Classic Arsenal Players - Part 20 - Steve Bould
HE'S GOT NO HAIR BUT WE DON'T CARE
IT HAD BEEN a difficult season for Arsenal. They had lost their manager, George Graham, sacked for financial irregularities, and had been languishing in the bottom half of the table.
But the European Cup Winners Cup had again been their salvation. Italians Sampdoria awaited in the semi final and Arsenal needed a positive result to take into the second leg. But despite a front line containing the likes of Ian Wright and Paul Merson, they were being frustrated by a typically determined Italian defensive performance.
With half time approaching a breakthrough was needed and when David Hillier's shot was parried by goalkeeper Walter Zenga the ball runs loose in the penalty area.
But it is not Wright or Merson following in, no. Instead it is central defender Steve Bould, a player who has not scored for almost a year.
Finishing like a seasoned striker Bould smashes the ball into the net to send Highbury wild. And just for good measure Bould scored again two minutes later, this time with a more conventional near post header from a corner.
But despite his goal-scoring exploits in this particular match, Bould will always be more easily remembered for being a part of Graham's famous back four.
Stephen Andrew Bould was born on 16 November 1962 in Stoke-on-Trent. He joined his hometown club as a schoolboy in 1978, signing as a professional on his 18th birthday in November 1980.
Bould, a tall, elegant defender, made his first team at debut as right back away at Middlesbrough in September 1981, but he was unable to gain a regular place in the team so was sent out on loan to Torquay United to gain experience.
Under the management of Bruce Rioch, Bould played 11 times at Plainmoor between October 1982 and February 1983 before returning to the Potteries.
However it was not until Stoke manager Mick Mills switched Bould from right back to centre half at the start of the 1983/84 season that he started to become a regular in the team.
Over the next five seasons, Bould barely missed a match, except for a brief period in 1985/86 season when he suffered a back injury that required surgery.
By the 1987/88 season, Bould, now 26, was recognised as the best defender outside the top flight with both Everton and Arsenal rumoured to be interested in signing him.
In the end he joined Arsenal in the summer of 1988 for a tribunal set fee of £390,000, much less than Stoke's original valuation. Bould had played 211 times for Stoke, scoring seven goals.
Under George Graham, Bould became the final piece of his famous back four, alongside Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn and former Stoke teammate, Lee Dixon.
Bould made his debut on the opening day of the 1988/89 season in a 5-1 win away at FA Cup holders Wimbledon and he quickly became established in the team, scoring his first goal in a live televised game at Nottingham Forest in November 1988.
It proved to be a glorious season for Arsenal and Bould played in the dramatic final match at Anfield where a last minute goal from Michael Thomas saw Arsenal crowned league champions for the first time in 18 years.
The following season was a difficult one for Bould as injuries restricted him to just 22 appearances as Arsenal finished fourth.
Over the summer of 1990 Graham spent £1.3 million on another central defender, Andy Linighan from Norwich City, as a potential replacement for Bould. But the following 1990/91 season proved to be the best of Bould's career.
He was ever-present as Arsenal won the league title again, losing just one match and conceding just 18 goals. In fact that one solitary defeat only came after Bould was forced off injured in a match away at Chelsea in February 1991 with the score at 0-0, and without their rock at the back Arsenal lost 2-1.
After winning the Arsenal Player of the Year award in 1991 injuries again disrupted Bould's progress. He missed the first three months of the 1991/92 season and played just 26 times as Arsenal again finished fourth.
Bould was back at the start of the 1992/93 season and had the distinction of scoring Arsenal's first ever goal in the new Premier League against Norwich City but injuries would again cut short his season.
Bould missed both cup finals later that season as Arsenal became the first club to win the League Cup and FA Cup in the same season, and in fact he was out until midway through the following 1993/94 season.
However he was back and fit to play in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup against Parma in Copenhagen in May 1994, helping the team to another clean sheet in a 1-0 victory.
Despite playing in one of the best back four's in English football history, Bould only won two caps for England. Both came at the end of the 1993/94 season when he was 31, friendlies against Greece and Norway where he helped England keep two clean sheets.
The 1994/95 season was a difficult campaign for Arsenal as they flirted with relegation at one stage before Graham was sacked for financial misdemeanors in February 1995.
Arsenal did reach the Cup Winners Cup final again with Bould the surprise goal-scoring hero of the semi final victory over Sampdoria, netting twice in the 3-2 first leg win at Highbury, having scored only five times in the previous seven years.
But Bould would again miss the final in Paris against Real Zaragoza which Arsenal lost 2-1 after extra time.
The following 1995/96 season saw Bould reunited with Rioch, who had taken over from Graham as manager, but after a good start to the campaign, Bould's season was over in December due to more injury woes.
Arsene Wenger's arrival as the new Arsenal manager in September 1996 appeared to signal the end for Bould, now almost 34, but instead his career took on something of a revival.
