West Brom squad of the century: The midfielders

But with so many top stars having graced The Hawthorns – who would make the ultimate Baggies squad from those who have played for the club over the past two decades?

With the country in lockdown – and with fans looking for their football fix – we asked Albion supporters to put together a dream team of players who have performed from January 1, 2000, onwards.

In keeping with a World Cup format, there were just two rules.

The first was that they had to name three goalkeepers, while the second was that the squad had to be balanced with every position covered in the event of an injury or suspension.

A fantastic 82 supporters spent time mulling over their heroes to whittle down their squads to just 23 names.

The results are being revealed throughout this week in the Express & Star. Today we divulge which midfielders made the cut.

Midfielders: Chris Brunt, Zoltan Gera, Youssouf Mulumbu, Jason Koumas, James Morrison, Matheus Pereira, Jonathan Greening, Claudio Yacob

If there is one thing Albion have had a lot of over the last 20-years, it's technically gifted midfielders.

To put in perspective just how strong they have been in that area, the likes of Graham Dorrans (30 votes), Harvey Barnes (26 votes) Robert Koren (18 votes) and Richard Sneekes (eight votes) all missed out on a place in this squad.

But that's only because the majority of players who did make it really are club legends.

To put in perspective just how popular Chris Brunt is with Albion fans, the Northern Irishman received a whopping 80 votes in this survey – more than any other outfield player.

The 35-year-old was helped by the fact he can also fill in at left-back.

But it is, of course, on the left-wing where Brunt is most effective with the wideman's crossing ability, set-piece delivery and knack for scoring important goals ensuring he walked into this team.

Brunt's tally of 80 votes was hugely impressive.

But so to was the 78 achieved by the hugely likeable Zoltan Gera.

Able to play across the midfield, the Hungarian was snapped up from Ferencváros in 2004 for a bargain £1.5million.

Immensely popular with his team mates, Gera quickly became a fans' favourite due to his outstanding talent, first-class attitude and ability to score spectacular goals.

Providing this team with a platform to play is Youssouf Mulumbu (67 votes), who from 2009 to 2015 showed he was a master at the midfield enforcer role.

Crowned Albion's Player of the Year in 2009, the Congo international was integral to the Baggies winning promotion the following year and then going on to establish themselves in the Premier League.

Finishing just two votes behind Mulumbu on 65 is the hugely talented but enigmatic Jason Koumas – another player who can be deployed across the midfield.

The Welshman was blessed with wonderful technique and could skip past opposition players as if they weren't there. His crossing and set-play deliveries were also first class.

Competing for a place in central midfield having amassed 64 votes is the hugely talented James Morrison – arguably one of the most well-rounded players Albion have ever had.

Lethal from distance, great with the ball at his feet and also a leader who would dig in and fight for the cause, the Scottish international is another player that makes this midfield wonderfully fluid.

Another option on the right, left or in the number 10 role, Matheus Pereira is the final player to currently play for Albion to make this squad.

The Brazilian has drawn comparisons to the great Laurie Cunningham since joining on loan from Sporting Lisbon.

Here he was named in 63 of the squads that were submitted.

And that's hardly a surprise with the 23-year-old having lit up The Hawthorns this term with his outstanding vision, tenacious dribbling and eye for a spectacular goal.

Brunt, Gera, Mulumbu, Koumas, Morrison and Pereira were all way ahead in this poll.

But they are joined in the squad by the technically gifted and ever dependable Jonathan Greening who received 36 votes.

The former Manchester United man skippered Albion back into the Premier League in 2008 and adds versatility and leadership to this group.

Claudio Yacob – who received 32 votes – is the final midfielder to make the cut and provides wonderful cover should Mulumbu pick up an injury or suspension.

In total, 31 different midfielders received a nomination to be included in the squad of the century.

Derek McIness was hugely unfortunate to miss out after receiving 26 votes – with many of the fans who choose him making it clear he would be their skipper.

Jake Livermore (22 votes), Darren Fletcher (18 votes) and Grady Diangana (12 votes) were the other players to hit double figures.

Matt Phillips and Paul Scharner received seven and six votes respectively while Jerome Thomas and Borja Valero both obtained five.

Serge Gnabry, Filipe Teixeira, Artim Sakiri and Ruel Fox were amongst the more obscure nominations.