Former West Bromwich Albion manager Bryan Robson is the latest to join a lengthening list of experts who insist that the Baggies will finish first or second in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Despite widespread approval of Tony Mowbray's brand of football and positive comments about his team, the bare facts are that his side are lying fourth in the table. Tuesday's 0-0 draw at home against Robson's Sheffield United means that Albion have won only five points in their last five league games.

That is hardly title form, not that the manager is concerned.

His sights are firmly set on the bigger picture, even though his side have slipped out of the two automatic promotion places for the first time since November.

Robson said: "Albion play good football and always look likely to score goals. You are going to get a bit of a blip and that's what they have gone through in their last couple of games but they also have the quality to go away and win matches, as well as at The Hawthorns.

"I think they still have a great chance of an automatic place."

The Sheffield United manager joined Crystal Palace's Neil Warnock, Charlton Athletic's Alan Pardew and Gary Johnson, whose Bristol City side leapfrogged the Baggies after beating Scunthorpe United 1-0 on Tuesday, who have all tipped Albion for automatic promotion at some point this season.

Such sentiments will hold little meaning for Mowbray, who was left to pick out some unfamiliar positives from a home display, notably a clean sheet his side's first since their 5-0 home win against Scunthorpe on December 29.

The manager, who described the shut-out as a "huge bonus", hopes the improvement in his side's defending will help them produce a stronger finish to the campaign than last season, when their dip in form effectively cost them automatic promotion.

The Baggies took only 13 points from a possible 33 in their last 11 games, a return that only just managed to squeeze them into the lottery of the play-offs. But there is a confidence and self-belief around the camp a year on which is overriding any hint of panic.

Mowbray said: "I do not get too concerned about things like league position at this stage, to be honest. We have 14 games to go and if our performance level stays as high as it was against Sheffield United then we will be okay.

"Even when we were top of the division, I said there were no prizes handed out at this stage of the season. The players showed against Sheffield that they are ready for the challenge."

Like their manager, the players are relaxed about the slip in league position.

Midfielder Chris Brunt said: "Somebody mentioned in the dressing-room that we were out of the top two but there is still a long way to go.

"As long as we are in the top two at the end of the season, who cares where we are now? You just have to keep playing the way you're told and doing what you believe in. We will certainly be doing that.

"I think Sheffield United came for a point and got only one because we failed to finish our chances. Hopefully, we can just put that down to an off-night in front of goal.

"I don't think our keeper was tested too much but, in saying that, we would rather have had a 2-1 or 3-2 win than a 0-0 draw."

* Sheffield United plc chairman Kevin McCabe has succeeded in acquiring a tender to buy into Hungarian club Ferencvaros, according to reports.

McCabe's Hungarian business, Esplanade Kft, will buy Ferencvaros' real estate for £8.45million, with a view to begin paying off the club's £5m debts. United have already invested heavily overseas in January 2006, they became the first British owner of a Chinese club with the acquisition of Chengdu Five Bulls, now known as Chengdu Blades.

Last year, McCabe also invested in Belgian third division side Royal White Star Woluwe.

Ferencvaros, who were relegated from the Hungarian top flight last season, have won 28 Hungarian titles and 20 domestic cups.

They were losing finalists in the 1975 European Cup Winners' Cup.