West Brom boss Steve Bruce looking forward to Blues derby reunion

Steve Bruce is no stranger to a footballing rivalry.

And it’s fair to say the 61-year-old is looking forward to leading Albion out when they make the short trip to St Andrew’s tomorrow.

It’s a derby the Baggies have to win if they are to realistically have a chance of finishing inside the top six this season.

For Bruce, though, any trip to Birmingham brings back happy memories with the boss spending two years there as a player and six as a manager. And he hopes he’ll get a positive reaction from the home crowd tomorrow.

“I’ll always enjoy going back, it was a great time for me,” he said.

“I’ve been in the game 40 years, nearly 10 of them were with Birmingham.

“I enjoy going back and I’m sure it (the reaction) will be OK, but I’ll understand if it’s not.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’s two clubs in the local area, they’ll want to turn us over, that’s for sure. For us, it’ll be exactly the same.”

There is some debate among fans as to whether the Blues game is a derby with Albion’s rivalry with Wolves and Villa more fierce.

But Bruce said it certainly felt like a derby when he played against the Baggies.

“I picked up one of the worst injuries I ever had playing for Blues against West Brom at The Hawthorns,” the boss recalled.

“Bob Taylor hit me with his knee and fractured my eye-socket and broke my cheek bone.

“I think it was an accident but he left me in a right state. I ended up in hospital.”

Albion’s game against Blues kick-starts a run that sees them play three times in six days.

After the trip to St Andrew’s they host Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Stoke then visit The Hawthorns next Saturday. But while Bruce stopped short of saying tomorrow’s game is must-win, he admitted the Baggies do have to win two of their next three to have a shot at the play-offs.

“It’s a big week and we’ve been saying that for a while,” the manager continued. “But on the quiet we’re unbeaten in four.

“We have got try and put two or three wins together. We have to find that consistency.

“But we are capable. It will be difficult. St Andrew’s is a difficult place to go.

“I’m not saying it’s must win but it’s a big week, we have to win a couple of them that’s for sure.”

Albion will be without Daryl Dike, who looks set to miss the rest of the season with a tendon issue. But they will have Andy Carroll available after he missed the trip to Bristol City.

Sam Johnstone is also OK after recovering from a bout of illness.

“Sam was sick but he is fine now,” Bruce added.

“Andy Carroll has trained the last two weeks, he is absolutely fine, which is good news.”