Leading figures from each of our West Midlands football clubs have agreed to answer the questions of Row Z readers.*
 This week it's the turn of West Brom head honcho Jeremy Peace to take his place in the hotseat: Dear Mr Peace, will funds be made available for the manager to strengthen his squad this summer? Mike, Bearwood JP: It's my philosophy that to put a winning team on the pitch, you have to have a winning team off the pitch as well. I'm like any fan. I'd love to go out and throw crazy money at players but only if the time is right. But I'm not just a fan. I'm also a businessman. And, if you ask anyone in the world of business, the time is never right to throw crazy money about. Is their any truth in the rumours about a rift between Gary Megson and yourself? Ged, Oldbury JP: Gary Megson is one of Britain's best young managers and a fantastic talent. If another club came in for him, and I have no doubt one will at some point, the Albion board would find it very difficult to deny him the opportunity to explore the possibilities of furthering his career elsewhere. Very, very difficult. In fact, I don't want to talk about it any more in case it puts the idea in the minds of the chairman of rival clubs. There have been a few be- JP: It would be just terrible if another club got the idea that we would give them permission for Gary to speak to them vis-a-vis a managerial vacancy. There have be- JP: Awful. Catastrophic, even. But c'est la vie as our friends in France would say! Oh, I'm so sorry, do finish your question. There have been a few behind-the-scenes changes in the last few weeks. How will they improve the way the club is run? Pete, Bloxwich JP: I'm a 'hands-on' kind of guy. I like to 'get my hands dirty' as it were. The devil will find work for idle hands to do. And the last thing we need at this club is Satan running amock. I don't need to tell you, Pete, that the presence of evil incarnate - Beelzebub as he is known in some quarters - within the club's administrative structure could cause some fairly serious problems with ticketing and catering arrangements. If you want to turn West Bromwich Albion Football Club into some kind of Church of Satan, mate, that's your perrogative - but don't expect me or any of the other directors here to be party to your wicked scheme. Do you think we might have stayed up if we'd bought a couple of players during the January transfer window? June, Wednesbury JP: You're probably in league with Pete the Satanist, aren't you 'June'? Well for your information we did sign a player - that Nigerian guy who turned out to be a duffer. So there. Now that you've scrapped the role of managing director, who will be carrying out the day to day running of the club? Khasir, Handsworth JP: That responsibility shall be assumed by both myself and chief executive Mike O'Leary. We've spotted certain areas where I believe our expertise could yield significant improvements in the club's performance. Will Albion sign any players this summer? Kev, Smethick JP: Again this is an area where Mike and I are willing to look at adopting a more 'hands-on' role. Throughout my many years in business, it's been my policy to promote from within and that will be mantra at The Hawthorns also. Mike, for example, is still a comparatively young man and I'm sure he could do a shift for us at centre-half, or possibly as a ball-winning midfielder. And one doesn't like to brag, but some people have mentioned that I am a more-than-decent goalkeeper. Will the Baggies bounce back up? Clare, Solihull JP: That's what we are all working towards, Clare. We're just one big happy family here. Working together happily... Row Z: That's all we've got time for. Thank you, Jeremy Peace. JP: ... very, very happy indeed. * Or, to put it another way, no they haven't. We've made the whole thing up. | 
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