09-12-2014, 20:00
Yep, the coffin was Shrewsbury away.
Gould was a die-hard hoofball-merchant who was completely unsuited to the situation at Albion. He managed to court one of the directors into championing his cause when the club was searching for a new boss, and thus he ended up as a shoo-in. There was no social media meltdown in those days; instead, the Brummie Road took to singing we don't want you, Bobby Gould even before he'd officially been given the job. It made me laugh to see a post recently about how the Premier League has supposedly spoilt fans and made us all short-sighted; believe me, in January 1991 no one was exactly a beacon of patience and positivity, and that was before Sky stuck their oar in.
Gould maintains to this day that it was all the board's fault, and that if they'd let him keep Don Goodman as well as signing Bob Taylor that we'd have finished top of the Third Division the year he bottled it. The board deserve their fair share of blame, but Gould can't duck the fact that his management style was eccentric to the point of lunacy, his tactics were awful and the results weren't good enough.
That said, I'll never forget the time there was a sit-in protest up the Brummie Road after one home match we lost, and Gould actually went up to the terraces to talk to the fans who were protesting. Given the atmosphere and the anger that was directed at him personally that day, it took balls to do that. It didn't make anyone like him and it didn't change the fact he was a shite manager, but it was a brave gesture.
Gould was a die-hard hoofball-merchant who was completely unsuited to the situation at Albion. He managed to court one of the directors into championing his cause when the club was searching for a new boss, and thus he ended up as a shoo-in. There was no social media meltdown in those days; instead, the Brummie Road took to singing we don't want you, Bobby Gould even before he'd officially been given the job. It made me laugh to see a post recently about how the Premier League has supposedly spoilt fans and made us all short-sighted; believe me, in January 1991 no one was exactly a beacon of patience and positivity, and that was before Sky stuck their oar in.
Gould maintains to this day that it was all the board's fault, and that if they'd let him keep Don Goodman as well as signing Bob Taylor that we'd have finished top of the Third Division the year he bottled it. The board deserve their fair share of blame, but Gould can't duck the fact that his management style was eccentric to the point of lunacy, his tactics were awful and the results weren't good enough.
That said, I'll never forget the time there was a sit-in protest up the Brummie Road after one home match we lost, and Gould actually went up to the terraces to talk to the fans who were protesting. Given the atmosphere and the anger that was directed at him personally that day, it took balls to do that. It didn't make anyone like him and it didn't change the fact he was a shite manager, but it was a brave gesture.
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley