Paul Robinson: West Brom promotion would be ‘perfect send-off for Chris Brunt’

Fan favourite Brunt will wave goodbye to the Baggies when his contract expires at the end of the campaign, having made more than 400 appearances during his 13 years at the club, writes Bradley Rice.

Robinson played alongside the Northern Irishman in two of those seasons – with the duo integral to the side that won the Championship title back in 2008.

And the 41-year-old hopes Brunt's impending departure will give Albion's players extra motivation to win promotion this term.

"It would be amazing, the perfect send off to an incredible servant – I think the players will want to win promotion for Chris and have him go out on a high," Robinson said.

"He has helped so many players over the years and I am sure he has been a big influence on the current squad.

"Especially the younger ones, if I were in that dressing room I'd be wanting to give my all for someone like him.

"Brunty has always led from the front, that's why he is club captain. He is always willing to pass on his knowledge to young players.

"It is a shame he is leaving after 13 years, he is an outstanding player and a great lad.

"But he is a first-class professional, and always has been, he will do his job right until the end of the season."

Following a three month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, Albion return to action on Saturday when they host Blues.

Robinson played for Birmingham between 2012 and 2018 and is now a development coach at St Andrew's.

Back in December, Charlie Austin came off the bench to net a brace and secure Slaven Bilic's side a dramatic win against their Midlands rivals.

And Robinson is intrigued to see how this weekend's clash plays out.

“I think the fact Albion are at home is a big plus,” he continued.

“Playing in their own stadium and it’s very much the question of how fast can West Brom start?

“Birmingham will have to be cautious they know the qualities that West Brom possess, especially after the last game.

“We were leading 2-1 but ended up losing 3-2 at St Andrew's. It showed you are never comfortable when faced with the sort of players West Brom have.

“No doubt, West Brom will want to be on the front foot straight away, but they may have to be patient too, it’s all about getting the service into the right people.

“I mean no disrespect to Birmingham, it would be the case with most of the teams in the league, West Brom have a lot of quality.

“It says it all when you have a top striker like Charlie Austin sitting on the bench. A player capable of scoring a lot of goals.”

With nine games remaining, the Baggies enter Saturday's match just one point behind table-topping Leeds.

Robinson, though, is backing his former side to finish as champions.

“There’s only one point in it, Leeds and West Brom have been battling it out the whole season,” he added.

“They remain the two hot favourites to go up and I expect them to. Who will win it, could come down to goal difference.

“West Brom have goals in them and definitely have strength in depth, which may prove enough to see them get across the line.

“I would love to see them back in the Premier League, they had a difficult time coming out of it.

“But they have shown resilience, this season they have added great quality and I will be delighted if they end up promoted.”