John Eustace makes key fan request ahead of expected Birmingham City protests vs West Brom

Birmingham City manager John Eustace has plenty of empathy for supporters protesting against the club’s ownership but has asked those planning on taking action to do so responsibly. It is expected a whole host of Bluenoses will make a public display of anger on Friday evening when Birmingham host local rivals West Bromwich Albion at St Andrew’s.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the future of their club, fans have been protesting against current owners Birmingham Sports Holdings, and the way they’ve gone about things over recent years. Eustace completely understands the perspective of those protesting and hopes supporters involved can remain safe doing so.

“Everyone’s got a right to protest,” Eustace said ahead of the West Brom clash. “Everyone protesting is doing it because they love the football club, and that’s up to them. As long as it’s in a safe way and doesn’t affect the 90 minutes - for me as a head coach, as long as everyone is safe and they protest in the right way, that’s all I can ask for.

“I understand that these magnificent Birmingham City fans love the football club and they care deeply about it. What’s happened has happened, but from my point of view as a head coach all I can do is prepare the team properly. The fans have been absolutely fantastic up to now and the connection with the players is very special. That’s helping us with a difficult season,” Eustace continued.

Looking ahead to the game itself, it’s a massive spectacle for supporters as Blues have the chance to complete a league double over the Baggies for the first time in over two decades. Eustace and his men managed an impressive 3-2 win away at The Hawthorns in September and will be hoping for a similar result on Friday.

West Brom are a completely transformed side since then, with 11 victories in 16 matches since Carlos Corberan’s appointment, but there will be a lot of belief in the squad regardless. This will especially be the case after an impressive late win at Swansea City last weekend, as Lukas Jutkiewicz and Auston Trusty scored in the 90th and 97th minutes respectively.

Blues would soar to as high as 15th in the Championship if they can manage a surprise victory on Friday, whereas Albion can leapfrog Watford to shift up to fifth. The highly anticipated clash kicks off at 8pm and it will be shown live on Sky Sports Football.