Bobby Hope

Robert Hope (born 28 September 1943) is a Scottish former footballer who made more than 400 appearances as a midfielder in the Football League. He spent most of his club career at West Bromwich Albion, where he played more than 300 league games and helped the club win two major trophies. He won two caps for Scotland.

Bobby Hope
Personal information
Full name Robert Hope[1]
Date of birth (1943-09-28) 28 September 1943
Place of birth Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Inside forward
Youth career
1959–1960 West Bromwich Albion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1960–1972 West Bromwich Albion 336 (33)
1972–1976 Birmingham City 34 (5)
1975 → Philadelphia Atoms (loan) 20 (4)
1976 → Dallas Tornado (loan) 22 (3)
1976–1979 Sheffield Wednesday 42 (7)
1977 → Dallas Tornado (loan) 18 (0)
1978 → Dallas Tornado (loan) 18 (0)
1979–1983 Bromsgrove Rovers 2 (2)
Total 492 (54)
National team
1966–1968 Scotland under-23[2] 2 (0)
1968 Scotland 2 (0)
Teams managed
1983–1988 Bromsgrove Rovers
1988 Burton Albion
1989–1994 Bromsgrove Rovers
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Born in Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, Hope played for West Bromwich Albion between 1959 and 1972, when they were a Football League First Division side. A cultured, scheming inside-forward, he was the general in the team's midfield throughout the 1960s. Together with Clive Clark on the wing, Hope provided the ammunition for players like Tony Brown and Jeff Astle. Hope enjoyed success during this period, winning the League Cup in 1966 and FA Cup in 1968. He scored Albion's first goal in European competition when he found the net against DOS Utrecht in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup on 2 November 1966.[3]

In April 1971, Hope was awarded a testimonial match against Athletic Bilbao, then managed by Ronnie Allen, who later had two short spells as Albion manager; the fixture was reciprocated in Spain a few weeks later for the benefit of José Ángel Iribar.[4][5] He moved to Birmingham City in 1972, spending time on loan in the NASL with Philadelphia Atoms and Dallas Tornado, and later played for Sheffield Wednesday and Bromsgrove Rovers. He went on to manage Bromsgrove and Burton Albion. He returned to West Brom as a scout in later years, and was appointed chief scout in 2000.[6]

Hope won only two full caps for Scotland,[1] perhaps due to the abundance of Scottish midfield talent in this period.

Honours

West Bromwich Albion

References
  1. "Bobby Hope". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  2. "Scotland U23 profile". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  3. Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879-1987. Breedon Books. p. 182. ISBN 0-907969-23-2.
  4. Matthews, Tony (2015). Baggies Abroad: The Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion's Global Travels. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785310997.
  5. "Results 1970-71". Albion Till We Die. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  6. "Hope still on Albion duty". Express & Star. 3 April 2008. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
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