West Brom players have been urged to shut themselves off from the Blackburn maelstrom blowing around Ewood Park all season.

The Baggies head for the deeply-troubled Premier League strugglers tomorrow not entirely sure what kind of atmosphere they will be stepping into.

Fans’ protests targeting mainly manager Steve Kean but also owners Venkys have provided a poisonous backdrop for a struggling Rovers side, now second from bottom and five points adrift of the Baggies.

But after even more disturbing headlines this week, which have cast doubts about the club’s financial security, Rovers have launched an aggressive PR counter-offensive, recruiting influential local fans to appeal for peace and unity.

Whether this will change the climate at Ewood remains difficult to gauge but head coach Roy Hodgson, always a stickler for preparation, has been eager to ensure his players perform in their own ‘bubble.’

Midfielder James Morrison sees the game as a potential tipping point for the busy Christmas period ahead, saying: “It’s probably our biggest game of the season so far.

“If we lose we’ll be right down there and the Christmas period coming up won’t be easy. If you look at this time last year our form dipped and put us down near the bottom of the table.

“We don’t want that again because it was a fight all season. We were always looking over our shoulder and we couldn’t really relax.

“I prefer not to look at what’s been going on up there because things can change on a Saturday.

“We were brilliant against Spurs and then against Wigan it was different. They are at home and had a good result against Swansea there.

“As far as we’re concerned, it’s really going to be a tough game and it’s one which is going to decide which way our season goes.”

Blackburn’s counter-offensive against the boo-boys has been led by former Birmingham and Walsall defender Scott Dann who insists things aren’t quite as bleak as the headlines – and the protests – suggest.

Dann said: “It’s not easy being down there when, like on Sunday, we were 10 minutes away from getting three points and getting out of the bottom three and your luck runs out and you end up still being in there.

“It is tough but we’ve got to stick together, that’s the main thing, to stick together as a team.

“All the lads are a confident bunch and we’re all confident that we can get out of the bottom three soon, put a couple of good results together and move up the table

“The bunch of players we’ve got at Blackburn are good and I think we should be, for the players we’ve got, a lot further up the table.

“That’s down to us to get the points on the board. We’re getting to that stage where points are all that matters.

“Whether we win ugly or win playing good football, it doesn’t matter at this stage, it’s all about points.”

Rovers’ quality, agrees Morrison, should not be under-estimated despite the results which have brought such fierce criticism raining down on Kean.

The Baggies playmaker said: “You can see what a quality side they can be. Yakubu maybe doesn’t work as hard as other strikers but he does score goals.

“They’ve got experienced players like David Dunn and Christopher Samba, who was a machine against Sunderland on Sunday.

“It’s going to be a tough game but one we’ll look forward to. There’s always more pressure on you in the games you are expected to do well in.

“We’ve got Manchester City on Boxing Day and there is no pressure on us in that one to go and win. Blackburn is a game the fans look at that we have to go and win.”

The Hawthorns coaching staff have been relatively pleased with the team’s overall form line in the last four games but it is acknowledged within the camp that last week’s Wigan setback has left results a little under-cooked.

Morrison is at a loss to explain the volatile nature of the season so far, adding: “If I could put my finger on it I might be a manager! It baffles me sometimes but I think it’s just the way the league is going.

“Last season it was really tight and everyone was beating each other. I think it’s going to the same this season from eighth place down to the bottom.

“Our home form is going to be crucial. As players, we know Saturday’s result was not the best but we can’t be too down on ourselves because tomorrow is a massive game again.”

West Brom remain Gera-less but otherwise with a healthy complement of options for Hodgson, while one piece of good news for Kean this week was Gael Givet’s return to training .

Given was withdrawn from the line-up for last weekend’s Sunderland game because of serious heart palpitations.

However, the defender was back on the training ground on Tuesday and is in line to make an immediate return to the team.