Players Who Weren't Very Good...........

[Bayingblade]

In one position, moved to another position and became good?

My first view of Chris Basham, as a midfielder, was that he wasn't that good. He always seemed to be where the ball wasn't and contributed very little either defensively or in attack. A move to centre back has changed all that. He looks assured, confident, technically proficient and has become many peoples first choice at CB, me included. Some would say, again me included, that Ryan Flynn is not all that effective at right midfield but has been excellent at right back.

So that got me thinking about any other United players who were not very good in one position, moved to another and became decent players. I remember Tom Heffernan being a very iffy right back, moved into midfield and became a solid part of the team at the time, albeit not one of United's best ever teams. Scored a great goal against Leyton Orient, bursting through from midfield in a 6-3 win after being 3-2 down with about 20 minutes left.

Any others?

 

[JJ Sefton]

Alan Wright's best game for us was at centre half. Impressive considering he was 3 foot tall.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

In one position, moved to another position and became good?

My first view of Chris Basham, as a midfielder, was that he wasn't that good. He always seemed to be where the ball wasn't and contributed very little either defensively or in attack. A move to centre back has changed all that. He looks assured, confident, technically proficient and has become many peoples first choice at CB, me included. Some would say, again me included, that Ryan Flynn is not all that effective at right midfield but has been excellent at right back.

So that got me thinking about any other United players who were not very good in one position, moved to another and became decent players. I remember Tom Heffernan being a very iffy right back, moved into midfield and became a solid part of the team at the time, albeit not one of United's best ever teams. Scored a great goal against Leyton Orient, bursting through from midfield in a 6-3 win after being 3-2 down with about 20 minutes left.

Any others?

Jags was a reasonable goalie but much better centre half.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

Bob Booker got tremendous stick when he first joined, all turned around by the time he scored that goal at QPR

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Blackwell was a better assistant than goalkeeper.

 

[Grecian2000]

I posted this in another Basham thread earlier in the season but both Jamie Hoyland and Nicky Marker were much better CB's than midfielders.
Colin Hill was far better at CB than RB (and it let Chris Wilder play in his place).
Monty should have spent more time at RB (and fuck all time at CM).
As mentioned Jags was always better at both RB and CB rather than in midfeld.
I'm sure if we'd played Lee Baxter anywhere on the field other than between the sticks . . . . .

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

Would Jamie Murphy count?

Brought in under Wilson as a striker and is now our best winger.

 

[Silent Blade]

Mick Speight took a lot of stick from the crowd in his first few seasons and then in 1977ish he was one of our better players and took over the captaincy when Woody went to USA

 

[Darren]

In one position, moved to another position and became good?

My first view of Chris Basham, as a midfielder, was that he wasn't that good. He always seemed to be where the ball wasn't and contributed very little either defensively or in attack. A move to centre back has changed all that. He looks assured, confident, technically proficient and has become many peoples first choice at CB, me included. Some would say, again me included, that Ryan Flynn is not all that effective at right midfield but has been excellent at right back.

So that got me thinking about any other United players who were not very good in one position, moved to another and became decent players. I remember Tom Heffernan being a very iffy right back, moved into midfield and became a solid part of the team at the time, albeit not one of United's best ever teams. Scored a great goal against Leyton Orient, bursting through from midfield in a 6-3 win after being 3-2 down with about 20 minutes left.

Any others?

Sorry to piss on your chips, but Heffernan played RB in the Orient game. He picked the ball up in the RB position, ambled down the ring win and then shot from about 20 yards.

He played a few games in midfield towards the end of the following season, but was not impressive enough to stop Porterfield freeing him at the end of that seasobn.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Steve Faulkner. Played for us, was shit, and then became the best dad in the world.

 

[Dec]

Matty Hill

 

[Silent Blade]

Steve Faulkner. Played for us, was shit, and then became the best dad in the world.

Ha ha ha!

 

[Bayingblade]

Sorry to piss on your chips, but Heffernan played RB in the Orient game. He picked the ball up in the RB position, ambled down the ring win and then shot from about 20 yards.

He played a few games in midfield towards the end of the following season, but was not impressive enough to stop Porterfield freeing him at the end of that seasobn.

My memory must be going Darren. My recollection is that he was in midfield, picked the ball up in the centre circle, played a one two centrally, burst through a high Orient backline and slotted it past the keeper.

T'was a looong time ago

 

[Darren]

My memory must be going Darren. My recollection is that he was in midfield, picked the ball up in the centre circle, played a one two centrally, burst through a high Orient backline and slotted it past the keeper.

T'was a looong time ago

Nah, wasn't like that at all. There's a pic in a subsequent programme that shows him whacking it in front thr right hand side of the penalty box.

 

[sitwell]

My memory of Heffernan is him running almost the full length of the pitch at full belt to celebrate Kevin Arnotts last minute winner away at Southend (still my favourite goal). He had the cottage next to the White Swan at Greenhill and would bump into him quite a lot.