Bould was a regular in the 1996/97 season and then played 34 times in the following Double winning season of 1997/98, the highlight of which was his chipped through ball for Adams to score the fourth goal on the day the title was sealed against Everton at Highbury.
However Martin Keown was preferred as Adams' partner in the 1998 FA Cup final victory over Newcastle United, the fourth cup final out of five that Bould had missed in his Arsenal career.
The 1998/99 season proved to be Bould's last at Highbury. His final appearance for the club was against Derby County at Highbury in May 1999, fittingly going out with another clean sheet. In total he had played 372 times for Arsenal, scoring eight goals.
Over the summer of 1999, Bould joined Sunderland for £500,000, and manager Peter Reid named him captain as the club finished seventh in the Premier League.
However, by now arthritis was restricting his playing time and Bould retired in September 2000 after just 23 appearances for the Black Cats.
After his playing career was over, Bould worked towards his UEFA coaching badges and in June 2001 he rejoined Arsenal as Youth Team manager. Bould led the U18s Academy side to the Premier Academy League title in 2008/09 and 2009/10, and the FA Youth Cup in 2009.
On 10 May 2012 following the retirement of Pat Rice, Bould was promoted to first team assistant manager alongside Wenger. This was a position he held for seven years which included FA Cup wins in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
In June 2019 Bould swapped positions with Freddie Ljungberg, who was promoted from U23s coach to first team assistant under Unai Emery with Bould going in the opposite direction. This is a position he still holds.
From a personal point of view I always thought Bouldy was one of the best defenders I have ever seen, certainly as good as Adams.
Had it not been for injuries I'm sure he would have been an England regular alongside Adams and he could have played over 500 games for us.
He read the game so well, was hard as nails and was also a threat from set pieces, perfecting the near post flick on.
My favourite memory of him was that 1995 Cup Winners Cup semi final first leg.
I do not usually bet on football but on this particular night I had a punt on Bouldy to score the opening goal at odds of 50/1. I don't know why as he had not scored for a year.
Early in the game I remember Adams scoring but it got disallowed. I was not sure why but for once I did not mind too much, especially when moments later Bouldy fired home after a shot from Hillier had been pushed out by the goalkeeper.
My immediate response was to look across at the linesman and only when I was sure his flag would remain down could I celebrate, not only a very important goal but also a grand in my back pocket. So cheers, Bouldy, I owe you a beer or two.
I also remember a goal he scored at Sheffield Wednesday in 1991, a late equaliser, which had a touch of revenge about it after he had scored a first minute own goal up there on his previous visit their the year before.
But it will always be the near post flick on I will remember him for most. I do not know exactly how many goals this created but it must have been loads.
It became a real feature of our play throughout the 1990s and even now teams are still trying to perfect it. But without Bouldy there to flick it on it will never be as effective.
Coming up next time I look back on the career of a player who played behind Bouldy for many years and contributed to many of those clean sheets; David Seaman.
IT HAD BEEN a difficult season for Arsenal. They had lost their manager, George Graham, sacked for financial irregularities, and had been languishing in the bottom half of the table.
But the European Cup Winners Cup had again been their salvation. Italians Sampdoria awaited in the semi final and Arsenal needed a positive result to take into the second leg. But despite a front line containing the likes of Ian Wright and Paul Merson, they were being frustrated by a typically determined Italian defensive performance.
But it is not Wright or Merson following in, no. Instead it is central defender Steve Bould, a player who has not scored for almost a year.
Finishing like a seasoned striker Bould smashes the ball into the net to send Highbury wild. And just for good measure Bould scored again two minutes later, this time with a more conventional near post header from a corner.
But despite his goal-scoring exploits in this particular match, Bould will always be more easily remembered for being a part of Graham's famous back four.
Stephen Andrew Bould was born on 16 November 1962 in Stoke-on-Trent. He joined his hometown club as a schoolboy in 1978, signing as a professional on his 18th birthday in November 1980.
Bould, a tall, elegant defender, made his first team at debut as right back away at Middlesbrough in September 1981, but he was unable to gain a regular place in the team so was sent out on loan to Torquay United to gain experience.
Under the management of Bruce Rioch, Bould played 11 times at Plainmoor between October 1982 and February 1983 before returning to the Potteries.
However it was not until Stoke manager Mick Mills switched Bould from right back to centre half at the start of the 1983/84 season that he started to become a regular in the team.
By the 1987/88 season, Bould, now 26, was recognised as the best defender outside the top flight with both Everton and Arsenal rumoured to be interested in signing him.
In the end he joined Arsenal in the summer of 1988 for a tribunal set fee of £390,000, much less than Stoke's original valuation. Bould had played 211 times for Stoke, scoring seven goals.
Under George Graham, Bould became the final piece of his famous back four, alongside Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn and former Stoke teammate, Lee Dixon.
