James Walker. Scored for fun at youth level and in friendlies, but never got his chance.
Didn’t he have a heart problem that forced him to retire?
It was managed and he played for Southend and a number of non league teams but sadly had a Cardiac Arrest in 2019 aged 31 and while he survived I believe he now lives in a care home with 24 hour care. I bought a Charlton shirt of his off eBay about a year ago which was being sold to raise funds for charity:
I know some coaches/managers that were in the non league / pro youth set up when Piggott was coming through and they never rated him. Always said he looked good at youth level because of his size but technically very poor. Fair play to him he's had a decent pro career
I was at Sparrows lane when Joe Pigott scored 4 against Huddersfield for the U21's and it wasn't that he couldn't hold the ball up or had no technic but the lack of pace and for a tallish striker wasn't great in the air. I thought Joe would've a career in possibly League 2 or maybe League 1 at a push as he was a goal poacher.
His best season was at Wimbledon in League 1. 20/21 when he hit 20 in 45 apps. This got JP a good contract at Ipswich but he wasn't a promotion league 1 striker.
Joe is 31 in a week's time and on loan at Wimbledon from Orient.
Never Hyped up as Joe had limitations in some areas. Big Bob Peeters said he didn't know what his strengths were !
I thought Josh Umerah and Brandon Hanlon would both go on to do more than they have. Also years ago felt that Charlie McDonald would be a star. And then there was Toby Stevenson, scored a hat-trick on debut - not bad for a defender - went off to Watford and then disappeared without trace.
I was at Griffin park when we beat Brentford in some youth tournament and Umerah and Hanlon were the strikers. Strong physical players and I believe Lookman played in that game ? Konsa as well.
Toby Stevenson played for Chatham town in 2024 but back home to Essex and Brentwood town since I believe. Still just 24 but In Part-time football now. I thought he would play higher.
I refereed a Sunday game some years back and The Vin Nguyen was playing. It was for a reserve team too. I got the impression that he was a club ‘casual’, but he played in a relaxed style and was by far the best player on the pitch. It seemed that football wasn’t the be all and end all for him. So the family duties aspect of things rings true. The stories about his age seem wrong to me, he played for England at a representative level and that would have been sussed. I knew Ann Bradshaw (nee Payne) who said everybody called him Vinny.
Deji Elerewe... Saw him in a cup match and thought this kid has everything. Cool, dominant and a great passer of the ball with either foot.
Shame he never moved up.
He's only 21 and playing in L2, don't think you can write him off yet
Is Deji Elerewe injured because I never see his name in the Bromley team this season or at the end of last season ? Also he didn't play against CAFC last week.
I know Grant's on loan from Millwall is one CB but knowing that Deji was highly rated by Andy Woodman makes we wonder why he isn't in the 18. He did play as a full back as well on loan before the permanent transfer.
Seem to remember Mark Lawrenson tipping Stacey Long for a big career.
The one thing that Stacey lacked was pace, he was captain of many England youth teams. He’s married the daughter of the man who owned the Venue. Saw him recently driving a BD8, he’s involved with Glebe FC.
Seem to remember Mark Lawrenson tipping Stacey Long for a big career.
The one thing that Stacey lacked was pace, he was captain of many England youth teams. He’s married the daughter of the man who owned the Venue. Saw him recently driving a BD8, he’s involved with Glebe FC.
Seem to remember Mark Lawrenson tipping Stacey Long for a big career.
The one thing that Stacey lacked was pace, he was captain of many England youth teams. He’s married the daughter of the man who owned the Venue. Saw him recently driving a BD8, he’s involved with Glebe FC.
What is a BD8?
Aston Martin
Ermmm……..there’s no such car! You might have thought it was a DB8……which strangely is a vehicle they never produced anyway. DB7 yes….DB9 yes but no DB8…..the reason being they didn’t want people to think it only had 8 pots. They also skipped the DB10 from the range……though I’m not sure why?
Seem to remember Mark Lawrenson tipping Stacey Long for a big career.
