Peace: We must not throw in towel
Chairman Jeremy Peace today warned the club's relegation-fighting players they risk the wrath of The Hawthorns if they throw in the towel in the survival battle.
Peace believes the Baggies faithful will back Tony Mowbray and his players all the way to the finishing line providing they inject every last ounce of effort into the campaign for survival.
The Baggies are marking time now before they resume the quest for preservation points at West Ham on Monday – but they are everyone's favourites to return to the Championship.
It is a fate Peace has shaped the club to cope with and he believes the fans will stay with Mowbray's long-range quest to build a team that can tackle the Premiership with style – providing there is no let up in effort.
"The coaching staff and the players have to give it their all," says Peace.
"There can be no quarter given. Then, from everyone's point of view, we can say we have tried.
"The fans will back them but they won't back tepid performances and players not having a go because they want to see people getting stuck in and having a go. As long as we get that we can close the door on the season with no regrets.
"We don't want to be thinking we didn't give it our best."
Peace was speaking after admitting performances at Fulham, in the first half against Newcastle and in the error-strewn collapse to Arsenal had disappointed.
But he remains firmly behind the Mowbray vision and added: "I think people were genuinely very disappointed after the last game.
"I think there have been a few blips recently. When we have played Fulham away, maybe the performance wasn't what we wanted, and the first half against Newcastle was crazy. Tony is learning and it is a big step up to the Premier league. The Championship is tough in its own way and a difficult league to get out of. Everyone has to give it one last go, and that is everyone, to keep us in the Premier League. It is one last massive push.
"It will be incredibly difficult being where we are but we have always said you will only achieve anything at a club of our size with complete unity.
"I think we need to have that between all parts of the club – the board, the coaching staff, the players and the fans, who have been fantastic – and I am not just saying that."
