West Brom beating Birmingham City after Leeds United links would galvanise club to replicate Nottingham Forest: Opinion | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion have the chance to climb into fifth place if they avoid defeat at Birmingham City on Friday evening, although the Baggies will be viewing the match as a chance to pick up another three points.

Carlos Corberan choosing to sign a new contract with Albion, potentially over joining Leeds United in the Premier League, adds further context ahead of the local derby at St Andrew’s.

The Spaniard has been a resounding success since replacing Steve Bruce at The Hawthorns, earning 30 points from 13 league games, courtesy of ten victories along with three defeats, taking the Baggies from a perilous position in the relegation battle as the season’s halfway point loomed to what looks like a fairly stable position in the play-off race.

When you put it like that it almost seems more spectacular than the job that Steve Cooper performed at Nottingham Forest last season before beating Corberan’s Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final.

Albion are favourites to go and win at St Andrew’s on Friday evening, but after this week’s events, it would be a victory that would mean a whole lot more to the supporter base and their manager.

Cementing his position as manager with a win, that will bring some local bragging rights with it, would even further galvanise the Baggies supporter base, ahead of the remaining 16 league fixtures in the Championship.

If the current play-off positions stay the same, which would mean Middlesbrough, Luton Town, Watford and West Brom fill them, Corberan would be the only manager, barring a surprise change, with experience managing in the play-offs, and coming so close with the Terriers last season would likely see the Baggies take a marginal gain into the high pressure matches.

The Baggies supporter base had already fallen head over heels for Corberan before the Leeds job became available, there were not many things that would have seen them rally behind their manager even more, but what has gone on this week will do exactly that.

Corberan has repaid the supporters’ faith, and delivering three points in front of a packed out away following will enormously fuel belief that they are heading back to the Premier League under his leadership.

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A mid to upper mid table finish would have been accepted as success in Corberan first half a season or so at West Brom given the situation that he inherited, but 30 points from 13 games has built a platform for them to achieve something special, and after the injustice that Corberan suffered in last season’s play-off final, you could easily argue that this would be the greater fairytale, compared to Forest’s moment in the sun last term.