End of the road at Blues for club skipper
MICHAEL Morrison’s Birmingham City career is over.
Blues have confirmed the club captain has not been retained and will be moving on. Morrison’s contract ended on Sunday and, despite negotiations, the parties were unable to reach agreement on a new deal.
The length of any future contract was a sticking point, which means Morrison’s time at St Andrew’s comes to an end after four-and-a-half years and 183 appearances.
He also scored 15 goals, seven of which came last season in what was his best campaign at the club, not just in front of goal but in terms of form and managing a switch to left-sided centrehalf following Harlee Dean’s injury.
Morrison was the first signing of the Gary Rowett era, joining Blues on loan from Charlton just a few days before Rowett’s first game – at Wolves.
He showed enough in that 11-game spell to earn a permanent move for a nominal fee in January 2015.
Aside from a couple of spells on the sidelines – he was injured under Gianfranco Zola and benched by Steve Cotterill – he had been a regular under Garry Monk. Indeed, both men seemed keen to extend the relationship with Morrison first addressing the issue of his expiring contract in January. Despite discussions over the summer, he is now free to find a new club.
A Blues statement confirmed: “We would like to put on record our thanks to Michael for his efforts during his time at Blues and we wish him the best in whatever the future may hold. He has always conducted himself with utmost professionalism, often played through the pain barrier for the good of the team, and to a high standard throughout.”