Big Interview: Hawthorns still rises for Bob Taylor

The former Albion striker had just cycled from Swansea to the West Midlands alongside fellow Baggies legend Brendon Batson and several others to raise money for club charity The Albion Foundation.

“Get your boots on!” came the cry from the Smethwick End as Superbob grinned back at them.

It may be 15 years since he last donned the blue and white stripes, but the fans had no trouble immediately delving into their back catalogue of songs about the great Baggies striker.

“Its nice when they sing your name,” said Taylor, this week. “They never forget. I feel very humbled because they appreciate me and I appreciate them.

“That’s why I do these bike rides. Charity hurts, but from my perspective, it’s allowing me to give something back.

“The Foundation is associated with the club, but they still have to fundraise to do what they want to do with the kids in the community.

“It’s all about giving something back to the community who supported me for more than 10 years, who still supports me now.”

Taylor may have been born and raised in County Durham, but he’s made the Black Country his home because of his time with the Albion and still lives in a small hamlet called Prestwood near Stourbridge to this day.

Superbob, as he’s affectionately known, is eighth on Albion’s all-time scoring list, with a better goals-to-game ratio than some of those above him and a few memorable strikes that are etched into the club’s history.

He was a professional just before the eye-watering amounts of television money were chucked into the game and, unlike today’s players, has not been able to retire to the golf course.

“I’ve played football since I was little, and fortunately I got paid to do it,” he said. “It would be nice to get paid handsomley like they do nowadays.

“But they’ll never take our memories away. I’m happy with everything I achieved.

“I put in mezzanine floors now for a company called Stairforce (based in Brierley Hill). It’s back into the real world, fitting columns, putting boards in.

“You’re up a height, but it’s good manual labour that keeps you fit.”

Around these parts, Taylor’s face is well known, but even when he comes across someone who doesn’t recognise him, he’s never let off the hook that easily.

“You get banter on sites, you might have electricians working with you and somewhere along the line one of them is an Albion fan or a Wolves fan,” he said. “To be fair, our guys always drop me in it and always tell whoever’s there when I’m just trying to keep a low-profile. But it’s good, it ends up being a mickey-taking thing.”

But for Taylor, the patter on site doesn’t compare to the atmosphere of the dressing room.

A football nut his whole life, he worked his way up from non-league to the Premier League, before heading the other way in the latter parts of his career in order to keep playing.

He didn’t retire from professional football until around his 40th birthday, and even though he’s now 51, he’s always desperate for a kick about.

“You do miss it,” he said. “I miss the banter in the dressing room, I miss going into training.

“It’s why you do these bike rides, you rediscover that connection with the lads again.”

A day after his appearance at The Hawthorns, Taylor attended a charity match between West Brom Legends and Stourbridge that raised more than £18,500 for the Mary Stevens Hospice.

“I’ve played in a couple of them, but my ankle’s knackered at the minute,” he said. “I’m in the process of ringing the PFA (Professional Footballer’s Association) to see if I can get a scan.

“Either there’s something floating around in there, or it’s that Arthritis that catches up with everyone. Maybe it’s one too many kicks in the ankle.

“I’ve had it for a couple of years, I can’t run on it, but the bike riding seems OK, so that’s what I’ve got into it now.”

When he can’t play football, he’s watching it, and he’s a regular at The Hawthorns for home games.

But his favourite fixtures of the season are the ones away from home, when he jumps on the coach with the fans.

“I do a couple of away games a season with Dave Holloway (of Baggies Travel),” he revealed. “I always try and do the grounds I’ve never been to before.

“I am renowned for getting up on the coach and fixing everyone a cup of tea and coffee.”

This season has been a hard watch for every Baggies fan, Taylor included.

In 2002 he sealed Albion’s promotion to the promised land with a famous goal against Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.

That sparked the infamous yo-yo years, but Taylor isn’t so sure the Baggies will be able to bounce back this time.

“The Championship is the hardest division to get out of, just look at Wolves and Villa,” he said. “It’s taken them a hell of a long time to get into this position.

“We need to be careful, it’s a transitional period now. We’ve got to do everything right.

“The Albion fans have been here before. It’s all a big disappointment this season, we’re all gutted we are going to go down.

“But I know the club will be well supported next season. We’ll get the moans and groans, but we’ve done it before, we’ve been down there and come back.

“We have to bounce straight back but it’ll be very difficult.”

In order to do that, Albion will need to get their next managerial appointment spot on.

After the decision to appoint Alan Pardew proved to be a disaster, there is a lack of faith among the fanbase.

“A lot of people were saying Nigel Pearson with Craig Shakespeare back as an assistant,” said Taylor. “They know the football club, which would help.

“The main thing we need to find is someone who wants to come to West Bromwich Albion, who wants to give it their all.”

At the moment, it is Superbob’s former team-mate Darren Moore at the reins, and Taylor reckons it’s a great opportunity for ‘Mooro’ to stake a claim.

“He’s been there a while, he’s well respected, the fans respect him,” he said. “They were singing for him last week, as players do when you take over the team you’re fond of.

“He’s been given a chance, it’s an opportunity for him to show what he can do.

“We had Michael Appleton and Craig Shakespeare who were coaches and went on to do different things.

“Who knows, it’s one of them, right place at right time, he could end up getting a job.

“You just don’t want it go sour, you don’t want to lose that bond with the fans.”

Based on Saturday, there is absolutely no danger of Taylor losing his bond with the supporters. And for that, he seems eternally grateful.