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Signed from Brentford, anyone remember him play for the Town?

I did see him play a couple of times for us back in the late 70's but remember nothing about him at all other than he was a striker and had a 'tache a bit like Animal Williams's.

Strange player, seemed to run without bending his knees.  The joke was that he had been too long playing in the stiffs.  Another hopeless signing.

I probably saw most of his games for Town and I don't think there were that many. He was fucking hopeless - was used whenever Chico was injured. Definitely more Shaun Close than Steve White. Absolute shite.

The only good thing about Mickey French, was that he was used in the player plus cash deal
that saw us sign Ian Miller from Donny.

 I think I only saw Micky the once...around 77, the back end of Danny Williams' second coming.

 Not living in Swindon meant I didn't see so many matches back then, but it was an Easter fixture, so was visiting the p's.

 We played Posh and were truly terrible, got beat 4-0, it was windy, the pitch was bereft of grass, and despite having players like Mossy and Ray McHale, no bugger could get the ball down, which seemed to suit Posh's more direct style.

 Micky certainly wasn't helped by the conditions, and got subbed for Wynne Hooper, who is right up there on my list of all time STFC duffers.

 

http://www.justcatnaps.com/collection/teamsnewport.html

This Wyn Hooper Reg?.....note a young Geoff Thomas in the team.

That's the one...we also had Steve Aizlewood from that list, Aizlewood was quite an under-rated player.  I'm not sure that'd would be Geoff Thomas of Palace and England fame.

Your right Reg,it isnt....is that the Mclaughlin in the squad who played for us?

no-his name was John I think,ex-Pompey.Ray Mabbut is the father of Gary and Kevin incidentally

Yes he was fucking awful.

Danny signed some real duffers at around that time; French,Hooper and that wife beater
David Cunningham.

Cheers...did you know that Kevin Mabbutt is one of only three away players ever to score a hatrick at Old Trafford!.....the other two being Dennis Baily for QPR and Martin Peters for Spurs(actually scored 4)
Ronaldo...not Christiano did it for Real Madrid also...obviously not in the lge.

McLaughlin was signed from Colchester and like Aizlewood went to Pompey.

Aizlewood was absolutely brilliant - very, very underrated as was Tim Parkin. When you think of class centre halves for Swindon then Aizlewood is right up there. Played a few games up front for us as well. 

That cunt Westwood from Gillingham did Aizlewood with an over the top tackle in the infamous
game at the CG.Turned out to be his last game for us before he joined Frank Burrow's Pompey team.

That was a couple of years before the Pikeys started their "love affair" with us.

I don't know anything about David Cunningham, but i see from http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk that he was with us for about 18 months then signed for Aston Villa? Is that correct, as if he did he must have had something about him?

David Cunningham must have been one of the shortest players ever in English professional football.  He had great dribbling ability and a total lack of a sense of direction second only to Tom Jenkins.  He had no pace because his legs were so short.  If a terrible genetic engineering experiment went wrong and a clone of Tom Jenkins combined with Mini Me were made, the result would be David Cunningham.  He would set off on a run, usually in a random diagonal direction, typically beating about four or five players, and then run out of pitch, or lose the ball.  There never seemed to be any end result.  It was entertaining to watch, though.   

John McLaughlin and Steve aizlewood were fantastic players and very under rated, I can vouch that Cunningham was a freak of nature and although promising with speed and dribbling ability didn't actually know what to do when he went past a player....usually on the inside only to pass to one of the opposition.

I never realised that Mickey French was a England Youth International! we were hard up back in those days! ......incidentally rated as one of the best players ever to play for Aldershot!

The swap deal that got us Ian Windy Miller was a huge bonus as hes still my favourite right winger ever at Swindon.

I don't think anyone signs all gems.....Danny signed some right stumers in his time, but also some great players. As long as the balance sheet is positive over a time; that's what matters.

I think you may be forgetting Ricky Shakes?

There's a famous story that when AC Milan signed Luther Blisset they thought that they were
getting John Barnes.I can only think that Villa somehow mistook Cunningham for David Moss,
from scouting reports earlier that year.Mossy had left for Luton by that time.I would doubt
that Cunningham ever played in the Villa first team and he wasn't even in the Town team,
under Bob Smith at that time.One of the most puzzling transfers to involve a Town player.

Shortest player I've ever seen in the red...even shorter than young Alan Young, was Wee Tommy Henderson, a diminutive Glaswegian winger, mined from the seam, that once produced a seeming never ending supply, but which was exhausted by the time of Pat Nevin.

Tommy...looked a bit like Jimmy Krankie, but could play. He came down from St Mirren to Leeds, when they were on the up, but didn't make it...moving onto Bury, from where we signed him.

In the games he played in 66, we had a decent record, scoring on debut v Hull, then writing himself into STFC history, by scoring the first STFC goal v Headington at the Manor.

A winner v Millwall in front of 16000+ meant 3 goals in 11 games, not bad for a winger.

For a little un Tommy had a fierce shot, and struck the derby opener from range, it flew in.

In between the good stuff, we had an all too familiar 5-0 drubbing at Fellows Park, for which Tommy carried the can....although Peter Downsborough had one of those games and we were 3 down in 15 mins.

Tom was off to Stockport next season....and we got in the Gashead Bobby Jones as replacement....now he was shit.

I always respected Danny's judgement when it came to players,but in his last year of managing us,
he signed some pretty poor forwards if i'm honest.

http://web.telia.com/~u27301997/326.html

Big money Hereford payed for him!

http://web.telia.com/~u27301997/1150.html

Loved this player for us....should have been an England player at some stage...Villa wasnt the best move in hindsight....note he once scored 5 in a youth game for Villa in the one match he played...i can remember him scoring a goal at Luton on a snowy day in the cup that was disalowed....and also him scoring a televised hatrick v Scotland for England youth.....and not forgeting he once scored the winner v Man U in a cup final.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bvv9K_27vs

What a way to get the hatrick....also Pritchard taking a pay cut to join City!

I always thought rideout played for wales?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Rideout

Did i not know that!

Thats quite a shit scoring record tbf

Rideout was the best player I have played with and against, I kicked him a few times but he still scored 5 goals in one game for Kingsdown against us.

So strong and quick footed, shame he didnt stay with us longer but he was a great talent only matched by his ego!