The strange days of Dave Webb at Plainmoor

The phone rang one midweek night in March 1985. I didn’t recognise the Irish burr on the other end, but the caller quickly identified himself.

“It’s Johnny Giles from West Bromwich Albion here. I’m sorry to call you at home at this hour.”

It was in the days before mobiles, and before scammers made us all suspicious of anyone we didn’t know.

“A mutual friend has given me your number. I was wondering if you could help me,” he said.

“I don’t want to put you in an awkward situation, but would you have Colin Anderson’s number, by any chance?”

He went on to say that he was trying to sign Torquay United’s attacking left-back, but claimed that Gulls manager Dave Webb was apparently in favour of a move for Anderson to his old club Queen’s Park Rangers.

I passed on the number and Giles, the former Manchester United, Leeds United and Eire great, assured me that he would respect our confidence – and tip me off if the deal went through.

Webb, the FA Cup-winning ex-Chelsea, QPR, Leicester City and Derby County defender, had bought United from long-standing chairman Tony Boyce 12 months before, taking over as manager from Bruce Rioch, who also left.

He immediately started a cost-cutting campaign, selling United’s best players or shifting them off the wage-bill.

He even introduced an all-blue Chelsea-style kit and, unable to afford ground improvements, slashed Plainmoor’s capacity to 4,999 for licence purposes by bulldozing the Babbacombe End terrace.

He planned to sell cars there, and even erected American Football posts against the goals to try and attract a Gridiron team.

You can imagine how that went down.

Not since their first season in the Football League 57 years before had United had to seek re- election, but they plummeted from ninth in the old Fourth Division (League Two) with Rioch’s team to bottom.

They had to seek re-election, successfully, in 1985 and 1986, a couple of gates dipping below 1,000.

It was, at the time, an all-time low and local press coverage reflected the anger and frustration of the fans.

Oh, and there was also the little matter of a night-time fire which destroyed nearly half of Plainmoor’s old wooden grandstand.

Having said all that, there was something about Webb, born and bred in London’s East End, that you couldn’t help liking.

He was a very good coach, but he boasted that he was putting an entire team out for only £1,500 a week, and not even he and former stars like his No. 2 Eddie Kelly and Tony Currie could make them competitive.

It was a dark time, and it was only halted when he left in the summer of 1986.

Even then the club had to endure the first ‘Great Escape’ season under Stuart Morgan (1986-87) before the arrival of Cyril Knowles sparked a real revival.

Anyway, sure enough, a few days after his first call Giles rang back.

He said that Anderson was having a ‘medical’ at The Hawthorns and he would be announcing a £25,000 transfer the next day.

We duly ran a ‘exclusive’ the following morning – and waited for the fall-out. It wasn’t long coming. Webb was predictably furious.

A ‘ban’ from the club soon followed, and I was forced to cover home games from the old Pop Side terrace.

But not even Webb could keep up the schism for ever. I was eventually allowed back, if frostily.

But we hardly spoke until he left.

Five years later Webb had become manager of Southend United, Torquay under Dave Smith reached the last-16 of the Leyland DAF (3rd/4th Division) Trophy and the two clubs were drawn together at Roots Hall.

The Gulls, going for promotion and with that in mind, played a weakened side and were routed 7-0.

The press corps headed downstairs to speak to the managers.

“Well, well – I wasn’t sure you’d turn up,” said Webb as soon as he spotted me among the gaggle of reporters outside his office. “Get in here.”

He invited me in, shut the door and I braced myself for a ‘Webby’ broadside.

Instead, while my colleagues were waiting impatiently outside, he poured us both a large Scotch and began reminiscing about old times.

“You cost me a few bob, you did,” he said of the Anderson transfer, despite my protests.

After a few more inquiries about life and past times at Plainmoor, he said: “Good to see you again. Take care now.”

And with that we downed our generous tots, shook hands and headed out for the interviews.

Webb, whose name still sets teeth grinding among older United fans, went on to win three promotions in his managerial career.

What might have been...