PAST

Q1. What age were you when you were given your first football?

JC: I was probably about three, maybe even younger. For as long as I can remember, I've always had a football.

Q2. Who first kicked a ball around with you?

JC: A girl called Barbara Grange. It was in the street where I lived called Alderley Road. We used to call each other Mr and Mrs Gregg and played football outside the house!

Q3. Did you play in your school football team and, if so, from what age and what position?

JC: I was in the infant school team at St Joseph's, Sale. I played centre forward. It was between the ages of seven and 11.

Q4. What's your earliest memory?

JC: It's quite a sad one, really. I was being carried upstairs in a terrace house in Sale by my father to see a very old uncle who was dying. It was to say goodbye. It is the first memory that stands out. I was about three.

Q5. Did you ever collect football stickers/cards when you were a child, and if so did you ever complete an album?

JC: No, but I did collect cigarette cards, even though I didn't smoke. I also collected the PG Tips series of cards which always featured woodland or birds.

PRESENT

Q6. Do you have any tattoos? If so, what are they of?

JC: No. I would never have one.

Q7. What is your favourite stadium other than The Hawthorns?

JC: At this moment in time the best stadium I've been to is the Emirates - and that includes Wembley. It has been thought through very professionally and it is a football stadium rather than a corporate stadium. It has been made for football fans and footballers. The facilities are outstanding.

Q8. Who is your favourite football pundit?

JC: Andy Gray, because I knew him as a player and now as a personality. He has tried to bring Sky Sports to the audience that it is aimed at. He has done it in a professional way and kept it on a football level.

Q9. Who is your biggest influence in the game?

JC: Malcolm Allison, who first gave me the chance to play for Manchester City and then put in my mind the need for specialised coaches. I didn't have a goalkeeping coach. Malcolm was just a general coach who knew a lot about every aspect of the game, which then bred the idea of goalkeeping coaches. I was always brought up wanting to work very hard. Malcolm definitely planted the seed about me wanting to become a coach. I find being a coach very fulfilling - being able to teach the skills I have learned. I'm still learning myself, though, as there are still things in the game today that you sit back and wonder how they happened. I get a lot of pleasure teaching 15 to 19 year olds, giving a lot of input on the coaching side. The pro side is more about maintaining players and dealing with the finished product. When I left Liverpool and before I joined West Brom, I worked for the FA with the Under-16s, 17s and 18s. I found that very fulfilling.

Q10. Have you ever played as an Albion player on any football computer game?

JC: No I haven't. It's too difficult for me!

FUTURE

Q11. Who do you think will win the 2010 World Cup?

JC: I think it will come down to the same usual teams: Argentina, Brazil, Italy, France and Germany. I don't particularly see England doing any better than we have in the past. I hope I'm wrong because I think it's a travesty we aren't up there for each World Cup. But that's another story! If I had to pick a winner, it would be Argentina. They are a very young squad and have been brought up together as a unit.

Q12. If you could choose one player in world football to come to Albion, who would it be?

JC: Barcelona's Lionel Messi. He is one great player. He is very young but his ability and skills are just phenomenal. I would like him to play over here - in maybe not the best league in the world but the hardest - and show off his skills. I'd like him to put his stamp on the game over here.

Q13. If you could win either the Premier League or the Champions League with Albion, which would you choose?

JC: The Premier League. As I said, I think it is the hardest league in the world. Some of the best players are in this league. As you have to play 38 games at your top level, you can't afford to be below par as you get punished. I never got to win the domestic league myself. When Manchester City won it in 1968, I was in the background as a third goalie and had only just got into the first team.

Q14. Give one holiday destination that you have not yet been to but would like to visit in the future?

JC: I would like to go on Safari in South Africa before they all disappear.

Q15. When you eventually retire as a coach what would you like to do?

JC: Have a sleep! Just enjoy life. I would love to see football go back to what it was and entertain the supporters. I don't think I would be a good supporter though! When I retire, I would also like to get my golf handicap back down to seven!  

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