Bobby Gould

Willie Bell came recommended by both former England boss Sir Alf Ramsey, and future Three Lions supremo Bobby Robson. His stint in charge was ill-fated, and perhaps if we’d gone with the other guy, we’d have had far more success. Bobby Gould, at the time, was coming to the end of his playing career with Bristol Rovers. He twice won the Second Division as a player and picked up an FA Cup Winner’s medal in 1975, but he had his sights set firmly on management.

He was described as a ‘good candidate’ by Heneage Dove, but we plumped for Bell. Gould went to Hereford to end his playing days, before joining Geoff Hurst as an assistant at Chelsea. After spells at Coventry and Bristol Rovers, he went to Wimbledon, where he guided them to their unlikely FA Cup triumph in 1988. In his later career, he also managed Wales, Cardiff and West Brom.