John Williams interview: Hands-on West Brom chairman an ambitious realist

There's a copy of 'Born to be a Baggie', a book written by long-suffering fan Dean Walton, pushed to one side in preparation for his first sit-down with the press.

Over the course of the next hour, he reveals himself to be a cautious but confident chairman.

There's a realism to everything he says, but also an ambition that burns deep inside.

"It's a tough league and your form can dip," he says. "Hopefully we can maintain the progress the last regime put in place.

"The club's Premier League status has been ensured for a number of seasons.

"Now it's a question of trying to make sure we make small steps. Small steps are hard and shouldn't be seen as a negative. Any step forward in the league is difficult.

"Maintaining top 10, building on it, getting European football and winning a Cup would be nice.

"It would be fantastic for the fans if we could get to Wembley."

Raised in Southampton, where he fell in love with football down The Dell, his allegiance swayed so much during 13 years as Blackburn chairman that his two sons are Rovers supporters.

Seven months into his stint at the Baggies, and he's starting to switch sides again. Unlike his predecessor Jeremy Peace, Williams attends every single game, home and away.

The only one he's missed this season is the trip to Middlesbrough because that was scheduled on the last day of the transfer window and he was needed in Walsall, where Marc Wilson completed a loan move.

"The bubble I'm in for 90 minutes is our game," he says. "After that you rush to see the other results and what that means to the league table. I'm not paid to be an expert in football but you have to have a knowledge and a feeling."

There was a spot of turbulence at the start of his Albion career, when he and head coach Tony Pulis engaged in a public spat over the business done in the summer transfer window.

Those teething problems have subsided now, but Williams believes it's important he remains a 'hands-on' chairman.

"I'm not all over Tony's back, I don't believe in that," he said. "But I have a relatively hands-on approach to what's going on.

"It's particularly important for me considering (Guochuan) Lai is distant. Somebody has to make sure that communication-bridge is there and strong. So yeah, me and Tony talk most days."

Williams knows Albion's owner better than anyone else at the club. So what were Lai's motives behind his £175million purchase last summer?

The Chinese government has encouraged its businessmen to buy football teams and plenty have answered that call, particularly in these parts.

But as the chairman explains, that dovetails with a personal and commercial interest too.

"He absolutely loves football, right down to the company football team back in China," said Williams. "He loves the game. But he's the first Chinese-owned Premier League club and there clearly is some potential.

"You can see what's happening with football in China, at all levels, from the Super League down to the birth of young player and academy strategies. I think it's a very good place for Lai to be.

"He's very much into the eco-town projects which are all about outdoors, health, and fitness.

"It fits on a number of levels but clearly there is a commercial aspect and an opportunity for West Bromwich Albion to become commercially successful in China."

Lai is keen to make money from the club then, but that doesn't mean the financial backing isn't there.

He and Williams both want to establish Albion as a permanent fixture in the top 10 of the Premier League and, if possible, break into the top six.

But the chairman is under no illusions how difficult that will be and he'll still be looking at the bottom three come the start of next season.

An experienced campaigner, he made sure not to promise supporters the world.

"If we finish strongly and are able to bring in two or three players that can make the same impact as a Chadli or a Phillips or a Nyom then I think there's every chance we can finish that season better than this one," he says.

"But I take nothing for granted as long as you've got three down out of 20. Tony and I are one on many things, and we always talk about 40 points.

"The trouble with that is people say 'that's very negative, you should be looking way beyond that', but I think you've got to be realistic.

"The club has built itself a platform and it's a question of building on that platform, but it's not easy.

"It's not easy to get the players that you want. If you go out and spend x million, you can almost guarantee that five of the clubs above you will spend 3x.

"Breaking into the top six of the Premier League on a consistent basis is a long and difficult task."

That unwavering focus on survival has frustrated fans in recent years, who are desperate for a cup run or a European tour to break the monotony of league football.

During his stint at Rovers, Williams reached the UEFA Cup three times, won the League Cup, and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup twice. He's aware that supporters crave glory.

"Silverware is silverware," he says. "There's a lot of heritage at West Bromwich Albion.

"It's a long established club, you only have to walk around and see the trophies and the shirts.

"When I was at Rovers we won the League Cup and that was a great day for the club.

"The European campaigns weren't brilliantly successful but it's still a great feeling when you get on the aircraft and go to wherever it is.

"Particularly if it's a new feeling, which in relative terms for West Bromwich Albion it would be."

Williams left Rovers in 2011 after becoming frustrated with their owners, Venky's. There was a short stint at Manchester City before he became chairman of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), who provide referees for English football.

He has a reputation earned during his days at Ewood Park for excellent negotiation skills, and in January he managed to wrangle £12million – rising to a possible £15m - from Stoke City for Saido Berahino, a player who had barely featured all season and was out of contract in six months.

Although he was humble about that sale ­- 'Look, he's a 23-year-old English striker, they're quite rare' - it was still a good result for the Baggies. Don't let his knitted jumper fool you, he can be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"There was terrific backing from China on this," he adds. "They knew all the potential outcomes, from the dreaded commercial one which was a cross-border transfer in the summer. But we always had their backing."

Williams, who was recommended to Lai by Jeremy Peace, plans to be at the club for the foreseeable future, and he harbours a long-term desire to grow the capacity at The Hawthorns.

"Just up the road our near-neighbours Stoke are adding 1,800 seats this year," he said. "I'm slightly envious if truth be known, but I do look at that as a challenge for us.

"At this moment in time the last thing you want is more empty seats. Also, I think the priority with the available cash is to continue to build the team.

"No-one is ever going to rule out increasing the capacity, but at the moment, that is not the priority."

The chairman knows that you can plan all you want in football, but you have to look after the short-term first otherwise there won't be a long-term.

In many ways, it's unsurprising Peace recommended him, because he's another pragmatist with more than half an eye on avoiding relegation.

But while the club had started to stagnate under Peace, there are hints Albion's new chairman is slightly more ambitious than his predecessor, and he appears more concerned than perhaps Peace ever was to the performances - and not just the results.

Focused on building up the club's foundations slowly but surely, Williams is also a keen observer of what others are doing in the league and how the Baggies can learn from them.

"What Leicester achieved last year, given my rather half-empty view of the way the league shakes down in terms of its resources and wage bills, is incredible," he said. "As time goes on we'll appreciate it even more.

"But if nothing else, it shows you what can be done if the planets line up in the right way."