'Memries' Worst Blades case of 'Player out of Position'

[SouthEssexBlade]

The great one John Harris relied mainly on home groans but some of who he signed from the lower leagues became heroes obviosly TC but the likes of Carlin,Hemsley and yea Bill Puntin

You forgot the vastly underrated Dearden.

 

[Lane Ender]

You forgot the vastly underrated Dearden.

You ain't kidding sorry Billy lad.

 

[S64 Blade]

When we had David Johnson on loan from Forest, didn't we bring him on as a sub and play him somewhere totally ridiculous? I can't remember where it was now though.

Stoke, I think. I remember we were abysmal that game and everyone was calling for Warnock to go.

 

[Silent Blade]

The great one John Harris relied mainly on home groans but some of who he signed from the lower leagues became heroes obviosly TC but the likes of Carlin,Hemsley and yea Bill Puntin

Rowley signed Hemsley. Harris didnt pick Hemsley for a few months when he returned as the manager. Hemsley was a right sided midfielder, Harris wasnt happy with Heaton's performances at left back so he brought Hemsley into the team to play against Blackburn in November 1969 and it was probably the first time he wore the number 3 shirt

 

[Lane Ender]

Rowley signed Hemsley. Harris didnt pick Hemsley for a few months when he returned as the manager. Hemsley was a right sided midfielder, Harris wasnt happy with Heaton's performances at left back so he brought Hemsley into the team to play against Blackburn in November 1969 and it was probably the first time he wore the number 3 shirt

Harris was always in the background even when Rowley was manager
Heaton was garbage

 

[beatific blade]

Jordan Stewart - Right Wing under Blackwell

Jordan Stewart in his favoured position would be Jordan Stewart being played out of position.

The worst footballer I've ever seen play for us - and we've had some useless cunts!

 

[bricktop]

Craig Alcock. 5' 6" and played at centre half by Clough.......

 

[bladestrivia]

paul williams think that was is name bit like dopey dave at the sty, bassett played him at center half and he was useless he moved to west brom were he became centre forward and scored quite a few

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Nyron Nosworthy - if he was sat on the bog, he'd be in the wrong position

 

[bladestrivia]

paul williams think that was is name bit like dopey dave at the sty, bassett played him at center half and he was useless he moved to west brom were he became centre forward and scored quite a few

HELP ME OUT HERE SILENT was it paul williams or darren carr minds gone blank

 

[Upton_Blade]

Reading another thread got me thinking. What is the worst case of a player being played out of position in SUFC memory?

Some of mine would include;

Jagielka as CM. He looked average at best before he was shifted to RB. He made Bobby Ford seem like Beckenbeaur.

Kozluk as a striker. Pretty sure we stuck him upfront in an away game vs. Blackburn around 2001/2002.

Alan Wright left wing. Again memory is hazy but I recall we had a televised FA cup game vs. Sunderland where Warnock played 3 left backs. We lost. In another cup game vs. Villa he played CB and had a stormer! We won.

Any more stinkers I have probably tried to forget?

I may be wrong but didn't Jags play virtually the entirety of the promotion season in CM with Monty and was named the best player outside the Prem that year?

He only switched to CB once we had been promoted when he couldn't cut it in CM at the top level.

 

[Kabba Kabba Doo]

Craig Alcock. 5' 6" and played at centre half by Clough.......

Tbf I always thought Alcock was better at centre half than he was at full back!

 

[pommpey]

Lee Baxter. Should have not been in goal. In fact, ever.

pommpey

 

[Silent Blade]

paul williams think that was is name bit like dopey dave at the sty, bassett played him at center half and he was useless he moved to west brom were he became centre forward and scored quite a few

HELP ME OUT HERE SILENT was it paul williams or darren carr minds gone blank

Bassett signed Williams and Carr from Newport County. I remember my Norwich mate saying "buying players from Newport County is like buying things from Oxfam!"

Carr was the centre back and didnt play many first team games for us before moving to Crewe and then to Chesterfield. Williams was the useless centre forward (got sent off against Ipswich for elbowing ex-Wendy Ian Cranson) who was slow and wooden. Went to Hartlepool but did better at Stockport under Bergara and then moved to West Brom for £250K! It is said that WBA signed the wrong Paul Williams (there was another player with the same name at Stockport)

 

[bladestrivia]

Bassett signed Williams and Carr from Newport County. I remember my Norwich mate saying "buying players from Newport County is like buying things from Oxfam!"

Carr was the centre back and didnt play many first team games for us before moving to Crewe and then to Chesterfield. Williams was the useless centre forward (got sent off against Ipswich for elbowing ex-Wendy Ian Cranson) who was slow and wooden. Went to Hartlepool but did better at Stockport under Bergara and then moved to West Brom for £250K! It is said that WBA signed the wrong Paul Williams (there was another player with the same name at Stockport)

iam getting old as i thought it was cliff powell we signed with him derrrrr again

 

[Revolution]

Bassett signed Williams and Carr from Newport County. I remember my Norwich mate saying "buying players from Newport County is like buying things from Oxfam!"

