James Morrison (footballer)

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For other persons named James Morrison, see James Morrison (disambiguation).

Personal information
James Morrison
Full name	James Clark Morrison
Date of birth	May 25, 1986 (1986-05-25) (age 22)
Place of birth	Darlington, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	West Bromwich Albion
Number	27
Youth clubs
1998–2003	Middlesbrough
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2003–2007 2007–	Middlesbrough West Bromwich Albion	66 (3) 35 (4)
National team²
2008–	Scotland	01 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:55, 30 May 2008 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of 15:51, 30 May 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

James Clark Morrison (born May 25, 1986 in Darlington, England) is a footballer, currently playing for West Bromwich Albion. His ability to run with the ball at pace makes him an effective option through the middle, as an attacking midfielder, or more often as a right winger.

1 Career
2 References
3 External links

[edit] Career

[edit] Club career

A former pupil of Hummersknott School in Darlington, Morrison is a product of Middlesbrough's youth academy. He starred in Middlesbrough's FA Youth Cup winning side in 2003–04, putting in several eye-catching performances throughout the cup run, notably scoring in the final first leg 3–0 win against Aston Villa.

His initial outings in the first team displayed some promise too. He made his first-team debut on 3 January 2004, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 FA Cup victory against Notts County.^[1] His Premiership debut came four months later, when he replaced Stewart Downing in a 5–1 defeat away at Portsmouth on the final day of the 2003-04 season.^[2] Morrison's first European action for Boro was on 30 September 2004 in a UEFA Cup tie away at Banik Ostrava. He marked the occasion by scoring his first goal for the club, a last-minute equalizer that secured a 1–1 draw in the second leg and a 4–1 aggregate victory.^[3] On 19 March 2007, he was sent off in an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United for a tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo.^{[citation needed]}

On 7 August 2007, Morrison signed a four-year contract with West Bromwich Albion, for an initial £1.5 million fee. This fee could rise by a further £700,000, depending on Morrison's appearances for the Baggies. Middlesbrough will also receive 15% of any sell-on fee.^[4] Morrison made his Albion debut as a 2nd-half substitute in a 2–1 defeat away at Burnley on the opening day of the 2007–08 season.^[5] His first goal for the club was a second half winner in a 2–1 home victory over Blackpool on 23 October 2007,^[6] a strike that won him the West Bromwich Albion Supporters Club's Goal of the Season award.^[7] Morrison described it as "the best goal I've scored in my career".^[8]

[edit] International career

Morrison has played at every level for England apart from the full side. Along with Leicester's Steve Howard and Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor, Morrison is one of a number of English Premiership players identified in June 2007 as being eligible to play for Scotland.^[9] Morrison later chose to represent Scotland, claiming that he felt his "opportunities with England will be limited".^[10] He qualifies to play for the team through his grandparents.^[11]

After receiving international clearance from FIFA, Morrison joined up with the Scotland squad for training in August 2007.^[12] He was unable to make his debut in the friendly against South Africa however, due to injury.^[13] Morrison was named in the Scotland B squad to face the Republic of Ireland in November,^[13] but injury forced him to withdraw from the squad again.^[14]. He finally made his debut in the friendly against the Czech Republic in Prague, on 30 May 2008.^[15]