CCFC Best and Worst.
ALL TIME TOP CCFC XI....
1. CHRIS KIRKLAND: Stood out like the proverbial gold ring in a pile of pig sh*t in the 2000/1 season. While all around looked clueless, CK almost single-handedly kept us in the Premiership - but GS in his wisdom(??) opted to bring back the world's best keeper instead (Before realising his mistake and re-instating everybodys first choice). The �5 million Liverpool paid for him will prove to be a bargain.....
2. DANNY THOMAS: Accidentally became a full-back(!), and stayed there forever more. Was CCFC `Player Of The Season' twice, and even won the Midlands Player Oh The Season award - momentarily disproving the theory that only Villa players are entered and allowed to win the trophy. Could have been in the Spurs side that played CCFC at Wembley in 1987, but was the victim of a career-ending challenge only months before....
3. STUART PEARCE: Signed from Non-league football, yet never looked anything other than a top flight, top class defender from game one for CCFC (Who stole him from under the nostrils of QPR). Only never came back to CCFC because they never asked him to (Fact! Ask Monty....).
4. DEAN EMERSON: A tough-tackling, bargain buy from Rotherham, who was being groomed to replace Bryan Robson in the England team, before injury cruelly slowed up his career. Formed an awesome partnership with Lloyd McGrath.
5. MO KONJIC: An absolute giant! Plays the game as it should be played, and is a massive favourite with supporters. His surging runs have been one of the only high-points from the season 2001/2, with his attacking qualities almost as good as the defensive side of his game. Classed as the fittest player ever seen at Highfield Road by the club doctors when taking the medical upon signing - which sort of makes you wonder why GS claimed he was always injured.....
6. GARY GILLESPIE: Captained Falkirk at the age of 17, before being `stolen' for a mere �75,000 by CCFC. As cool and calm a defender as has ever been seen at Highfield Road, with the ability to read the game, tackle AND pass! Never wanted to leave CCFC, which is probably why he always received a decent reception when coming back to Highfield Road. Returned briefly towards the end of his career....
7. DAVE BENNETT: Good enough for Brazil (According to their manager in 1987), but not for England. Once rumoured to have been arrested and put in prison while playing for Nuneaton Boro - a fact (at the time) unknown by their chairman, who just presumed he had gone `AWOL'. On his day, untouchable....
8. ROBBIE KEANE: The same price as Craig Bellamy (ish), mainly the same players around him, but rather than continually moaning, RK got on with the job - and how! Only at Highfield Road for a matter of months, but his goals and displays will stay in the memory for a good while yet....
9. GARY THOMPSON: Another product of CCFC's youth team, who took over from Mick Ferguson (A difficult task one would have thought....), and was virtually an ever-present 'til he (sadly) left. Had every quality needed to be a top striker, but, after moves to a couple of naff teams down the road, saw his career fizzle out.....
10. DAVID SPEEDIE: Possibly one of the finest players to wear a CCFC shirt! Has every quality that CCFC 2000/1 and 2001/2 lack (Probably quicker to list the abilities he DIDN'T have ), and was only sold because he was a bigger personality than the manager of the time....
11. TOMMY HUTCHINSON: To any CCFC youngster that wants to become a CCFC legend, watch the videos, and learn! Should have been a regular for Scotland (Or a better international team), but wasn't. The curse of playing for CCFC strikes again....
Subs:
12. LES SEALEY: Controversial! Football needs characters, and LS was one! Not always popular with supporters - especially after comments he made shortly before leaving CCFC - but was a fine goalkeeper. Returned briefly on loan, and helped CCFC hold onto their First Division status after another season of struggle....
13. PETER NDLOVU: When PN became a CCFC regular, George Best said there were only two players in English soccer he would cross the road to watch - and PN was one of them! Had the ability to beat any defender, beat them again, then blaze over the bar! At �10,000, an absolute bargain....
14. TREVOR PEAKE: Another quality defender, well worthy of a place in the England squad, but overlooked due to the one flaw in his game - he played for CCFC. Frequently made top-class forwards look ordinary....
15. DARREN HUCKERBY: A highly criticised player (Due to not understanding the offside rule!), but capable of moments of sublime skill when he got it right. His match-winning goal versus MU was one of the best seen at Highfield Road in recent years (With the goal scored away at Anfield not long after being not far behind).
16. Undecided. If any former players read this, all bribes considered....!
....AND SOME OF THE WORST!
CRAIG BELLAMY: Big money, big mouth, cr*p return. An ego as large as he is ugly, and his failure in one-on-ones last season were a massive reason we were relegated - with CB being the first to say `adios' to Highfield Road when it happened. And as predicted by most, doing great since he left....
DAVID RENNIE: A very versatile player - he couldn't play anywhere! And unlike the tablet of the same name, he caused stomachs to be upset, rather than curing them....
ANDY PEARCE: Same last name as the former CCFC and England legend, and that's where the similarity ends. Partial to dropping ricket's and scoring own goals, if I remember correctly. Halesowen's loss was ours too....
JULIAN DARBY: At the time, signing him must have seemed like a good idea, but you can't help feeling it was via video (rather than watching him in the flesh), and that somebody mixed the labels up....
KEVIN DRINKELL: Like so many CCFC signings, things looked so good for the first 10 minutes of his CCFC career, and then he joined the list of `couldn't hit a barn-door with a banjo merchants' we seem to have....
LEIGH JENKINSON: Or `one-trick' as he was also known - though unbelievably this sometimes worked! Where do our scouts find these people?
RUNAR NORMANN: Nicknamed `Who-Hell-He?' by anybody connected with CCFC. Was at the club for years, but managed only about 30 seconds of first-team football in that time. CCFC tried to give him away a dozen times, but couldn't find any takers, and as a result nearly ended up staying long enough to get a testimonial....
WORST CCFC PLAYER (WHO COULD/ SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE BEST):
NOEL WHELAN: So much talent. So much ability. If only he'd had a brain too....
FAVOURITE OTHER GROUND:
Arena 2000! In my head, it's been built....
WORST GROUND(S):
Filbert Street (RIP) - sh*t ground for a sh*t team, or the Dell (RIP) - I almost suffered deep vein thrombosis after one visit to that bloody place!
2003/4 SEASON - CHARTING CCFC'S GLORIOUS CLIMB BACK TO THE PREMIERSHIP! - SEND THE MEREST
OF �6 NOTES* (OR A CHEQUE OR POSTAL ORDER) TO:
S. WILSON, 122 GRANGEMOUTH ROAD, RADFORD,
COVENTRY, CV6 3FE. ENGLAND.
* UK PRICE ONLY - THOSE PEOPLE BASED OVERSEAS THAT WISH TO SUBSCRIBE, EMAIL ME FOR A SLIGHTLY MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT STILL VERY REASONABLE PRICE (THAT USUALLY INCLUDES EXTRA BACK ISSUES).