(pic: Laurie Rampling)
The rule was unwritten, but simple: What was said in the car, stayed in the car.
This was the minor pay-off for being in the company of Mr West Bromwich Albion, or Tony ‘Bomber’ Brown as he is otherwise known. It was a money-can’t-buy privilege to spend many a Saturday travelling up and down the country in the company of the club’s most celebrated player.
Today, Tony Brown turns 79.
I’m not sure how many Albion games Tony Brown has been involved in as a footballer, coach and, for the last two decades, as a commentator. I suspect 2,400 would be a conservative figure.
People of a certainly age have their own favourite Bomber Brown performance. I didn't see any of those games - I envy those of you who did.
My memories are of those times I have spent in his company.
A typical away game would go like this: I would meet a colleague, before stopping off at Walsall’s Park Hall estate to pick up our very own VIP, and then heading off to whichever corner of the country Albion were assigned to on that particular day. Following some initial small-talk, it was then time to stop talking and start listening - listening until we had arrived at our destination. Trips to Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton and Crystal Palace were particularly welcome. I just listened to Bomber and soaked in his football knowledge.
The journey would take in old games, former team-mates, coaches and current players and managers. On air, Tony has always adopted a policy of being fair and not-too-critical during his radio commentaries. He is measured, but biased – a balance he manages to strike brilliantly. That guard would slip once he was in the car, where he wasn’t averse to expressing his true feelings about the injury-prone striker, the misfiring winger or the off-form centre-half.
His only condition was that all subjects discussed were off-the-record. It was a trust you didn’t betray.
Having Bomber on board had other benefits. A trip to Goodison Park would mean a chat with the jovial Everton legend Graeme Sharp. Over at Old Trafford, Pat Crerand and Micky Thomas would soon bound over to speak to the Albion legend. At Portman Road, Bomber would be greeted by some of the boys of 1978, while at Villa Park it would be a Tony Morley or Garry Thompson, and so on.
It wasn’t always plain sailing. I once arrived at Barnsley’s Oakwell to find a perplexed Bomber trying to convince an officious steward that he was who he claimed to be following a mix-up over accreditation.
“This guy scored 279 goals for your opponents,” I offered, in his support.
The red-faced jobsworth swiftly handed over the lanyard and pass. Bomber had simply been too modest to mention his past.
Another time I was tasked with driving him home following a game at Bradford – a match that should have been called-off due to heavy fog.
I can only surmise the added pressure and responsibility of having a legend in the passenger seat – not to mention barely being able to see more than a few hundred yards ahead of me - prompted me to join the M1 northbound, adding a good half hour onto our late night journey.
"You’ll never play in midfield with vision like that,” came Bomber’s response.
He had a point.
And then there was the trip to West Ham in the early 2000s, when Albion photographer Laurie Rampling yelled ‘BOMBER!’ across a crowded train carriage – not the wisest thing to shout during those heightened terror times.
The West Bromwich Albion Former Players' Association has always been a valued part of the fabric. Or at least it should be.
For a brief period during the late-2000s and beyond - for reasons best known to those individuals on the Board at the time - the club allowed the relationship with the Former Players to deteriorate, to the extent that Albion legends were having to queue alongside fans to get into games. I recall one awkward period where Cyrille Regis - yes, Cyrille - was having to pay to enter the East Stand, while a prominent board member bumped into one legendary Albion player only to then enquire who that individual was. I'll spare the blushes of that particular executive.
Publicly these heroes never once complained, much to the annoyance of any journalist needing a decent story. Thankfully, the penny dropped within the hallowed walls that these guys are West Bromwich Albion royalty – some are clearly going to be more coveted than others, but all are of significant VIP status nevertheless.
A whole list of ex-players contributed their time and stories to two of my books, without a single hint of hesitancy, with Brendon Batson being happy for me to ghost his words. One can only assume Geoff Snape, the long-time head of the FPA, operates a 'nice guys only' policy above his door.
Through the building of the Astle Gates, the Bomber Statue, and the pictorial tributes and many artefacts on the East Stand walls, the club woke up to the true value of its history. And that’s just the bits you can see.
The Former Players' Association is in a strong place, with the likes of James Morrison, Peter Odeminwingie, and Chris Brunt becoming members and supporting the group.
That relationship will hopefully continue and prosper under the Shilen Patel regime. It certainly ought to.
People like Bomber Brown – and the many, many former players - are as important to the club as any custodian of the club, any manager and any player.
Embrace them, celebrate them.
Happy birthday Tony.
The headline: comes from Ron Atkinson's touchline comments during Albion's trip to China in 1978.
A version of this piece first appeared in Old Baggies - The Story (A book charting the history of the West Bromwich Albion Former Players' Association)
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