As we have a bit of a collective break just now I thought I’d take a look at a few of our former players who never, ever get a mention. I don’t know why, but nobody seems to remember them, let alone speak about them.
It’s not just MFW, nobody recalls them anywhere. As for you folks who might say to me “well I remember him”, great!
Let’s start with Victor Segura. Our first Spanish signing and carried off against the Binners.
Anyone for Dean Coney? Well, I think he put his butt in the right place back in the 1990s. Just the once.
Trevor Putney too, we all know where he came from. He was okay for a single season.
Andy Linighan when his brother Dave was a Binner. The rumours of their social lives are legendary.
The Jarvis brothers (Ryan and Rossi). What went wrong?
Lee Power on his debut – he took a ball from over the top on his shoulder (QPR I think) and whacked It in. I think we were 3-0 down at the time.
Robert Eagle looked like he could run a tramline. No, not really. Shame.
The enigma that was Keith O’Neill. He even had his own little girlie fan club. Called something like LoveShack after the US basketball player.
Moving forward a good mate of mine illustrated how we had improved the left back position. Marc Tierney had gone (can’t think why!) and so we had the Spanish lad in from Man City (Javier Garrido? – Ed). “He likes to eat paella and now he is a yella” He got his own song. Brilliant.
Then we got Martin Olsson. The progression was there for all to see. Us left-backs like a chat.
Continuing with a Spanish theme the release of Dani Ayala remains a mystery to me to this day. The first thing he did on landing in Norwich was to volunteer to give Spanish lessons to our local school kids. To me, that shows character and a very pleasant one at that.
And then Sergi Canos… sent away because of the rise of the Murphy brothers. I can live with that. A decision made at that time, for good or ill.
As for third choice keepers, I’m not even going there. Especially if they’re in for a sarcastic Barry Butler award, as funny as it was at the time.
I’ll end with the true house of horrors list. Be afraid MFW readers all, be very afraid:
So… Michael Theoklitis (right), Andy Hughes, Matty Pattison, Alan Gow, Raymond de Waard, Fernando Derveld, Antoine Sibierski, Papa Diop, Jurgen Colin, Carl Bradshaw, Glenn Roeder, Bryan Hamilton.
Thinking caps on, folks.
Hi Martin,
Got to mention my favourite fullback.
Dave Phillips, to me he was a legend. Never missed a game for NCFC, chipped in with the odd goal and would run up and down the line all day long.
He was a wing back before they became en vogue. Quality quality player.
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Hello Chris
Dave Phillips (another one from Man C) could also play in the middle. He had a dead ball left foot thunderbolt on him as well.
He has claimed (maybe in jest, maybe in truth) that he was sold off by Mr Chase in order to pay for the undersoil heating at Carrow Road.
Another one popular with “ladies of a certain age”!
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Malcolm Allen anyone?
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Yeah a serious omission on my part. I think he scored four against Sutton United while Flecky got three. I actually remember him relatively well – a typically bullish Welsh lad who gave his all.
There are so many of them out there but I really should have included him.
Thanks Laurence.
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David (I Bet) Neilson. never had the look of a good footballer, scored a few when on loan then with contract secured looked like a lad lost. You mentioned Andy Hughes. again a poor footballer but is attitude must have been a blessing to a manager. with the line I’ll play there gaffer, whether full back winger, midfield and even went in goal I believe.
Dickson Etuhu never quite worked his attutude out. Thomas Helveg was in my opinion a little bit ahead in thinking of some of our players. But didn’t have the legs with his experience should have offered more.
More on to Mark Fotheringham , famous for one kick and could not do anything else but knew how to tell others how to .
Who could forget Peter (Have my own treatment Table) Thorne scored everywhere almost for fun, then he joins City and spent more in the sick room.
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Excellent stuff Lad.
We boughtt Thorne specfically to play with Robert Earnshaw through raiding Cardiff again. He (Thorne) was an abysmal waste of money.
Fotheringham – “I’m in charge” was another giant (okay, 5’10”) disaster. Thought he was the best but he surely had muck in his eye. Real rubbish.
Dickson Etuhu – oh boy. Brilliant cricketers such as Sir Clive Lloyd and even Sir Garfield Sobers have been called laid back on occasions. Dickson could have knocked them into a cocked hat with his attitude and achieved only a penn’orth of what they did.
You are bang on with Helveg – Worthy also signed Simon Charlton and Matthias Jonssen at the same time. The 5ft6″ centre back and the winger who wasn’t. A footballer.
And as for Neilson we went to Barnsley and won 2-0 in a game that effectively promoted us and relegated them. Apart from constant fist-pumping to us lot his sole contribution was to miss a penalty.
