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West Ham became much travelled striker Bobby Gould's sixth club in
November 1973 when he signed from 2nd Division Bristol City for a fee of
£80, 000. The powerful, hard working forward from the midlands made his
debut for the Hammers as a replacement for Clyde Best in a 1-3 home
defeat at the hands of Arsenal. However, with Best and Pop Robson being
preferred as the first choice striking partnership, Bobby made only a
further 11 league appearances in his first season at Upton Park, scoring
4 times. With Pop Robson sold to Sunderland during the close season,
Gould became a regular in the West Ham first team at the start of the
1974/75 season. He ended the season having played a total of 34 league
games, scoring 9 goals as part of a three man forward line together with
new signings Keith Robson and Billy Jennings. Bobby also scored 4 goals
in cup competitions during the season, including a hat-trick in a 6-0
win against 4th Division Tranmere in the League Cup. Gould's other cup
goal was in a 2-1 win in the FA Cup 3rd round win at Southampton, which
set the Hammers on the road to Wembley.
Bobby, however, was surprisingly
replaced for the FA Cup quarter-final tie at Highbury against Arsenal
by Alan Taylor, with manager John Lyall deciding that the relatively
unknown Taylor could surprise the Gunners with his pace, whilst Gould's
qualities would be well known to one of his former clubs. The decision
was a master stroke with Taylor scoring both goals in a 2-0 win. Despite
featuring in all the remaining league games, and in both FA Cup
semi-final matches against Ipswich, Gould had to be content with being a
non playing substitute in the Cup Final against Fulham, with Taylor
again the Hammers hero with both goals in a 2-0 win. Although Bobby was
to start the following season in the West Ham team that lost in the
Charity Shield against Derby at Wembley, due to the emergence of Taylor,
his first team opportunities were limited. He had made only 4 league
appearances during the campaign, scoring 2 goals, before he rejoined
Wolves, one of his previous clubs, for £30, 000 in December 1975.
Although he was never a big favourite with the Upton Park crowd, Gould's
strike rate for West Ham of just under a goal every three games,
demonstrated the experienced striker's underrated contribution to John
Lyall's emerging team of the mid 70s. (Mark Matthews)
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