Shaun Smith, left back - dropped down 2 divisions to join us from Crewe, amassed 400 matches for them, a lot of them as captain yet played like he'd beem hoiked from the lower reaches of the Rutland reserve league.
Am I interpreting this differently to other people? Are you coming from the standpoint that they were rated before they signed for us and they turned out to be ****e? Hesford is probably the player to receive more abuse from his own fans that I have ever seen. I remember one game at Oakwell when he came to the goal in front of the away end and he couldn't bring himself to look up as he was showered with abuse. And nobody - nobody - thinks Hateley or Hunter were good in a City shirt.
Overated by the manager. I could never understand how Steve Wilson was so highly regarded by City fans. I know he was a local lad etc and he was above average in the six yard box as a shop stopper but anything above head height flew past him. I'm not questioning his loyalty either but I always thought he was an extremely lucky bloke to play so many games at a professional level as he did. He was also a bit of a nob when he came to Boothferry Park as Maccelsfields keeper and they beat us helped considerably by Matt Glennon letting in one from the half way line. By the way Willo danced around the pitch at the end you'd have thought they'd just won the FA Cup not scraped through against a club that had given him a professional career in the game. Paul Hunter ? We supposedly beat Chelsea to his signature. Cost a few bob too. Trevor Philips ? £75,000 from Rotherham which is like £2/3m today and like Hunter we had to pay other clubs to take him off our hands. As for Hateley. He was virtually finished when we recruited him to be fair and he did nothing on the field at all. The Charlie George celebration when he scored a penalty at Scarboro was embarrassing.
Most people here are stating players that were dogshit which isn't the same as overrated. I think Tom Cairney was overrated by a lot of fans. Personally didn't think he did much at all aside from a few decent games but i know a lot of people that thought he was incredible.
Willo was a great keeper for us considering our circumstances. He was 10x the keeper fatty Glennon was.
Yeah I know Hunter was rated before we signed him and was well-chased by other clubs but I never saw him have even a half-decent game and I think you'd be hard-pushed to find any City fan that rated him. We had a few like that from Jockoland actually - Duffy, McGinty, Murray, Thompson. They all came down well rated but were utter dogshite. Speaking of McGinty, I work with a girl who went out with him, said he's an alcoholic now and a total waster. Such a shame.
Nick Deacy. Signed by overrated Manager Mike Smith on the back of Wales"s 4 - 1 win over England. Signed as a forward but converted to a half decent centre half like Alf Wood
'Considering our circumstance'..................you mean **** in division three and **** in division four ? Palace away, league cup, I'll give him that one.
I mean we were in a **** position and it's not as if we could attract a top quality keeper. Willo played his part in keeping us in the football league. Great reflexes. A good bloke, bought me a pint after a Ferriby game for no reason.
Alex Dyer will always be a legend for scoring 'that goal' at Bellend Road when we won 2-0 fantastic day out circa 87?
Roy Greenwood....Quick and tricky winger, but little no end product... Went to Sunderland where he quickly fell out with a manager ,who's name I get recall, because he wouldn't shave his beard off for the pre-season squad photograph.
He probably was and still is a great bloke off the field but you underlined my original point in your reply. We were terrible in those days. like it or not, it was some of the worst football and the least talented bunch of footballers we have ever had representing the club and Willo was the goal keeper throughout that period. The few fans we had seemed to love him, personally I thought he was a liability but that could also be said for most of the other ten players in front of him.
The players in the great escape season are all legends and heroes to me. I think calling all of them liabilities is way off the mark.
Gary Hobson was below average.... he's most famous for being one of the players that wears our infamous tiger stripe kit when you look for an image of it