter transfer window which was snubbed by Albion manager Tony Mowbray. But the Baggies midfielder will be one of a number of players expected to court interest from clubs this summer if West Brom fail to avoid relegation. Following last weekend's crunch defeat at home to relegation rivals Stoke, the odds are firmly stacked against Mowbray's outfit, who face the improbable task of closing down the eight-point deficit to pull off another 'Great Escape'. Morrison insists he is fully committed to securing safety this term but the Scotland international knows the lure of top-flight football next season could bring an end to his time in the Midlands. Morrison said: "Everyone wants to play in the Premier League so if it (an offer) did happen I would have to weigh up my options. "But it is up to the club as well because it is their choice as I am contracted to them. I've got a contract and the club pay me to play so I am loyal to them. "You never know in football what's going to happen but I am fully committed, as I always have been." Meanwhile, Morrison has urged West Brom's players to show pride in the final part of the season even if they do go down. The former Middlesbrough man believes Albion owe it to their supporters not to throw in the towel after the positive backing they have received throughout a difficult campaign. The Baggies will visit relegation rivals Portsmouth on Saturday with just seven games left to stay up, while Mowbray men will be looking for their first win since mid-January. Morrison said: "Obviously it's not a good situation that we're in but we've still got a chance. In football anything could happen and we could go on a bit of a run now. "But that's all we can hope for. We need to hope we can pick ourselves up, starting on Saturday with a win. "We want to put in good performances and pick up some wins and try to give the fans something to cheer about, otherwise what's the point? "They deserve it. They have stuck by us and haven't given us as much grief as other struggling teams where the fans have got on their back. "They have supported us really well and hopefully we can give them something to cheer about and put some smiles on their faces." Morrison already has one eye on next season and is confident West Brom could make a quickfire return to the top flight if they go down, providing they can keep the current squad together. He said: "From this year we will be much stronger if we go down and then come back into the Premier League. "We've got some great players and if we can keep the squad together I am really positive that we can come straight back up. "I think we've got the right people at the club to bring us straight back up. Everything is in place for us to be a top club. "But at the moment we've got to look to stay up. I know it's going to be hard but we can do it."

Source: SKY_Sports