ROBSON'S COMING HOME

Bryan Robson will be fighting strong emotions, overwhelming odds and a truly miserable managerial record at the scene of some of his finest playing triumphs tomorrow, when he attempts to extend West Bromwich Albion's determined effort to avoid relegation into the final weekend of the Premiership season.

If either Palace or Southampton are victorious, Albion would need to give Robson only his second victory in 12 attempts as a manager against his former club, to ensure they enter the final game of the season, at home to Portsmouth, with more to cling to than the hope of a mathematical miracle which will spare them a second relegation in three seasons, but at least the Albion manager can draw upon a dressing room spirit which was none existent when he last suffered the bitter experience with Middlesbrough.

"Expectations at Boro were very high and there were many days when I went into training and the players were down and despondent. It was really hard to lift them, but I have not found that since I came to West Brom. The players are still really confident and really up for the fight," Robson said.

Albion's defeat against Arsenal on Monday will only have increased Ferguson's determination to secure maximum points to maintain the pressure on Arséne Wenger in the sideshow contest for second place in the table behind champions Chelsea, and Robson is fully aware of the gargantuan task facing his players.

"We just have to do our jobs. No one wants to be relegated, but if we do not do our jobs properly in the last two games it will be our fault. If we do get performances right, then I believe we will survive."

Back in 1999, one person who did not even believe he would be in a situation where he would be fighting for his Premiership survival was Ronnie Wallwork, after his ill-advised decision to grab a referee by the throat during a Belgian second division game, while on loan from Manchester United.

The Albion midfielder, who should have overcome sickness by the weekend, has

enjoyed a resurgence since Robson took over, but six years ago it appeared to have ended in the less celebrated surroundings of Royal Antwerp and the Belgian courts, where he was banned for life, until Ferguson mounted a vigorous appeal. "I was daunted by Sir Alex at first but when I had the incident in Belgium he gave me a lot of support," Wallwork said.

"Some managers could have discarded me for what happened, but he supported me. Without him, who knows where I'd be now."

Both Wallwork and Robson have huge debts to Ferguson, but they would prefer to pay them back another time.