Chairman John Williams: West Brom made 'big strides' during smooth transitional season

In an end-of-season statement to the fans, Williams praised head coach Tony Pulis for lifting Albion to eighth place for much of the campaign, which he believes was the best they could realistically hope for this year.

The chairman, who was appointed in August last year when Guochuan Lai's takeover was announced, reiterated his desire to fill The Hawthorns and eventually expand it.

And he's keen to add four or five more players to the first team in the coming year.

"In my view, we have much about which to be satisfied although there is never room for complacency," said Williams in last night's match day programme.

"Tony Pulis, his support staff, and the players deserve great credit for tackling the toughest league in world football so successfully that we enter our final three games topping the one division in this league we could realistically hope to – the group of clubs clustered outside the top seven.

"We have made big strides already this season," he added. "This year could have been much more difficult with a change of ownership, chairman, and senior management to accommodate. Thankfully, the transition has been as smooth as we could have hoped for.

"Our relationship with Guochuan Lai and our Chinese stakeholders is strong and positive and we are in regular contact.

"He has trusted the board, particularly regarding football matters, and his enthusiasm and support are infectious - as our supporters have witnessed when he attends home games.

"However, his enthusiasm is sensibly balance by his clear statement at the outset that Albion would no spend beyond it's means nor jeapordise the club's long-term security."

Williams and Pulis are flying out to Shanghai in July to discuss the summer budget with Lai, but with £2million up for grabs for each place in the table, the chairman says the final figure will depend on whether the Baggies can hold on to eighth.

"While our financial budget will depend on our finishing position, there will be funding consistent with our plan to improve the squad in every transfer window," he said.

"We shall have to be focused, clever and diligent; recruitment continues to be a vital function at the club.

"As has been made clear by Tony and myself, our target this summer will be to find a number of additons who can make a tangible impact at first team level.

"In the last year, we have had considerable returns from our investments in Matt Phillips, Nacer Chadli, Allan Nyom, Jake Livermore, and Hal Robson-Kanu.

"The first four are regular first-choices; Hal's impact from the bench has been invaluable.

"If we are successful in adding a similar number of new players in this window who can improve out overall strength then that would represent a significant overhaul of the senior squad in the past 12 months."

Attendances at The Hawthorns fell away dramatically at the start of the season, although they crept back up after a successful campaign on home soil.

Williams and new chief executive Martin Goodman introduced an early bird season ticket for the next campaign that reduced the price by five per cent in a bid to tackle dwindling gates.

And the chairman is eager to fill The Hawthorns again.

"There will not be an easy or quick fix to filling the stadium on a regular basis but neither is there any defeatism that it cannot be done," he said.

"It would be wonderful if in the not-too distant futrue we could all be discussing expansion plan at The Hawthorns against the background of a full stadium week in, week out."

He finished: "For new owners and a new management team, the journey has only just begun and the board looks forward to your continued support as we endeavour to bring you the club we all want to see and be proud of."