Clinton Morrison enjoyed a superb second half of the season as Birmingham battled to tenth place in the Premiership. He found his shooting boots and grew in stature as the campaign unfolded. The one-time record signing found it hard to settle at St. Andrew's during his first season and suffered a nasty shoulder injury to boot. However, the South Londoner has fought back and now established himself as a Premiership player alongside his hot-shot partner, Mikael Forssell. As Ian Clarkson discovered though Morrison has had to battle against the odds a lot of times during his life and he now appreciates the chance of top flight football.
Q:DID YOU HAVE A TOUGH UP-BRINGING?
A:It was tough when I was young. We lived on a big council estate in Wandsworth and our flat was really nice inside, but the actual block wasn't the best. Some of my friends have gone down that bad boy route and you would always see weird guys on the corner outside our flats doing their stuff.
Q:WHAT STOPPED YOU FROM FALLING INTO TROUBLE?
A:My mum put me on the straight and narrow, and she probably didn't let me out until I was about 18! I look back and respect her for that. She used to take me to training a lot when I was younger and we didn't have any transport so she got the train and bus with me everywhere. I owe her a lot as she was big influence and I have rewarded her now. The first thing I did when I could afford it was to buy her a new house and I have bought her a new car as well. Whatever she wants I will try to give her because if it wasn't for her then I wouldn't be where I am today.
Q:THIS SEASON WENT FAR BETTER FOR YOU AT BIRMINGHAM - WHAT HAS CHANGED?
A:I came to the club last year and maybe I thought it would be a walk in the park. But I soon realised that I had to work hard and graft for it. At the start of this season I thought I had got knuckle down more. I wasn't in the team and I wasn't happy and all sorts of things were going through my mind but I knew I had to keep going and try to cement a place in the team, which I have managed to do.
Q:IS IT JUST DOWN TO HARD WORK?
A:I am working harder for the team and also at the technical side of my game with the gaffer, Mark Bowen and Keith Bertschin. I have been watching other players as well in a bid to improve. This club is massive and is going to be signing even bigger players and I want to be part of it. Like Emile Heskey, for starters.
Q:HAVE YOU SETTLED IN THE CITY NOW?
A:I feel I am at home now. I am settled and enjoying my football. I always had great faith in my ability and I think that, with the right players and the right team, which we are building here, I can progress and score goals in the Premiership. The pressure was on me to score goals, but I feel more relaxed now that Mikael (Forssell) is banging the goals in. Last season was my lowest ebb ever. I am buzzing now though and that is when I make my noise and start talking up.
Q:YOU ARE A WANDSWORTH LAD - WHAT IS THE CONNECTION WITH THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND?
A:My gran is Irish and it has been a big bonus for me to play for the Republic of Ireland. Whenever I have played international football I have always come back full of confidence. I got the man-of-the-match award against Brazil this year and that was a really good experience for me.