Bould made his debut on the opening day of the 1988/89 season in a 5-1 win away at FA Cup holders Wimbledon and he quickly became established in the team, scoring his first goal in a live televised game at Nottingham Forest in November 1988.
The following season was a difficult one for Bould as injuries restricted him to just 22 appearances as Arsenal finished fourth.
Over the summer of 1990 Graham spent £1.3 million on another central defender, Andy Linighan from Norwich City, as a potential replacement for Bould. But the following 1990/91 season proved to be the best of Bould's career.
He was ever-present as Arsenal won the league title again, losing just one match and conceding just 18 goals. In fact that one solitary defeat only came after Bould was forced off injured in a match away at Chelsea in February 1991 with the score at 0-0, and without their rock at the back Arsenal lost 2-1.
After winning the Arsenal Player of the Year award in 1991 injuries again disrupted Bould's progress. He missed the first three months of the 1991/92 season and played just 26 times as Arsenal again finished fourth.
Bould was back at the start of the 1992/93 season and had the distinction of scoring Arsenal's first ever goal in the new Premier League against Norwich City but injuries would again cut short his season.
Bould missed both cup finals later that season as Arsenal became the first club to win the League Cup and FA Cup in the same season, and in fact he was out until midway through the following 1993/94 season.
However he was back and fit to play in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup against Parma in Copenhagen in May 1994, helping the team to another clean sheet in a 1-0 victory.
The 1994/95 season was a difficult campaign for Arsenal as they flirted with relegation at one stage before Graham was sacked for financial misdemeanors in February 1995.
Arsenal did reach the Cup Winners Cup final again with Bould the surprise goal-scoring hero of the semi final victory over Sampdoria, netting twice in the 3-2 first leg win at Highbury, having scored only five times in the previous seven years.
But Bould would again miss the final in Paris against Real Zaragoza which Arsenal lost 2-1 after extra time.
The following 1995/96 season saw Bould reunited with Rioch, who had taken over from Graham as manager, but after a good start to the campaign, Bould's season was over in December due to more injury woes.
Arsene Wenger's arrival as the new Arsenal manager in September 1996 appeared to signal the end for Bould, now almost 34, but instead his career took on something of a revival.
Bould was a regular in the 1996/97 season and then played 34 times in the following Double winning season of 1997/98, the highlight of which was his chipped through ball for Adams to score the fourth goal on the day the title was sealed against Everton at Highbury.
However Martin Keown was preferred as Adams' partner in the 1998 FA Cup final victory over Newcastle United, the fourth cup final out of five that Bould had missed in his Arsenal career.
The 1998/99 season proved to be Bould's last at Highbury. His final appearance for the club was against Derby County at Highbury in May 1999, fittingly going out with another clean sheet. In total he had played 372 times for Arsenal, scoring eight goals.
However, by now arthritis was restricting his playing time and Bould retired in September 2000 after just 23 appearances for the Black Cats.
After his playing career was over, Bould worked towards his UEFA coaching badges and in June 2001 he rejoined Arsenal as Youth Team manager. Bould led the U18s Academy side to the Premier Academy League title in 2008/09 and 2009/10, and the FA Youth Cup in 2009.
On 10 May 2012 following the retirement of Pat Rice, Bould was promoted to first team assistant manager alongside Wenger. This was a position he held for seven years which included FA Cup wins in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
In June 2019 Bould swapped positions with Freddie Ljungberg, who was promoted from U23s coach to first team assistant under Unai Emery with Bould going in the opposite direction. This is a position he still holds.
Had it not been for injuries I'm sure he would have been an England regular alongside Adams and he could have played over 500 games for us.
He read the game so well, was hard as nails and was also a threat from set pieces, perfecting the near post flick on.
My favourite memory of him was that 1995 Cup Winners Cup semi final first leg.
I do not usually bet on football but on this particular night I had a punt on Bouldy to score the opening goal at odds of 50/1. I don't know why as he had not scored for a year.
Early in the game I remember Adams scoring but it got disallowed. I was not sure why but for once I did not mind too much, especially when moments later Bouldy fired home after a shot from Hillier had been pushed out by the goalkeeper.
My immediate response was to look across at the linesman and only when I was sure his flag would remain down could I celebrate, not only a very important goal but also a grand in my back pocket. So cheers, Bouldy, I owe you a beer or two.
I also remember a goal he scored at Sheffield Wednesday in 1991, a late equaliser, which had a touch of revenge about it after he had scored a first minute own goal up there on his previous visit their the year before.
But it will always be the near post flick on I will remember him for most. I do not know exactly how many goals this created but it must have been loads.
It became a real feature of our play throughout the 1990s and even now teams are still trying to perfect it. But without Bouldy there to flick it on it will never be as effective.
Coming up next time I look back on the career of a player who played behind Bouldy for many years and contributed to many of those clean sheets; David Seaman.
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