Was I there? You bet!
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Andy Johnson?
I don’t remember him all that well, because at the time he was playing I saw games very rarely and pre-internet it was much harder for exiles to know what was going on. But I knew enough to gather that we had a potentially really good player – yet he failed to flourish as he should.
Reading Flown from the Nest it sounds as though he had an over-inflated idea of his value wherever he went.
I guess those of you closer to the Fine City will either remember what went on with him in or more detail, or perhaps have conveniently decided to forget!
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Does it age me if I chuck in Barry Staton, Gerry Howshall and Peter Vasper?
On the other hand Max Briggs, Clive Payne and Neil O’Donnel are more recent,never forgetting Charlie Crickmore.
Have to say I cannot remember worse players than Dervald and De Waard.
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No Richard it doesn’t age you. Only mildly, anyway:-)
Howzabout Roger “Careless” Hansbury, given that monicker from a Des O’Connor song called Careless Hands, Max Briggs and Clive Payne I do remember but the other two I don’t.
From your intro I can recall Peter Vasper but again, not the other two.
Dervald and De Waard: agreed. Only Theoklitos comes close.
Nice post and thank you.
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Hi Keith
Andy Johnson had the (mis)fortune to play in a City side that was, let’s be honest, pretty poor at the time.
He was a strong tackler and a hard worker and, from what my memory tells me always thought he was worthy of a better situation elsewhere. Up to him.
As the song from that old musical goes, he had High Hopes. It didn’t really work for him after he left but while he was here I believe he gave us good value.
Not one I’d put on my Oh My Gawd list:-)
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Good stuff, Martin.
Nice mention by Keith B of Andy Johnson. If he’d had the attitude of Andy Hughes, he’d have gone all the way.
Another truly outstanding talent was Peter Mendham – in that case a career sadly limited by injury.
Of those discussed in the article, I reckon Andy Linighan was underrated. A really good centre back, whose reputation at City is surely held back by his following the fantastic pairing of Steve Bruce and Dave Watson.
Surely someone could do a new article on our loan players, from the appalling (Antoine Sibierski, John Hartson), to the brilliant (Angus Gunn, Harrison Reed). Harry Kane didn’t look the part when he was with us; Scott Parker certainly did. Many more in each of the good, bad and ugly categories…
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Thanks Stewart.
I’ve met Mendy several times and have always found him very much a gent on every occasion..
He was also one heck of a footballer.
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Let’s not forget Linighan got us into Europe & uttered the fantastic quote after breaking his nose in the cup final “I won’t be picking it for a while”
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Ha!
I’d never heard that quote before!
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Hi Martin
Remember them all plus others some good some not so good.
Here are one players that should have lite up Carrow Rd with their goals butnever really got the chance or were late developers
John Fashanu possibly live in his brothers limelight, played 7 times scored 1 1978 to 1983
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Hi Alex
The story of the Fashanu brothers is well documented. We let John go very early; probably a mistake. But as supporters we very rarely know what goes on behind the scenes – it would have been centred on Trowse in those days.
But the folks there wouldn’t sling you out if you came along to watch training.
Try doing that at Colney in this day and age!
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There was a Swiss-Italian fella who played up front for a while. Giallanza?
He was one who was not hard to forget.
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Hi Ben
Gaetano, who we used to call Swiss Tony – think of Harry Enfield. He had a horrendous injury here and was invalided out of the game.
He happens now to be Timm Klose’s agent.
Small world!
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Patrick Boyle?
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Now there you have really lost me:-)
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Came on loan from Everton about 10 years ago-rubbish full back I believe
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Was he in the squad for the infamous Plymouth game?
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A young fullback on loan from Everton?
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Lee Marshall is worth a shout. Had a some steel about him in a flaky side, but his appetite for yellow cards meant he was a liability and got sold for about £700K.
You knew Keith ‘O Neill days were numbered when he spent more time in licensed premises than he did on the pitch, though in those days he was one of several.
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Yes indeedy Chris Llewellyn also comes to mind in that context.
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Going back a few years we were playing Reading on a wet evening. A pass from Sidwell slid out of touch.
“What the F### was that!” yelled one of his team mates.
A bit over the top, I thought and made a note of his name.
Fast forward a couple of seasons and the same player is with us and unable to successfully execute a single pass.
Even assaulting one of our own fans didn’t finish his career. Worst player ever A. Hughes.
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HA! a really big ha!
Great comment and one hundred per cent accuracy.
Much respect.
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Don Heath, who scored the first goal in that famous 2-1 cup win at Old Trafford.
