Bryan Robson has classified Sunday's derby with Steve Bruce's Birmingham City as one from which his relegation-haunted West Bromwich Albion can afford nothing less than three points.

The Albion manager insists that it is the need for Premiership survival points that will be motivating his men, not simply a thirst for revenge following the 4-0 pre-Christmas battering they suffered at St Andrew's.

Robson has challenged his side to win three of their final five home games if the Baggies are to stand any chance of staying up.

As for their gruesome St Andrew's experience, Robson insists it is an experience he has tried to erase from his memory.

Robson and his wife Denise kept a dinner engagement with their good friends Steve and Janet Bruce that night. But the game was not discussed and it has not cropped up too regularly in Robson's conversation since.

"There were so many things that went wrong in that game, you just don't know where to start," said Robson. "We were 2-0 down before we knew what had hit us that day.

"We had a couple of players at the back who had poor games from the start. It put us on the back foot. And it's difficult to come back from that.

"We went to have a quick bite to eat in Brucie's local after the game before shooting off. But he never mentioned the game and I haven't mentioned it again.

"Sometimes you've just got to dismiss a performance, and forget about all about it. And that Blues game was a classic example."

Given the way Albion's overall form has improved since the January arrival of Kevin Campbell and the fact that this time the Baggies have home advantage, a repeat on Sunday would seem unlikely. But Robson makes it quite clear that if they are to stand any chance of making up the deficit on Crystal Palace they have to start winning now.

The gap to safety has stretched to seven points following Palace's win against Blues last weekend. And Robson does not mince his words when it comes to stressing how much his Albion side now need to match what Palace did.

"I've looked at it closely," said Robson. "We've now got five [home] games and we've got to win three of them to give ourselves any chance.

"But we've got to start doing it now, starting with the Blues. It's a game we've got to win.

"I said when the gap was four or five points that I didn't want that gap opening up and getting any bigger. Palace have now done that with a good win and that has put a bit more pressure on us.

But I still believe we're capable of winning three or even four of the home games we've got left.

"It's so disappointing when you play well and don't win.

"If you're in a relegation fight, you've got to get points from the teams around you. We haven't done that and we've made the task that much more difficult for ourselves to get out of it.

"But what's happened is in the past now and you've simply got to got concentrate on the games ahead now. And, if we keep playing with belief, then we've still got a chance."

Having not lost at The Hawthorns in five matches since the 5-0 Christmas caning by Liverpool that followed the Blues defeat, the Baggies have taken six points from the past four home league games against Newcastle, Manchester City, Palace and Southampton. But Robson knows anything less than a double figure points tally from their final five games will simply not be enough.

Meanwhile, Robson has issued a 'hands-off' warning to his Hawthorns predecessor Gary Megson over any pursuit of Baggies club captain Darren Moore.

Rumours suggesting that Moore might follow Megson to Nottingham Forest have abounded almost from the moment the former Albion manager was appointed at the City Ground in January. But, as far as Robson is concerned, Megson will have to fight his own relegation fight without his old skipper.

"At present, there will be no more players leaving the club between now and the end of the season," said Robson. "With Andy Johnson out for the season, I'm down to 20 players. And if I get bookings or injuries, I'll need people."