The one thing that Stacey lacked was pace, he was captain of many England youth teams. He’s married the daughter of the man who owned the Venue. Saw him recently driving a BD8, he’s involved with Glebe FC.
What is a BD8?
Aston Martin
Ermmm……..there’s no such car! You might have thought it was a DB8……which strangely is a vehicle they never produced anyway. DB7 yes….DB9 yes but no DB8…..the reason being they didn’t want people to think it only had 8 pots. They also skipped the DB10 from the range……though I’m not sure why?
Seem to remember Mark Lawrenson tipping Stacey Long for a big career.
The one thing that Stacey lacked was pace, he was captain of many England youth teams. He’s married the daughter of the man who owned the Venue. Saw him recently driving a BD8, he’s involved with Glebe FC.
What is a BD8?
Aston Martin
Ermmm……..there’s no such car! You might have thought it was a DB8……which strangely is a vehicle they never produced anyway. DB7 yes….DB9 yes but no DB8…..the reason being they didn’t want people to think it only had 8 pots. They also skipped the DB10 from the range……though I’m not sure why?
Barry Little was a great youth prospect who never pushed on from England Youth terms but may had been due to underlying medical issues retired and died at a tragically young age.
Deji Elerewe... Saw him in a cup match and thought this kid has everything. Cool, dominant and a great passer of the ball with either foot.
Shame he never moved up.
He's only 21 and playing in L2, don't think you can write him off yet
Hadn't written him off but when i saw him was immediately impressed more than i did with Konsa and Gomez They went onwards pretty quickly hence my comment.
My son trained alongside McGinty, and Woodyard at the Advanced School at Swanley.Before both moved on to the Academy Spoke to McG Dad just after he was let go by Utd. He was being groomed as a replacement for Evra.
Lucien Masiello was seemingly misdirected by his agent who didn’t understand the Italian football industry. Firmani, I believe told him not to go to Italy where the club that bought him had to the right to almost immediately loan him. Which is precisely what they did to a lower club in the middle of nowhere. He protested but had no choice. He ultimately had enough and returned to the UK but when I met him the Italians were not going to release his international clearance. I am not sure they ever did.
I was astonished Jordan Cousins never rose to the highest levels. I have no doubt he is doing a job at Cambridge but he was at a youth level a Rolls Royce of a defender either at full back or Centrally. He looked every inch a calm, natural, unflustered, top quality defender. With Solly in situ he was expecting to go on loan but Powell promoted him to play in him Central Midfield in the first team. He did really well but because of his engine and to accommodate Poyet in Central Midfield we shunted Jordan to play wide.
I rated Chris Powell but I am not sure he did Jordan any favours. Jordan has stayed in midfield largely his entire career.
Yes Jordan did a job and he has had a decent career with 300 appearances and while I know injuries played a part I cannot believe he never demanded to go back to play in defence.
I think he has a total of 5 senior games at RB and never lost.
Lucien Masiello was seemingly misdirected by his agent who didn’t understand the Italian football industry. Firmani, I believe told him not to go to Italy where the club that bought him had to the right to almost immediately loan him. Which is precisely what they did to a lower club in the middle of nowhere. He protested but had no choice. He ultimately had enough and returned to the UK but when I met him the Italians were not going to release his international clearance. I am not sure they ever did.
I was astonished Jordan Cousins never rose to the highest levels. I have no doubt he is doing a job at Cambridge but he was at a youth level a Rolls Royce of a defender either at full back or Centrally. He looked every inch a calm, natural, unflustered, top quality defender. With Solly in situ he was expecting to go on loan but Powell promoted him to play in him Central Midfield in the first team. He did really well but because of his engine and to accommodate Poyet in Central Midfield we shunted Jordan to play wide.
I rated Chris Powell but I am not sure he did Jordan any favours. Jordan has stayed in midfield largely his entire career.
Yes Jordan did a job and he has had a decent career with 300 appearances and while I know injuries played a part I cannot believe he never demanded to go back to play in defence.
