Player Position Change.

[Cheeky Blade]

Reading some of the McBurnie stuff got me thinking if only we could convert him to a CB!
Good in the air, good defending corners, must know all the tricks of the forwards game…

But was this ever really a thing outside of amateur leagues?

Have we ever successfully converted a player from one position to another for which they were then known?

Open to suggest any other clubs with notable players who started out in one position but then became known in another.

 

[BigBed]

Or we could buy a couple of decent CBs?

 

[Newbury Blade]

Reading some of the McBurnie stuff got me thinking if only we could convert him to a CB!
Good in the air, good defending corners, must know all the tricks of the forwards game…

But was this ever really a thing outside of amateur leagues?

Have we ever successfully converted a player from one position to another for which they were then known?

Open to suggest any other clubs with notable players who started out in one position but then became known in another.

Gareth Taylor.

 

[Bean Kryan]

Dion Dublin

 

[Cheeky Blade]

Or we could buy a couple of decent CBs?

Well yes, there is that

 

[GrunkyPeep]

Monty's debut was as a right winger. Had a stormer too, looked a decent player, got a few decent crosses in.

 

[diode_blade]

Sir bob booker, didn't he start out as a midfielder then defender, or was it other way round?

 

[S26Dave]

Didn't Bash start as a midfielder?

 

[St Annington]

Carl Bradshaw was a CF converted to RB

 

[Ned the Donkey]

Didn't TC start as a striker?

 

[wak1889]

Wasn't brewster signed as a striker?

 

[tyneblade]

Reading some of the McBurnie stuff got me thinking if only we could convert him to a CB!
Good in the air, good defending corners, must know all the tricks of the forwards game…

But was this ever really a thing outside of amateur leagues?

Have we ever successfully converted a player from one position to another for which they were then known?

Open to suggest any other clubs with notable players who started out in one position but then became known in another.

Joelinton

Newcastle sign Joelinton from Hoffenheim in £40m club-record deal

Newcastle have signed Joelinton for a club-record £40m from Hoffenheim on a six-year deal.

www.skysports.com

PS I always hoped that Brewster might follow a similar trajectory, until I saw how much of Joelinton's game involved "contact".

 

[Tony_Kaufman]

Matt Elliott at Leicester in the 90s under Martin O'Neill where he was a left back. He was utilised as an emergency striker and scored the only goal across the two semi-final legs against Villa in the League Cup, then played as a striker in the final and scored both goals that won them the Cup.

 

[Bladesince59]

Reading some of the McBurnie stuff got me thinking if only we could convert him to a CB!
Good in the air, good defending corners, must know all the tricks of the forwards game…

But was this ever really a thing outside of amateur leagues?

Have we ever successfully converted a player from one position to another for which they were then known?

Open to suggest any other clubs with notable players who started out in one position but then became known in another.

Phil Jagielka

 

[Bergen Blade]

Matt Elliott at Leicester in the 90s under Martin O'Neill where he was a left back. He was utilised as an emergency striker and scored the only goal across the two semi-final legs against Villa in the League Cup, then played as a striker in the final and scored both goals that won them the Cup.

Elliott was a centre half, but his strength in the air meant he was a threat when pushed up front.

 

[Bell4]

Reading some of the McBurnie stuff got me thinking if only we could convert him to a CB!
Good in the air, good defending corners, must know all the tricks of the forwards game…

But was this ever really a thing outside of amateur leagues?

Have we ever successfully converted a player from one position to another for which they were then known?

Open to suggest any other clubs with notable players who started out in one position but then became known in another.

Warhurst

 

[Not_a_Cheat]

Warhurst

Beat me to it by seconds

 

[Bell4]

Beat me to it by seconds

What a convert he was to be fair - awesome for a while

 

[Ginger Gnome]

Warhurst

Weirdest thing with Warhurst was he was a decent centre back who did a good job as an emergency striker, then he threw a strop when he was asked to go back to defence, and was sold to Blackburn who played him in midfield, even though he wasn't much good there

 

[RossingtonBlade]

Kyle Walker was a striker in the academy I believe and ended up as a right back. Calvert Lewin came through the academy as a midfielder and ended up being used as a striker at Northampton as they had an injury crisis & ended up as a striker.

 

[Geordie Blade]

Weirdest thing with Warhurst was he was a decent centre back who did a good job as an emergency striker, then he threw a stop when he was asked to go back to defence, and was sold to Blackburn who played him in midfield, even though he wasn't much good there

I seem to remember that in Championship Manager, he could play defence, midfield or attack, and left, right or centre. There weren’t many that were so versatile!

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

Kenny Burns started as a defender with Birmingham City and was converted to a forward. When he went to Forest, Clough converted him back into a defender. So this is a double conversion .

 

[Maidenhead]

Chris Sutton went the other way, from defender to striker, with quite some effect when paired with Shearer

 

[Maidenhead]

Dion Dublin

But what does Oli know about renovating properties?

 

[Frank the tank]

Monty's debut was as a right winger. Had a stormer too, looked a decent player, got a few decent crosses in.

Yeah he was pretty good i remember him scoring two great goals from there

 

[1889]

Michael Verrips started as a goalkeeper after just one game, converted to an Amazon delivery driver in Rotterdam

 

[BigBed]

Didn't Bash start as a midfielder?

No, he started as a manager at McDonald's.

 

[diode_blade]

Billy Sharp started as a striker...turned into a super striker
Actually remember Billy playing in middle of park once

 

[wak1889]

I know not technically a player but Sam hashimi definitely needs a mention he was a bloke when he first tried to buy us then a woman, then a bloke, now a woman again, very versatile

 

[Cheeky Blade]

Billy Sharp started as a striker...turned into a super striker
Actually remember Billy playing in middle of park once

I seem to recall Billy playing stuck out on the wing…thanks Blackwell