David Peach - worst left back of all time?

[A Gent Orange]

Can anyone remember David Peach and could tell me a little bit about how he played for Town?

We've had lots of requests to add him to TheWashbag.com's Hall of Shame but no one who remembers him seems willing to write it. So I will but I need the help of the TEF...

How did he play? Could he tackle/cross? Anything would help. How does he compare to Drysdale or Elkins or Heiselberg? http://thewashbag.com/2012/11/13/hall-of-shame-21/
Obviously I might dodge libel -   etc but anything else goes.

Come on, it is this or watch Morecambe and Wise/Harry Potter again!

[ahounsell]

Older fans may remember more but as far as I can recall Peach wasnt that bad in terms of ability.

He was signed for a big fee which he never lived up to. In that respect probably quite similar to Drysdale.

[suttonred]

I remember him and was quite excited when he signed, it quickly became apparent we had signed a clone  of what we'd seen on MOTD, with no apparent football skills programmed in. I don't think he was worse than the 3 mentioned above, but for the money we paid and his reputation, we should have got a good player, we didn't though.

[Nemo]

Well thought of at Gillingham. http://brianmooreshead.wordpress.com/2004/12/20/top-25-cult-heroes-1954-1979-number-12/

And Soton apparently.

[Peter Venkman]

Had a great pedigree at Southampton (England U21 and B international IIRC) but was fat and slow and had trouble tackling and passing, signed for something like £150k which was a lot of money back then.

Personally I think Drysdale was worse but there wasn't much in it.

[ronnie21]

A good player who badly lost his way imho.  Didn't rate Drysdale!!

[chalkies_shorts]

We had a great league cup run and a bit of money to burn. we tried to sign Micky Channon from Soton and ended up with Peach. Before that Peach had been a very good left back in the Prem and some fancied him for England. If I remember correctly he was also a class penalty taker.
We bought him for £150k and what a fucking porker we bought. Was fat, unfit and allegedly had some issues which was why Soton were very happy to take £150 for him.
In a Swindon shirt he was fucking useless with a turning circle wider than my arse.
If we'd done our homework we could have avoided him.
As for worst left back then that still has to be Drysdale who we bought for £400k. Allegedly he had even more issues than Peach, which again were well known before we signed him.

[kerry red]

We've really had the best and worst when it comes to full backs.

Peach was truly woeful for the money we paid - pound for pound he was worse than Beauchump.

Yet, we've also had some wonderful full backs - Thomas, Ramsey, Kerslake, King, Bodin.

[Reg Smeeton]

We had a great league cup run and a bit of money to burn. we tried to sign Micky Channon from Soton and ended up with Peach. Before that Peach had been a very good left back in the Prem and some fancied him for England. If I remember correctly he was also a class penalty taker.
We bought him for £150k and what a fucking porker we bought. Was fat, unfit and allegedly had some issues which was why Soton were very happy to take £150 for him.
In a Swindon shirt he was fucking useless with a turning circle wider than my arse.
If we'd done our homework we could have avoided him.
As for worst left back then that still has to be Drysdale who we bought for £400k. Allegedly he had even more issues than Peach, which again were well known before we signed him.

Bob Smith came in and added to the good players left behind by Danny Williams, with people like Ian Miller Mayes/Rowland and Animal Wiliams...which suggested he knew what he was doing, as the 78/79 early to mid 79/80 side was as good as anything we've had since 68/69.  Which is why it was a puzzle that he spunked 150K, which I suppose is close to a mill in todays money, on a crap leftback.  Andy Ford had been a proper Steady Eddie, but started to pick up injuries, John Templeman and Bender Lewis filling in out of position.

When Alan Mayes made his debut at Milmoor on a bleak Feb night he scored a hat-trick...when Peach made his debut we shipped 6 at The Den on a bleak March night.

The most reasonable rumour doing the rounds in pre social media days, was that Smith allegedly had taken a shine to Peach's missus...this one still crops up to try and explain the completely irrational.

Peach, unfortunately seemed to be the Jonah, that turned a much loved outfit into a side bound for Div 4.

[leefer]

Peach was awfull.
I remember that season when Smith nearly took us up,how we didn't get auto is still a mystery,a win at Brentford three matches to go had me convinced we had a real chance...a whacking at Wednesday and Blackpool ended the dream.
With a young Kamara,Mayes and Rowlands the great cup runs did us in the end....two players ending up with 30 goals apiece and we still didn't go up...incredible.
Bob Smith and coach Wilf Tranter dissapeared without trace in the following years,some great memories tinged with if only.

[Red Frog]

The thing I best remember about David Peach, apart from a wispy attempt at a combover, was that he would do everything not to pass the ball forward. Keeper-Peach-Keeper. Keeper-Peach-Lewis. Keeper-Lewis-Carter-Miller-Rowland-Mayes-Peach-Keeper. I tore out so much hair at a tender age that I even ended up resembling him, football ability and all. Awful, awful player.

[suttonred]

Peach was awfull.
I remember that season when Smith nearly took us up,how we didn't get auto is still a mystery,a win at Brentford three matches to go had me convinced we had a real chance...a whacking at Wednesday and Blackpool ended the dream.
With a young Kamara,Mayes and Rowlands the great cup runs did us in the end....two players ending up with 30 goals apiece and we still didn't go up...incredible.
Bob Smith and coach Wilf Tranter dissapeared without trace in the following years,some great memories tinged with if only.

That last sentence pretty much sums up our complete history.

[ekarot]

Peach was woeful and even Bryan Wade played better than him at left back in a pre season macari team at Cardiff.Drysdale was a strange signing for big money always injured but did buy me a beer in the Tavern(Melksham)on a Thursday 10 beers for a tenner in 2000.What about Mark Robinson £600000 for a trier at best when we needed goals and creativity post prem that was loads for a team of our size for a full back

[Family at War]

Seem to remember we also wasted loads on Colin Barrett that season from Notts Forest

[Peter Venkman]

Seem to remember we also wasted loads on Colin Barrett that season from Notts Forest

Barrett cost us £20k and played 3 games.