It's not often you hear a football manager praising his chairman - but West Bromwich Albion manager Bryan Robson has no doubt who to thank for the upturn in the team spirit that is aiding the Baggies' bid to beat the drop.

There is a togetherness about the Albion right now perhaps best summed up by the sight of two players who did not even make the 16 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night - Darren Purse and Richard Chaplow - stood there in among the away fans with their club tracksuits on supporting the team.

The same togetherness of the entire club will again be expressed when Albion head to The Valley to play Charlton Athletic tomorrow - backed by 40 coachloads of fans, all of whom have been offered a free trip to South East London as a 'thank you' from the club.

It is the third time the club have made such a gesture. And it is worth noting that, on the previous two occasions, the Premiership games at West Ham and Sunderland two seasons ago, the Baggies won both.

If Albion chairman Jeremy Peace has been freer than usual with the club's money in that respect, it has all been paid for as part of the cost-cutting measures he has employed in whittling down the 34-man squad Gary Megson left behind when he was sacked four months ago. And Peace's careful pruning has had one beneficial side effect.

Although he modestly overlooks the role he and his No 2 Nigel Pearson have played in rebuilding the broken confidence of some players since Megson's departure, Robson is insistent that the trimming of Albion's oversized squad has played a crucial role in restoring team spirit.

"I knew something needed to be done when I walked in," said Robson. "And I just think it helped that the chairman said he wanted the squad cut down.

"When you've got a squad of 34 players, you get a lot of people who are moping about the place because they are never involved with the first team squad and that can have a damaging effect on other players around it.

"Because of narrowing the squad down, and working with 18 to 20 players, the boys all feel part of it and know they've all got a job to do from now until the end of the season if we want to try and survive.

"The reason why we are getting such good performances, if not the perfect results, is because of the spirit the boys have got.

"It's something I took on board from my days as a player at Man United, when we were winning doubles and everything, and it was no coincidence in that period that we had a group of players who got on terrific together."

It is that same sense of team spirit which has helped top scorer Rob Earnshaw stay positive and focused at a time when he is not in the team - although Robson did admit the fact that he had been overlooked for the last two games has once again come up in conversation.

"He was very positive yesterday," said Robson. "With Rob not playing in the last two games, we had a good chat.

"He has a very good ratio and his strength is scoring goals but, in the Premiership, you've got to have a little bit more than that.

"You've got to have other things in your locker and Rob has taken that on board. And he is working hard in training on his build-up play and his work-rate, which are a weakness in his game.

"We've had this conversation a few times, but Rob has taken it on board and I do feel he is becoming an overall better player.

"And, when he gets his chance, he knows he has got to take it."