Ex-Town player struggling financially!

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/football/ex-man-utd-star-forced-to-sell-first-england-cap-and-shirt-after-becoming-delivery-driver/ar-AA1bHiey?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=e74b0ce28a744572a16f2205684f1ae4&ei=12

I hope for his sake he isn’t delivering for Just Eat.

I knew Gary Birtles played for us but the fact that Neill Webb did too completely passed me by. I see it was only 4 games which for a player with such skill and vision surprises me, even though he was coming to the end of his footballing career. Can anyone fill me in on the details and why it was only 4 games. Thanks.

Quoted from GrimExile

Can anyone fill me in on the details and why it was only 4 games. Thanks.

Basically he was too fat!

Looked absolutely huge, couldn't move without blowing out his bottom and I don't even recall him showing anything of his former technical abilities either.  Don't think he was that old either, 32-33 maybe.

Midfield was all over the shop when he came, Paul Groves had just gone to West Brom and Tommy Widdrington wasn't a like-for-like replacement.

One of Brian Laws' links to Nottm Forest. Kingsley Black by far the pick amongst Webb, Gary Crosby and Vance Warner.

Brian Laws signed him as part of an influx of Forest players, I think he started the first few games then fell out of favour and was released.

Thanks gents, you’ve jogged my (aged!!) memory and yes I remember now. It was the being fat comment that did the trick. Thanjs again.

He was struggling 20 years ago. He delivered my new car in 2005, told me he just helping his mate as there was no punditry in the summer
Only thing worse than having no money must be having loads and losing it all

Also mentions that although he has had a few different jobs since football retirement, he earned good money, bought a nice house and sent his kids to private school. The money from his England caps etc are to top up his pension. A stretch to call it financially struggling.

Steve Chettle too, though via Barnsley. Gave it a good go for Town, 20 odd games as I recall but injuries just caught up.

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.

[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.