I think he has a total of 5 senior games at RB and never lost.
I’m sure Cousins spent time in midfield at youth level as well as RB/CB, Powell wasn’t the first manager to play him in CM.
Didn't we have Varney (son of Peter) and Hales as strikers in our youth who both banged in tonnes of goals.
Next time I saw Varney he was playing against me in the 4th/5th division of the Bromley and Orpington Sunday League.
Alex played for Barnet, think he appeared for the first once (7 mins) in the football league. Trained with a youth German squad. Now works for TalkSport.
Didn't we have Varney (son of Peter) and Hales as strikers in our youth who both banged in tonnes of goals.
Next time I saw Varney he was playing against me in the 4th/5th division of the Bromley and Orpington Sunday League.
Alex played for Barnet, think he appeared for the first once (7 mins) in the football league. Trained with a youth German squad. Now works for TalkSport.
Assume he must have just been doing some mates a favour then. I was surprised to see Peter V on the side of a pitch I was playing on!
Comments
Shame he never moved up.
I was at Sparrows lane when Joe Pigott scored 4 against Huddersfield for the U21's and it wasn't that he couldn't hold the ball up or had no technic but the lack of pace and for a tallish striker wasn't great in the air.
I thought Joe would've a career in possibly League 2 or maybe League 1 at a push as he was a goal poacher.
His best season was at Wimbledon in League 1. 20/21 when he hit 20 in 45 apps. This got JP a good contract at Ipswich but he wasn't a promotion league 1 striker.
Joe is 31 in a week's time and on loan at Wimbledon from Orient.
Never Hyped up as Joe had limitations in some areas.
Big Bob Peeters said he didn't know what his strengths were !
I was at Griffin park when we beat Brentford in some youth tournament and Umerah and Hanlon were the strikers. Strong physical players and I believe Lookman played in that game ? Konsa as well.
Toby Stevenson played for Chatham town in 2024 but back home to Essex and Brentwood town since I believe. Still just 24 but In Part-time football now.
I thought he would play higher.
It seemed that football wasn’t the be all and end all for him. So the family duties aspect of things rings true.
The stories about his age seem wrong to me, he played for England at a representative level and that would have been sussed.
I knew Ann Bradshaw (nee Payne) who said everybody called him Vinny.
Is Deji Elerewe injured because I never see his name in the Bromley team this season or at the end of last season ? Also he didn't play against CAFC last week.
I know Grant's on loan from Millwall is one CB but knowing that Deji was highly rated by Andy Woodman makes we wonder why he isn't in the 18. He did play as a full back as well on loan before the permanent transfer.
At 21, I agree he could still play higher.
You might have thought it was a DB8……which strangely is a vehicle they never produced anyway.
DB7 yes….DB9 yes but no DB8…..the reason being they didn’t want people to think it only had 8 pots.
They also skipped the DB10 from the range……though I’m not sure why?
Spoke to McG Dad just after he was let go by Utd. He was being groomed as a replacement for Evra.
Next time I saw Varney he was playing against me in the 4th/5th division of the Bromley and Orpington Sunday League.
I was astonished Jordan Cousins never rose to the highest levels. I have no doubt he is doing a job at Cambridge but he was at a youth level a Rolls Royce of a defender either at full back or Centrally. He looked every inch a calm, natural, unflustered, top quality defender. With Solly in situ he was expecting to go on loan but Powell promoted him to play in him Central Midfield in the first team. He did really well but because of his engine and to accommodate Poyet in Central Midfield we shunted Jordan to play wide.
I rated Chris Powell but I am not sure he did Jordan any favours. Jordan has stayed in midfield largely his entire career.
Yes Jordan did a job and he has had a decent career with 300 appearances and while I know injuries played a part I cannot believe he never demanded to go back to play in defence.
I think he has a total of 5 senior games at RB and never lost.
Assume he must have just been doing some mates a favour then. I was surprised to see Peter V on the side of a pitch I was playing on!