Neil Webb

[quote=123]Chettle was a bit later, Groves signing as part of his first full summer window.

Side ripped apart that stayed up (Todd, Allen, Boulding, Butterfield all gone) with a pitiful budget to replace them.

Chettle was still a good defender but, as you say suffered with injuries. Always looked laboured a bit, which was probably a result of his injuries.

We had some really good players that season but never altogether at the same time. Had we managed to do so, we'd have very comfortably stayed up.

I remember that last season in the Champ I think ?

Going to a nothing game against Walsall near the end , I never thought we would fall so far , but the season after was even worse with Nicky Law and co putting the final nsil in at Tranmere

I think that Walsall game was the one that sealed our relegation and confirmed their survival. In reality our fate had been decided a few games before.

Weirdly I enjoyed that season far more than I should have done. We were never quite good enough but we just kept going and going. Real backs to the wall type stuff. The 0-0 at home to Rotherham stands out in memory, Paul Raven and Georges Santos sent off with Steve Kabba running himself into the ground with absolutely no support, yet somehow we nearly nabbed a win at the death.

Leicester at home just before Xmas another. They were a good side, very good in fact. Only Izzet's last minute wonder goal seperated us. Guess that's what you get for £42,000 a week when in administration...

Oster not staying for the final run of games and a really poor transfer deadline did us in that season. We were starting to struggle and needed that boost with new faces and energy. Richard Hughes and Michael Keane were decent additions but we needed a someone who could really pull the strings. Think Stacy Coldicott broke his leg around the time Oster went back too, which was a huge blow - more than most realised at the time.

Quoted from diehardmariner

I think that Walsall game was the one that sealed our relegation and confirmed their survival. In reality our fate had been decided a few games before.

Weirdly I enjoyed that season far more than I should have done. We were never quite good enough but we just kept going and going. Real backs to the wall type stuff. The 0-0 at home to Rotherham stands out in memory, Paul Raven and Georges Santos sent off with Steve Kabba running himself into the ground with absolutely no support, yet somehow we nearly nabbed a win at the death.



Leicester at home just before Xmas another. They were a good side, very good in fact. Only Izzet's last minute wonder goal seperated us. Guess that's what you get for £42,000 a week when in administration...

Oster not staying for the final run of games and a really poor transfer deadline did us in that season. We were starting to struggle and needed that boost with new faces and energy. Richard Hughes and Michael Keane were decent additions but we needed a someone who could really pull the strings. Think Stacy Coldicott broke his leg around the time Oster went back too, which was a huge blow - more than most realised at the time.

The quality of player on show around that time at BP was insane really , I don't know if it was all in that season ,but the period of a few years .
Izzet with that goal
Duff,Dunn ,Tugay and more at Blackburn putting on some show .
Upson at Reading , who went on to have a decent career and a good few England caps .
Portsmouth with Berkovic , Merson and Prosinecki .

The best one was probably Ashley Cole on loan at Palace , you could just tell he would be a top player .

A few years later Milner was on loan at Swindon , think we were in league 1 and was a level above at 16 technically - i always thought if he is a 'basic' premier league player it shows what the gap is .

I am sure there are loads more quality players that played against us in those years ,but I can't remember lol

He was a good snooker player, he stayed at Millfields Hotel and i had a couple of frames with him in there one evening. Nice bloke

If I recall correctly, SWWF fanzine did a cartoon showing him with pockets in his shorts so he could put his hands in them while strolling around (slowly) on the pitch!  

His bio is interesting. At one stage, he was a Man Utd player and England international and ended up at Merthyr Tidfyl, via Instant-Dict (no me neither), so if he has ended up skint, then that's just poor money management on his behalf.

Must have earned a few bob in his time.