Robson sees Baggies going down and Red Devils winning crown

Casting a thoughtful eye up and down the Premier League table with a dozen matches to go, Thailand head coach and former England captain Bryan Robson has high hopes for one of his former clubs - and grave concerns for the other.

Manchester United, he believes, are poised to clinch a record-breaking 19th English league title. But West Bromwich Albion are in real danger of being relegated after just one season back in the top flight.

After going through the West Brom youth system and earning his first England cap while at the Hawthorns, Robson broke the British transfer record when he joined Manchester United for GBP1.5 million in 1981.

Spending 13 mostly lucky seasons at Old Trafford, he was an integral part of Alex Ferguson's revolution that turned under-achievers into world-beaters.

'I'm not sure about running away with the title but I think Man United at this moment in time are the team that everybody's got to beat,' Robson said. 'They are in a good position with only 12 games to go. However, they've got a big month coming up with a tough run of fixtures.'

In 2004-2005, Robson was manager of his former club West Brom when they fell to the bottom of the table on Christmas Day. Yet he was able to pull off an escape act and keep the Baggies in the Premier League after a 2-0 home victory over Portsmouth on the final day of the season. Now, new boss Roy Hodgson has to perform a similar feat for a club with just one victory in their last 11 league games.