You must have memory loss if you think those players wouldn’t get into the current side.
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Clayton Ince was a brilliant keeper.
Have to say Stephen Hughes from that era was a massive disappointment. I remember him coming in and Mullen made him captain straight away. Everytime I watched that season I expected to see a guy with recent premier league pedigree but he was even worse than the current midfield options.
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They probably would! Which ones have I said wouldn’t get into our side! They are as average League One lower end of the table as we have now though bar a few names. Maybe Boertein and definitely Butler would be DEMONSTRABLY better than what we have.
Again, it’s not a comparison. I don’t rate some of those names just like I don’t rate the squad Keates has cobbled together. There must be a common denominator for all of those managers to fail. Maybe it’s not getting the right managers in, which is budget. maybe it’s not getting the right players in, which is budget. While we play tit for tat and blame people who have their hands tied because one manager made a success of it it allows the board to keep under funding us. Hopefully relegation will sort that out.
Hard to judge Ince and Dobson? Not sure I see that at all. Ince holds our record for clean sheets in a season- as I recall, we didn’t concede a goal at Bescot until November, or sometime stupid, in his first season. Another Clayton Ince joining this summer would be precisely the tonic.
Michael Dobson’s contribution was stupidly underrated. I remember vividly the second half of our first game back in League One, against Carlisle. One down and second best at half time, Money switched to a midfield diamond, with Dobbo at the base and Sonner at the tip, and Dobson absolutely bossed the second half… broke up everything Carlisle put together in the middle of the park, gave it simple and got us moving again. Snatched a respectable point, and should’ve won it… probably would’ve done without Carlos Carneiro stinking the place up.
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Clayton Ince was exceptional in League Two as was the whole squad. I don’t remember being that impressed with him at the level we are comparing too (apparently) now.
Michael Dobson again, good in League Two. Dropped halfway through the League One season and was then sold to League One MK Dons where he didn’t play a game. Can’t say he took us to the next level which is exactly what I’m talking about. Our budget doesn’t allow for those players and hasn’t for some time.
I intentionally didn’t include Money in my original post for that reason. Obviously he did a good job and found some good players but that isn’t comparable to Mullen, Hutchings, Smith, O’Driscoll, Whitney and Keates, for better or mostly worse, for that reason.
I’ll never forget the wonderful moment that Michael Dobson put Nicolas Anelka on his arse.