Alan is still smarting from the 4-3 home defeat recently at the hands of the Baggies and he says:
"There is a little bit more than that on it; there is some pride and some hurt and I am sure their fans will remind ours when we arrive in the stadium of that home game.
"We want to put that right and hopefully by the end of the game our fans will be taunting them back.
"I told the players at the time after the West Brom game that I would not let them forget that day and I won't but our minds have to be right for this one and we don't want any negatives at all.
"I watched West Brom's Carling cup match against Manchester United and when I saw the team United were putting out I thought West Brom would win.
"Koumas is on the top of his game but we have one or two on the top of their game as well and they have as much to worry about us as we do about them."
Alan is pleased to have attacking options now that he has added a couple of forwards to the squad in Brian Deane and Marlon Harewood, and he says:
"It is not about rotation, it is about options; I don't know how Claudio Ranieri treats his strikers but I will treat mine the same - the choice will be made and they have to accept it.
"That was how it was at Reading and they were knocking on my door and kicking balls away when they didn't play you should be upset if you are not playing.
"We are starting to look like we can change the team quickly and bring on quality players if things aren't going too well for us, and that is the ideal scenario."
Alan has not set a point total to aim for in order to achieve promotion - but he has set a goals target.
"We need to get 80 goals this season and we're a bit short of that, but I don't think any other team has a better attack.
"As for points, it is a long way to go before we get to there; we are just looking at the next game and concentrating on getting the right points total for this month.
"It is a big month and if someone offers me being behind the leaders by six months at the end of January I would take it, because I think our run-in is better than most and I do believe we have got all the top teams in this period, and we just have to get the right results in these crucial two months."
West Ham face Stoke on Tuesday then Sunderland at home the following weekend; Sunderland drew at home to Wigan midweek with both sides having a man sent off.
"Sunderland play on Monday at Coventry so I will get to see them, which is great and I am looking forward to that," he says.