Carr was the centre back and didnt play many first team games for us before moving to Crewe and then to Chesterfield. Williams was the useless centre forward (got sent off against Ipswich for elbowing ex-Wendy Ian Cranson) who was slow and wooden. Went to Hartlepool but did better at Stockport under Bergara and then moved to West Brom for £250K! It is said that WBA signed the wrong Paul Williams (there was another player with the same name at Stockport)

Williams got sent off for breaking Tony Humes' nose whilst the players were lining up for a United free kick. Bizarrely, United then scored for the free kick - Wally Downes bent it in.

Williams won 1 cap for Northern Ireland. His mother amounted to greater things - she won the Nobel Peace Prize in the 1970s.

 

[Silent Blade]

Williams got sent off for breaking Tony Humes' nose whilst the players were lining up for a United free kick. Bizarrely, United then scored for the free kick - Wally Downes bent it in.

Williams won 1 cap for Northern Ireland. His mother amounted to greater things - she won the Nobel Peace Prize in the 1970s.

Thought it was Ian Cranson but I think you are right. Yes, Downes played well that day

 

[Silent Blade]

iam getting old as i thought it was cliff powell we signed with him derrrrr again

Powell was from Watford and he was signed around the same time as we signed Williams and Carr

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Reading another thread got me thinking. What is the worst case of a player being played out of position in SUFC memory?

Some of mine would include;

Jagielka as CM. He looked average at best before he was shifted to RB. He made Bobby Ford seem like Beckenbeaur.

Kozluk as a striker. Pretty sure we stuck him upfront in an away game vs. Blackburn around 2001/2002.

Alan Wright left wing. Again memory is hazy but I recall we had a televised FA cup game vs. Sunderland where Warnock played 3 left backs. We lost. In another cup game vs. Villa he played CB and had a stormer! We won.

Any more stinkers I have probably tried to forget?

Jagilelka played CM in our promotion season and was POTY.

He may be better in defence but there's an argument for playing a player of his calibre in a position where he can make the biggest impact as he was so much better than most of our team.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Our entire team selection at Coventry in our promotion season. I think it looked something like this

--------------------Kenny

Geary-----Short-------Morgan---Jagielka

Webber--Montgomery-Flitcroft--Armstrong

--------------Shipperly-Akinbiyi

Jags was at left back to attempt to counter Scowcroft on their right. A complete mess. Monty ended up on set pieces as there was no taker in the team.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Tommy Johnson and Richard Cresswell. Both 30 odd and the slowest players on the pitch being used as wingers.

David McCallister on the right wing in Wilson's 2nd season as we never signed a replacement for Williamson or Quinny.

 

[Clarkey87]

Yes, the Everton player commanded his area superbly against Wigan...

Well, he commanded his area but he didn't catch the cross cleanly though, let's be fair, he was a bit of a flapper when it came in.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Not so much a player out of position but a case of a player I thought would be better in a different position.

Greg Halford. I thought he would be great in the holding midfield role and as it transpired so did he. Blackwell mentioned in an interview that he'd been on at him to play in central midfield but told the press that "players don't know what's best for them".

As it turns out, Warnock had him as his lynchpin in the holding midfield role in the Millers great escape last season.

 

[North somerset blade]

Done not up front by the comedy manager last season

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Monty & Koz. The music hall comedy duo. Positions pale into complete insignificance...

Roaming the land, wreaking havoc like two escapees from Jurassic Park.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Contentious but Michael Tongue in central midfield. Was brilliant on the left but had delusions of grandeur that he could play in the middle. Warnock somehow fell for this and he was never the same again as his career stuttered from one club to another without ever making an impact.

Runner up: Alan Woodward in goal ( but we had to)

Winner: George Long in goal ( because we didn't have to).

 

[Cheets]

Simon Webster played up front in our 2-0 win at Oldham in 1990 and by all accounts did well (I wasn't there).

 

[Pollingtonblade]

I'm sure we once brought a keeper on as an outfield player.

Budgie?

I'm buggered if I can remember when or where, but I was there.

Back end of 95/96 Kendall season didn't we do it at Reading? Can't remember who

 

[Silent Blade]

Back end of 95/96 Kendall season didn't we do it at Reading? Can't remember who

Carl Muggleton

 

[Knackered Blade]

Carl Muggleton

In the 1988/89 season, United, under Dave Bassett, were promoted from Division 3 to Division 2. The penultimate match of the season was a 2-2 draw at Wolves, which just about ensured promotion. United would not get promoted if they lost the last match of the season at Bristol City 6-0 or similar and if the other results went the wrong way. I think Port Vale had to win by a land slide.

In those days, only three subs were allowed and they were always outfield players. Bassett took the reasonable step of putting a goalkeeper ie Graham Benstead on the bench in case Simon Tracey was injured during the match. This would ensure some normality if Tracey was injured.

In the eventuality United lost 2-0 and Port Vale won, but by not enough and so United were promoted with Wolves.

I was at Ashton Gate on that day and I'm absolutely sure that Benstead played for the last minute of the match at centre-forward. I'm not sure it was reported as a substitution in the media, because it was so very late in the match.

Anyway, if Silent could confirm this or otherwise, my entry to this thread is playing a goalkeeper as a centre-forward.