Adver News: MacDonald expects Caddis in pre-season

[Reg Smeeton]

If memory serves me well, John Smith, the little midfield maestro of '69 came from Spurs, too

Smudger was hardly little...he did Spurs, after starting at WHU, even played a few games in the Double winning side.

[kerry red]

Small in height - not girth!

[joteddyred]

The season starts a week earlier this year, so not exactly like for like comparisons. But agree, far too early to be buying boots in the hope of getting a game.

If the season starts a week earlier, surely that means it's more of a concern that we haven't brought any new players in?

I would say the parallels with 2010 are worrying.

Indeed.  I will officially begin to worry when we start signing players and DV informs us that they were signed on the same date as those we signed in 2010!

[animalwilliams]

Managers would also include Dave Mackay, who played a few, and Les Allen.

John Gorman was also a former spur. 

[DV]

I would say the parallels with 2010 are worrying.

Both seasons we'd lost in the play offs. After our play off defeat on the 1st of June 2010 we released; Kurt Hammonds, Mark Marshall and Lloyd Macklin. We lost Billy Paynter on a freebie. Stephen Darby, Danny Danny Ward, Simon Ferry, Frank Nouble and Alan Sheehan all returned to their parent clubs. We also sold Alex Henshall.

Paynter, Ward, Ferry and Sheehan the only regulars and 2 of those had signed come August. We didnt really release any first team regulars like we have done this summer!

We signed Michael Rose on the 29th of June. Prutton and Ball in July. Caddis, Ferry, Dossevi and Sheehan in August.

Obviously July 13th we sold whats his name, that old, past it, injured prone, over rated, gives away silly free kicks on the edge of the box, kung fu kicking, scottish defender who everyone (apart from me!) didnt think we needed anyway...

[Batch]

Obviously July 13th we sold whats his name, that old, past it, injured prone, over rated, gives away silly free kicks on the edge of the box, kung fu kicking, scottish defender who everyone (apart from me!) didnt think we needed anyway...

Thankfully he was easily replaceable and we had better in Cuthbert and Morrison. Oh wait, Morrison wasn't up to it and Cuthbert isn't the player we (I) thought he was...

I think in 2010 there was the expectation we could kick on and build on what we had. The opportunity was there because as you say DV there wasn't a mass exodus. Wilson just got the replacement wrong.

2013 could be massively different. We have a rookie manager that is yet to prove himself in that he is building his first professional league squad,  and although currently we have the nucleolus of a good squad nobody really thinks we'll keep that together before the season start.

Its going to be interesting. And could yet be a whole lot better than 2010. Can't see us challenging though. I don't really have any expectations as such, but not struggling in and around the bottom 4 would be a successful season in my eyes. Anything better would be fantastic.

[kerry red]

Are the players supposed to be back in for pre-season next Monday?

If so, the lack of any new players to commence training is worrying

[sonicyouth]

If we're drawing comparisons then in the summer of 2005 we didn't sign anyone before the 1st July.

[Reg Smeeton]

John Gorman was also a former spur. 

Indeed he was, I used to watch Spurs regularly back then as I lived in London...saw Hoddle either on debut or very early on score a wonder goal, and knew stright away he was something special...JG, was a bog standard left back, had the moustache and used to wear his shorts Steve White style pulled right up, which always amused me...saw Spurs get relegated then bounce back, next season when finishing third.

[sonicyouth]

Indeed he was, I used to watch Spurs regularly back then as I lived in London...saw Hoddle either on debut or very early on score a wonder goal, and knew stright away he was something special...JG, was a bog standard left back, had the moustache and used to wear his shorts Steve White style pulled right up, which always amused me...saw Spurs get relegated then bounce back, next season when finishing third.

On the subject of Hoddle, I'd only ever seen him in a few clips and the 93 PO final on video but spent an hour or two last night looking at all the highlights from 92/93 on youtube - I'd never seen it myself before but there is no way he should have been playing at our level. Shame players don't do that nowadays.

[Reg Smeeton]

On the subject of Hoddle, I'd only ever seen him in a few clips and the 93 PO final on video but spent an hour or two last night looking at all the highlights from 92/93 on youtube - I'd never seen it myself before but there is no way he should have been playing at our level. Shame players don't do that nowadays.

Hoddle if you like sums up English football, always mistrusted because he was so good he made it look easy. Through the 70's 80's and even into the 90's there were always a few like this who defied the general headless nature of English football, now we just don't produce them.

Typical of the time was Mickey Hazard....watch Xavi play, and that was Hazard...he never got anywhere near an England cap.

Matt le Tissier was probably the last of the type...didn't run around like a headless chicken, but capable of fantastic things...just what you need in international football....don't see that Neymar tracking back too much etc.

English football's insularity reached its post 50's zenith after Heysel and the subsequent ban from Europe in the mid/late 80's..Hoddle went and played for Wenger at Monaco, and so fell off the radar...he also got a serious knee injury so nobody was interested in him..Peter Day our then CEO, knew him from Spurs and brought him here.

[Family at War]

You are right Reg in fact the list is endless of lost and mistrusted talent, Tony Currie,Stan Bowles,Rodney Marsh,Don Rogers,Frank Worthington,Peter Knowles and many more all had something that is missing nowadays - Flair

[DRS]

Hoddle if you like sums up English football, always mistrusted because he was so good he made it look easy. Through the 70's 80's and even into the 90's there were always a few like this who defied the general headless nature of English football, now we just don't produce them.

Typical of the time was Mickey Hazard....watch Xavi play, and that was Hazard...he never got anywhere near an England cap.

Matt le Tissier was probably the last of the type...didn't run around like a headless chicken, but capable of fantastic things...just what you need in international football....don't see that Neymar tracking back too much etc.

English football's insularity reached its post 50's zenith after Heysel and the subsequent ban from Europe in the mid/late 80's..Hoddle went and played for Wenger at Monaco, and so fell off the radar...he adlso got a serious knee injury so nobody was interested in him..Peter Day our then CEO, knew him from Spurs and brought him here.

Spot on summary that is Reg

[bobby barnes jink]

It's a well-worn argument and there's certainly truth in it but we've always had footballers. Bell, Francis, Brooking, Beardsley, Gascoigne, Gerrard to name a few. But the corollary of our top division was that only those with sufficient steel alongside the skill made it through. Sadly, with the numbers of foreign 'stars' in their stead these days, we don't even get that so often.

[Nemo]

You are right Reg in fact the list is endless of lost and mistrusted talent, Tony Currie,Stan Bowles,Rodney Marsh,Don Rogers,Frank Worthington,Peter Knowles and many more all had something that is missing nowadays - Flair

May I add Joe Cole more recently? Horribly wasted talent, continually shoved out on to the wing because he didn't offer enough physically in the centre of midfield. Injuries and Chelsea didn't help but he should have achieved so much more.