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You’ve done me there David. Even I don’t go that far back. I’ve heard of Don Heath but know nothing about him.
Probably because I grew up in London in the 1960s.
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Andy Linighan should be more revered by Norwich fans than he seems to be; he was decent for us but headed the winner for Arsenal in the F.A Cup final which allowed us to qualify for Europe.
I remember Robert Rosario coming into my local pub one night (he was an occasional visitor rather than a regular). He had fallen out with the manager-I can’t remember which one-and said ‘that’s it, I’m never playing for Norwich again’ Allan the landlord, who missed a great career in the diplomatic corps, said ‘that’s because you’re not ****ing good enough’ I never saw RR again, neither at Carrow Road or in The Rose.
Paul Haylock was a consistent and under-rated full back who had an even stranger running gait than Raheem Stirling.
Ian Murray was a Scottish midfielder and CB who had lots of style and a decent touch but was physically lightweight and easily made ineffective by more robust opposing players. If he was available now DF would sign him!
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Hi Don
The Linighan exit was contrived by Chase rather than an actual manager, I believe.
Rosario moving to Cov made Chase some money.
Your Ian Murray remark fills me full of despair!
But it’s true.
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Hi Martin
Freddie Sharpe from the sixties, came from Tottenham and lived two doors away from us on the estate off Greenways in Eaton. Think he was right half or in modern parlance central defender. My Mum said he was a lovely chap…
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Thank you Adrian.
Ian Crook, Mark Bowen, Ian Culverhouse and even Gary Brooke I can remember coming from Spurs. And Neal Fenn on a great little short-term deal.
Freddie Sharpe? You’ve done me I can remember latter-day Harry Kane and Marcus Edwards as basically unsuccessful loanees from Spurs. but Mr Sharpe is beyond my ken.
Hopefully other posters might remember him.
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Strangely, Neale Fenn is one of my favourite Norwich players. I remember being away at Sheffield United & he was the catalyst behind a comeback which started our run which took us away from relegation.
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How about the 1983 Youth Cup heroes? Paul Clayton, Donowa et al? Also Mark Farrington from Everton who scored a wonderful goal against someone as I remember. On that subject how about Roger Gibbins goal v Birmingham?
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Hi Catton
Yeah Louis Donowa is often forgotten when he shouldn’t be. He’s in that famous photo. And so he should be.
I still remember those days with pride.
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How about Jason Jarrett and Sammy Clingan the former getting the It could of been you!!!! treatment as we stormed to the premier league,and he was stuck playing for Coventry.
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Hi Rachel – good calls both.
I remember the Clingan chants very well – it was the last home game of the season in the glorious sunshine!
Jarrett was appalling. he was hyped up so much when we signed him yet delivered absolutely nothing. One of our poorest buys.
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No mention of Ulf Ottoson?! Came with a blaze of glory & then returned to the wilderness. A poor mans Marc Libbra if you will.
A mention for Shaun Carey – I was the one fan who actually rated him.
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Good picks there Dave.
I’d genuinely forgotten Ottoson but you’ve brought back a few unpleasant memories:-)
Shaun Carey was a tidy little player and possibly a tad unfortunate not to have seen more first team opportunities than he did.
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Was about to wade in with Carey, how he managed to play over 80 games at champ level remains a mystery!
After being released he ended up in the conference, at least he found his level.
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Hi Segura – you’re obviously somebody who remembers our Victor!
As for Carey, I never thought of him as that bad as such, just extremely dull and unadventurous.
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And the never to be remembered Keith Scott.
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Good one Andy!
Winner of the unofficial “ineffective, immobile, lifeless lump of the season” competition.
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Steve Walsh, Tony Cottee, International defender from Fulham, whose surname was something like Stevanic, was soon injured. Ollie Johnson.
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Ah, Ollie Johnson.
He of the wacky hairstyle and the match-winning late brace against Sarfend.
Who never did anything else whatsoever and was binned off by Lambert (who signed him in the first place, to be absolutely fair.)
Walsh and Cottee fall into the “what is there to remember?” category.
I vaguely remember the guy from Fulham but cannot name him. Of course, we got Elliott Omazusi from them as well……..
Thanks Jon.
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Zesh Rehman anyone? Or was he a loanee?
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Just a loan, I think. But (almost) entirely unmemorable
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Zesh Rehman came from Fulham too and was, I believe, a Pakistan international and a bit of an ambassador for Asian football in the days when that counted for something.
I’m pretty sure he was on loan with us but eventually floated down the EFL until he disappeared from view. I seem to remember him addressing questions of “why don’t Asian lads embrace football” in very eloquent terms in our local media.
