Wingers?

Quoted from Manchester Mariner

I started going to watch Town with my dad pretty much at the same time as Buckley took over so I was hugely spoiled as a young supporter with players like Gilbert and Childs on either side working their wonders. I also liked Tommy Watson too who probably would've been more prominent if it wasn't for Childs being first choice on the right wing.

Same here. Gilbert used to turn full-backs inside-out on many an occasion, but also had the frustrating habit of overdoing it sometimes to the point where he didn't manage to get the cross into the box. Childs flying down the wing brings back memories as well, and I have never seen a player jump as high to avoid a tackle when the full-back was coming across. In fact, I'm not sure I can remember Childs making a tackle, though he always seemed to get stuck in on a Saturday night in the Pier...

I have had a mental blockage.

Who was the left winger who we used to punt the ball up to in the air, hoping he would win it and head it to one of us.

I seem to remember he had played at a higher level, but joined us later in his career; and he did have an eye for goal.

But I felt in the end the crowd stopped loving him.

I have looked back on the last 15 seasons and seen Peter Beagrie, but I don't feel it was him. Somehow Kevin seems to come to mind, but has all this been in one of my vivid dreams?  

Andy Monkhouse - 2015/16.

That tactic worked a dream for the first five or six games. He was really, really effective at either nodding it down from the touchline or beating people at the back post. He was (still is I presume!) 6'2 which is bloody big for a winger but was also really good in the air for it.   Then everyone cottoned onto it and basically put their biggest centre-back at right-back to counter him.  He no longer had the pace to run at players so it kinda made him a bit of a spare part at times.

Monkhouse was still a very good player but because that was the only way we were utilising him, he took the brunt of the frustration from the crowd.

Hurst wouldn't budge on him and it was only his injury in the final few games of that season saw him go with Craig Clay back in central midfield alongside Dis and Jon Nolan playing an inverted role off the left.   Had that not happened, I don't think we go up.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Andy Monkhouse - 2015/16.

That tactic worked a dream for the first five or six games. He was really, really effective at either nodding it down from the touchline or beating people at the back post. He was (still is I presume!) 6'2 which is bloody big for a winger but was also really good in the air for it.   Then everyone cottoned onto it and basically put their biggest centre-back at right-back to counter him.  He no longer had the pace to run at players so it kinda made him a bit of a spare part at times.

Monkhouse was still a very good player but because that was the only way we were utilising him, he took the brunt of the frustration from the crowd.

Hurst wouldn't budge on him and it was only his injury in the final few games of that season saw him go with Craig Clay back in central midfield alongside Dis and Jon Nolan playing an inverted role off the left.   Had that not happened, I don't think we go up.

Thank you so much mate, that is the guy. I was thinking it was a bit earlier than that.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Andy Monkhouse - 2015/16.

That tactic worked a dream for the first five or six games. He was really, really effective at either nodding it down from the touchline or beating people at the back post. He was (still is I presume!) 6'2 which is bloody big for a winger but was also really good in the air for it.   Then everyone cottoned onto it and basically put their biggest centre-back at right-back to counter him.  He no longer had the pace to run at players so it kinda made him a bit of a spare part at times.

Monkhouse was still a very good player but because that was the only way we were utilising him, he took the brunt of the frustration from the crowd.

Hurst wouldn't budge on him and it was only his injury in the final few games of that season saw him go with Craig Clay back in central midfield alongside Dis and Jon Nolan playing an inverted role off the left.   Had that not happened, I don't think we go up.

The problem with using Monkhouse in that role is that we used it too much. If we had varied it's application during a game so that the opposing defense didn't know where the keeper was kicking then that would have worked to our benefit. Unfortunately it was so predictable as to eventually become ineffective.

Absolutely!  A great example of squeezing every aspect of it out in the early days.  We weren't even subtle with it, it got to the point where the whole shape of the side would adjust on goalkicks in anticipation/hope of Monkhouse winning the flick-on.

I think Hurst did end up, for a bit anyway, moving Monkhouse more centrally.  I could be wrong but I'm sure he ended up playing up front a few games, perhaps around the time where he was determined to not play Amond or when Bogle was out injured for a few weeks.  Again, ineffective.  Monkhouse's strength aerially was coming onto the ball and attacking it.  Down the middle he just didn't have it in his skillset to win flick-ons etc. from a standing position.  

The season before, Bristol Rovers came here around Feb time and beat us 1-0.  Monkhouse absolutely dominated us that game, from the left wing position but he was much more involved in the general play.  Technically he was very good, just lacked pace at that stage of his career.  When we signed him I really thought we had pulled a bit of a coup, even more so when he started so well.

I Grew up watching Jonny Scott and Jimmy Fell both top class.

Then Brian Hill who was 6 stone wet through but top notch.

We have had some bloody good players over the years.

Let's hope we can again and our future fans will still be talking about them in 60 years time.

Danny Rose will be one of them out of our present team imo.

Quoted from Mallyner

Thank you so much mate, that is the guy. I was thinking it was a bit earlier than that.

Well the one I always think of from the late 70’s was Mike Lester.., amazing tricks pre-game when warming up, but never really translated to the game itself  (I think he’d played for Man City?)

If we are talking Town wingers and not whingers then any thread has to include Jack Lewis…joyous to watch, and a superb moustache, so good in fact that it had to be painted onto one of the players in your Town Subutteo set

Wasn't there a song with the lines......

we all love you
we all love you
Stuart Brace is King!

He was too. I think he scored 25 goals one season.