BRYAN Robson will not have been the only person preparing to make a trip to the West Midlands yesterday.

Given that the former Middlesbrough manager has been charged with the job of keeping West Brom in the Premiership, it is a fair bet that Terry Venables was packing his case as well.

After all, it wouldn't be the first time Venables has been forced to bail Robson out of trouble.

By appointing 'Captain Marvel' as successor to Gary Megson, the Baggies' board have displayed a startling lack of both ambition and acumen.

While the early years of Robson's Riverside reign brought two promotions to the top-flight and three cup final appearances, his managerial record since does not stand up to scrutiny.

His time on Teesside ended acrimoniously, with Robson taking a humiliating back-seat ride as Venables staved off the threat of relegation before eventually leaving the club after splashing £78m of Steve Gibson's cash.

The next three years saw him unemployed and, after being spuriously linked with the Nigerian national side, Robson re-emerged at Bradford a year ago.

The Bantams were already in financial meltdown when Robson arrived at Valley Parade, but this was his chance to answer the critics who claimed he was a chequebook manager whose coaching credentials were limited.

The result was a disaster, with Bradford losing 20 of their 28 games under his control and the former England skipper eventually leaving West Yorkshire with his tail between his legs.

That looked like being that as far as management was concerned, until West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace yesterday insisted that Robson was the "ideal person" to take the club forward.

He isn't, but his re-appearance at the Hawthorns is just another example of the collective amnesia that seems to afflict football club boards whenever they are on the look-out for a new manager.

The upshot is the same motley crew of bosses cropping up at various grounds around the country as the managerial merry-go-round keeps on spinning.

Peter Reid - sacked by Sunderland, sacked by Leeds, perfect for Coventry. Dave Bassett - sacked by just by about every club under the sun, but the right man to resurrect Leicester.

Just as anyone who watches second-rate soap operas will start to notice the same familiar faces moving from one far-fetched scenario to another, so viewers of second-rate football will see the same managerial misfits swapping one dug-out for the next.

The fans lose out, but so do the budding bosses hoping to get their chance of a move up the managerial ladder.

Everton were the last Premiership side to take a gamble on an up-and-coming youngster when they took David Moyes from Preston and, with the Toffees currently lying third in the top-flight, that move doesn't look too bad.

The candidates are out there - Ian Holloway has worked wonders with QPR, Mike Newell is riding high with Luton and, a little closer to home, Neale Cooper has done superbly at the helm of Hartlepool.

It's a safe bet that none of the three were on West Brom's shortlist. Perhaps they will be next time the job comes up. By then though, Reid could be available - and he would be a shoe-in.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.