Malone and Bennett off to Millwall

[ramAnag]

All credit to MA for standing up for the lad, but in all honesty...he’s had more chances than most over a longer period than most and, a few flashes in the pan apart...he’s never really come up with the goods.

I suspect the only thing he really has in common with Michael Owen is that his career will continue to be interrupted by a succession of hamstring injuries which will restrict him to 15/20 games per season. He’s had his chance with us and may come back to haunt us, but he’s also made some bad behavioural mistakes recently and I can’t see me thinking, ‘if only we had Mason Bennett, he’d have made a difference’, any time soon.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Agreed, he's never quite progressed as we hoped the 15 year old debutant would have - and if he had he wouldn't still have been with us as he would have had loftier ambitions.

So one way or the other he is elsewhere. Of course had he been a big success we'd have only had to justify a 70m value for the ground....

Talking of which, I see FFP is being measured over 4 years compressed into 3 as a result of covid, so we get even more use of our profitable year I assume. Land of milk and honey and more gristle for the smoggies to chew on

[MadAmster]

I have to agree with you MA there has to be a reason why managers rate him Rowett obviously saw a lot more of him we he managed Derby . Lampard even trusted him to start at Wembley .They obviously know more about football than I do . But to me he's always one of those players if you let him get into his stride running at you he could cause you problems .But teams know that and close him down Then because he lacks brain and skill he becomes ineffective If being able to run fast was enough to be a footballer then Lynford Christie would have played for Liverpool

Which brings me back to one of my thoughts on the lad that the injuries have stopped him developing into the player he might have been. THAT goal against Wigan is what he is capable of. Unfortunately, for various reasons, we never saw anything like enough of it.

The same is true of other young uns I had the privilege of seeing, and in some cases, actually coaching, during my Moor Farm trips. The one that "got away" that I feel the most about is Mark O'Brien. He made the step up to the 1st XI (32 appearances) and was starting to look the business when his heart troubles surfaced. MB always had the potential but Mark O'Brien was already a very good defender with a great future.