DARREN Moore may not cross the white line on Friday evening but he’ll be feeling every ounce of derby tension from the dugout at St Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium.
A blood-and-thunder defender on the pitch, our Head Coach will take charge of the Baggies against Birmingham City unable to make his mark in the same way as in his playing days.
It's a different beast, he acknowledges, watching on from the sidelines.
"When I was playing you get to hotly contest every challenge," said Darren.
"You can get really stuck in and make your presence felt.
"You still absorb the atmosphere as a Head Coach and you still understand it, being from the local area. But it's a new experience for me.
"I don't get to cross the white line. But I'm in that technical area and I'll head and kick every ball on the night.
"We'll treat the fixture the same and prepare in the same manner. We'll try and implement our ideas and style of play."
The 'Albion DNA' has been much discussed in recent weeks, no more so than when Dwight Gayle sealed a fine team move with a sublime finish against Stoke City last time out.
But the short trip to Birmingham poses a different test; a hostile environment with fans close to the pitch.
Does that change the message? Not according to the man in charge.
Darren added: "We'll try [to keep playing out].
"We're trying to do something different that hasn't been seen here in recent seasons.
"It's the way we are and the way I feel with the group of players we have.
"What you have to remember is that we have other teams trying to stop us from playing.
"So I'm not going to say we'll play one style because I'm trying to be effective and get results in this league."