A good guy but I only remember him as a one-paced centre back who didn’t actually play many games for us.
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Dejan Stefanovic? Nice work dredging that one out of the memory banks!
Maybe we had something about surnames around then (2007-09). He was more-or-less a contemporary of the great David Strihavka.
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Ah, Dave Striker!
He wasn’t really though, was he? A striker, that is. One “wit” in the Barclay dubbed him the “Bouncing Czech”. He didn’t last long.
Stefanovic must win you the memory recall of the article award. He looked really useful until he got crocked. A bit like John O’Neil in a very sad comparison.
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This seems a mixture of unsung heroes (Linighan, Putney), those who disappointed (Louis-Jean), those sadly injured (John O’Neill) and those who were barely noticed or noticed for the wrong things and those are the players I am going to look at. Starting with Bobby Bell our first loan signing, Wilson full back from 1973 and Kellock from the same season, maybe a fleeting memory of a defender called Fleeting, More recently I remember Andy Hughes as a case of going in to buy Sidwell and leaving with the wrong player, Hughes was not helped by being dragged out of position covering for Louis-Jean in his first two matches, he used to go on a lap of honour after every match and allegedly was on the look out a local journalist who criticised him. Omar Koroma rings a bell
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Hi John – some excellent ones in there.
We got Louis-Jean from Forest; he might have played two matches and I seriously doubt it was any more.
Koroma was yet another loanee from Fulham who did absolutely zilch.
Your Hughes-Sidwell comment is very pertinent. I remember Dave Stringer saying they went to Port Vale for Darren Beckford and Robbie Earle, but ran out of time to discuss Earle.
The phrase balls-up comes to mind.
Andy Hughes probably deserves an article all by himself.
Great post and thank you.
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Think Koroma was from Portsmouth not Fulham but who cares, he was useless. Strange no mention of Muzinic.or his milkman.
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Whoops!
Yes you’re quite right on Koroma, of course. As you say on the (very) rare occasions he was seen in a yellow shirt he was useless.
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David Bentley anyone? Signed on loan from Arsenal for the year we were in the premier under Worthy. Could have been a top class player, but got banned from the squad for a while for an incident in training?
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Absolutely correct Gary.
I won’t regurgitate the “training ground incident” but I too understand that your comment is sound.. The Marcus Edwards of his day, I’d guess.
Thank you for your comment..
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Neil Emblen anyone? Think we signed him from Wolves and then crocked during his first game. Big fan of Marc Edworthy and Steen Nedergaard – two quality free transfer signings. Matthias Svensson from Palace was a good signing, bought on the same day as Leon McKenzie.
Good shout on David Bentley, three of the most anti-climactic signings for me were Johan Ellmander, Julian Brellier and Arturo Lupoli. The latter two came in under Glenn Roeder – enough said! Famous interview with Hucks who started screaming at Le Judge (Brellier) during a game as he didn’t pass to him – reply was along the lines of ‘sorry hucks, can’t kick the ball 30 yards’! Jon Otsemobor, another Roeder signing hailed as a coup! John Kennedy, one of Roeder’s loan legion came in from Celtic
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Hi Jon – you’ve got a couple of belters in there.
Eddy and Steen were indeed good players both. I met Steen a few times – he used to go in The Rushcutters now and again.
Brellier verged on the farcical as your Hucks story illustrates. The Hearts fans gave us the flag they had made for him with “Le Judge on it”. I hate to think where it ended up!
Elmander was dreadful. All I can remember of Lupoli is that he was short. In stature and talent.
Great post – thanks.
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One more from me – Goran Maric 2009 – must have been home sick
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I know the name but cannot remember the player at all!
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Maric? From Barcelona…..B
Troy Archibald-Henvill
Johnny Morris
Peter Morris
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Given your encyclopaedic musical knowledge Martin I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned Elvis….
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Oh, Mr Hammond?
Yet another one from Fulham (wait for our MFW loanee article next week).
The original Elvis was often declared to have “left the building”.
I doubt Elvis Hammond was ever truly in it.
I prefer Elvis Costello anyway!
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Marc Libbra
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Hi Mike
Some bloke near me in the Barclay had a shirt with Libbra 11 (seconds) in tribute to his debut goal against Man C. Another one who sadly never quite lived up to early promise.
I didn’t include him because I think many of us remember him pretty well.
Cedric Anselin is well respected by all of us, mainly for so bravely documenting his battle with depression and still pops up on Radio Norfolk occasionally, of course.
Jean-Yves du Blassis was of course a different kettle of poisson!
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