Valerien Ismael hails work from West Brom assistants

The 4-0 win at Cardiff last month ensured the Baggies got through their first 10 Championship games undefeated – something no other Albion side has achieved.

That unbeaten run came to an end at Stoke in their final outing before the international break.

But despite that loss, Albion still sit second in the Championship table as they prepare for a derby against Blues on Friday.

Following his appointment as head coach, Ismael moved quickly to ensure Murray joined him in swapping Barnsley for The Hawthorns.

But the boss inherited club legend Morrison, who, following a spell coaching the under-23s, was promoted to work with the first team under former boss Sam Allardyce.

And Ismael believes both men have been key to the success the team has enjoyed so far.

“Adam and I are on the same page," the Frenchman said.

"He is dedicated to the principles of how we want to play

“His job is to reinforce and implement the philosophy on the pitch and the second task is set-pieces.

“James’s task at the beginning was more to learn about the philosophy, to understand the wording because when we train with the guys we only use one wording for situations so we all need to speak the same language.

“So when we are on the sidelines I use this wording and every player needs to understand and know exactly what we mean.

“He showed his quality and he knows the club, he’s a legend, the players respect him and he gave us a lot of advice about the players and the club and everything around and now he’s a big part of our staff.

“He wants to learn and every day he asks a lot of questions. He has a big desire and he has the same profile as our players — young, hungry and wants to improve.

“He’s never too tired to work and he shows the right mentality.”