Ian Burchnall 50 Up

[Bernard_Bresslaw]

Yes we can. It's far better. Even the FR signings who haven't immediately set the world alight for various reasons (e.g. Ed Francis, Lewis Knight) still look to have a fair bit of ability and potential and are certainly not unplayable in the first team, even though others may be ahead of them in the pecking order at present.

Going back a few years through old programmes I'm reminded of us signing players like Elliott Hodge, Callum Saunders, Rhys Sharpe, Taylor McKenzie, Malcolm Melvin, Andy Haworth, George Nicholas, Matt Marshall, Michael Byron, Niall McNamara, Ryan Ford and a fair few others, most of whom arrived with the infamous 'one for the future' tag and got a first team squad number, but were not even trusted by their respective managers as a last resort. Granted, they were probably on low-ish wages, but if the manager would almost sooner name ten men than give them a game, what's the point? They all departed into obscurity without contributing anything, and it wasn't as if the squads they were part of were particularly competitive or successful ones.

And that's not to mention the relatively expensive draft busts like Tony Hackworth, Danny Haynes and Spencer Weir-Daley, who arrived as marquee signings and contributed less to the team than a plastic traffic cone.

Four players in there that I'd completely forgotten about!

[jackal2]

Four players in there that I'd completely forgotten about!

So did the managers who signed them!