Former West Brom director and Express & Star journalist Jeff Farmer dies

Born in West Bromwich, Farmer was a non-executive director and PR consultant for the Baggies for seven years in the 2000s.

A former Express & Star journalist, Farmer covered Albion in the 1960s for the paper.

He then became head of ITV Sport before becoming a key figure on the Albion board in 2004.

After seven years he decided to leave the club in 2011, a week after Roberto Di Matteo was sacked as head coach.

He had been battling cancer for the past two years.

Albion's all-time record scorer Tony Brown paid tribute to Farmer today, saying: "Jeff and (fellow journalist) Ray (Matts) would travel with us to away games on the team coach and they’d just sit together with the lads and play cards with us.

“Jeff liked a bet as well and you could often find him in the bookies with Jeff Astle after training. They were absolute regulars with us and you just treated them as part of the group.

“You could absolutely trust the two of them, everything you said was off the record, you knew they wouldn’t go behind your back, either in the paper or to the manager.

“It was a different job then, it was more about reporting on the game rather than getting quotes.

"Jeff might ask you for an opinion on something, but he knew the game himself anyway, he wasn’t out of his depth with the players and that helped him get our respect.

“As anybody who ever met Jeff knows, he always had a thousand stories to tell you, he knew absolutely everybody. He was always ready for a laugh and could tell a good joke.

“He was a lovely chap and always good to have around. It was nice in later years when he came back to the club as a director and there was an opportunity to catch up with him and do a bit of reminiscing! He’ll be sadly missed.”

Albion's Former Players' Association paid tribute to Farmer saying: "The Association saddened to hear the news that Jeff Farmer has passed away.

"Great friend of our former players especially those between 1968-78.

"He reported on the Albion extensively in those days and eventually became a director. To family and friends our sincere condolences. RIP Jeff."