Ryan Mason believes the Baggies can use the “energy and intensity” of facing local rivals Birmingham City to their advantage, but also warned they'll need to manage their “emotions”.
Albion and the Blues go to battle in B71 on Wednesday night in the Sky Bet Championship (ko 8pm), with the hosts looking to bounce back from a narrow defeat at leaders Coventry City on Saturday lunchtime.
The two West Midlands clubs are going head-to-head for the first time since February 2024 and Mason is expecting there to be a vibrant atmosphere inside The Hawthorns, just as there is for any other close rivalry in football.
The boss says it’s crucial to stay disciplined on the night and hopes his side can secure a confidence-boosting victory over their neighbours.
Mason said: “There’s always noise in football. The noise we want to generate is in here, inside the building. We believe in what we’re doing and we trust what we’re doing.
“The noise and the connection you want to feel is with the fans. I’ve always said the best way to do that is by results. The way I speak to the fans needs to be through results, especially in our own stadium.
“We have an opportunity on Wednesday night to earn a positive result. It’s a local rivalry and we want to be aggressive and approach the game on the front foot. We need the fans and they’re the most important people.
“It doesn’t bother me what other people think. All I care about is everyone associated with this football club.
“I look forward to every game and Wednesday night is no different. It’s a clash at our stadium against a local rival under the lights. It’s our stadium and our home. I’m sure the energy and the emotion is going to be up, so that side of it will take care of itself.
“We need to be disciplined and not act emotionally. It’s important to use the energy and emotion, but we have to stay calm and trust what we’re doing.
“We know in local games like this there will be plenty of intensity and energy. It’s important to manage that, while also using it to our advantage.
“I’m not surprised by how well Chris Davies has done at Birmingham. I consider him a friend, but definitely not tomorrow. I have massive respect for him as a human first of all, and I think the job he has done there speaks for itself. Our teams are competing against each other on Wednesday and we’re both desperate to win.
“Birmingham are a good team and they play with intensity. They’ve had a manager in place for coming up to 18 months, which I think is really helpful for them. We understand it’ll be a difficult game, as they all are in this division.
“At the same time, we’re at home and we’re playing in front of our fans. We have belief in ourselves and we’re looking forward to it. This group, and everyone here, is super determined to give back as much as possible.”
