Hope still on Albion duty

Bobby Hope was a pivotal figure in the last West Bromwich Albion side to lift the FA Cup.

And, 40 years down the line, as the Baggies prepare for Saturday's semi-final showdown with Portsmouth, the former Scotland midfield man is still a key man at The Hawthorns.

Hope has been the Baggies' chief scout since 2000, plotting the search for new talent at home and overseas and running the rule over future opponents.

And the day job inevitably means that when Tony Mowbray's side bid to emulate the Boys of '68 at Wembley on Saturday, Hope and his team of scouts will be occupied elsewhere.

"There's a full programme so we'll have work to do," says Hope, 64, who made more than 400 appearances for Albion between 1960 and 1972.

"Going to Wembley will be a great day out for the fans. And the chance to play in an FA Cup Final at Wembley will be a big incentive for the players.

"But quite honestly, our focus has to be on the league and winning promotion, preferably without having to go through the lottery of the play-offs."

Yet if Albion can edge past their Premier League opponents on Saturday, memories will inevitably turn to the day when Alan Ashman's side defeated Everton 1-0 to take the Cup back to The Hawthorns for the fifth time.

It was Albion's third major final in three years but although they went on to reach a third League Cup Final in 1970, they were unable to sustain a serious challenge for the biggest prize of all, the League Championship.

"We lacked consistency," recalls Hope, who was spotted by Albion while playing for Scotland Schoolboys and moved south in 1959.

"We were a good Cup side because we were always going to score goals. We could beat anyone on the day.

"But we never really did as well as we should in the league, probably because we had a squad of around 14 players and that wasn't enough.

"These days people say a side is only as good as its subs' bench. We could only use one sub but teams needed strong back-up players."

Whatever the outcome on Saturday, however, Hope and his fellow Cup winners will be back at The Hawthorns next month for a 40th anniversary dinner to commemorate their Wembley triumph.

"There was always a great team spirit, we all pulled together," says Hope, who also played for Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday and in the North American League before retiring in 1978.

"Before every Cup round we used to spend three or four days at the Prince of Wales hotel in Southport. We had some great times.

"And a lot of the credit must go to Alan Ashman. He wasn't the greatest coach I worked for but his man management skills were tremendous.

"He created a liveliness around the place and he was always ready to take the flak to protect his players."

It was an example Hope followed when he went into management, spending 11 years in two spells with Bromsgrove Rovers between 1983 and 1996.