Kadeem Harris
Well done to Kadeem Harris making his top flight debut yesterday. Quite a rare achievement for ex-wanderers. I make it only 14 previously (post war) although there may be others I missed. Owned players only, loanees don’t count. you know what comes next - name them.
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Russell Martin
Steve Guppy
Keith Scott
Kenny Swain
Matt Phillips
Kevin Keen
Jordon Ibe
Mike Williamson
Roger Johnson
Alex McCarthy
Ikechi Anya
Viv Busby
Simon Church
Matt Lawrence
Disallowing McCarthy and Church - didnt play fr WWFC before playing in top division. I don’t think Matt Lawrence ever did. anya was one I missed.
Eric has the easiest ones, still at least four to go.
Hopefully Kortney Hause will be joining that list shortly as he has been a resident on the bench for the last couple of league games.
Ron Rafferty, Len Worley, Paul Barron, possibly Peter Suddaby and Paul Fuschillo in Blackpool's 70/71 season.
And maybe Alec Blakeman at Sheffield United.
Not Fuschillo, first played for Blackpool 71/72, but Suddaby, yes.
That’s it, Steve. Suddaby I believe did, Fushillo not. I am open to be corrected though.
So top flight team of
Barron
Swain Williamson Johnson Guppy
Ibe keen Martin phillips
Scott busby
Subs: anya, Worley, harris, suddaby, rafferty
Not bad. As Mooney says above, very possible Hause may join the bench at least soon. Ingram, Scowen and co may not make it past Championship?
What about John Delaney, played for Bournemouth after Wycombe
Yes to inside forward Blakeman, 5 apps for Sheff Utd in Div 1 48/49. Delaney was in Div 3.
Steve or others with the time and energy.
Are there enough exloanees then top flight to make a team or ex top flight then wycombe?
Blakeman also played for Brentford in Div 1 in 46/47. Loanees is probably a task too far for me!
Paul Barron ?
Guppy left back?
@micra, St. Martin once described Guppy as our best left back, but I would play him in his normal left wing position.
@DevC, I would put Johnson at LB, where I think he sometimes plays for Bromley, Martin at RB, Suddaby CB, then it gets difficult fitting the midfielders and forwards in. Maybe just one up front, Busby over Scott, with Worley RW (can't leave out one of our top three legends!), with Keen, Phillips and Ibe in middle, all attacking players though, missing a defensive midfielder. I can see why you put Martin there.
Steve, Ken Swain made over 600 appearances mostly at top level and won the European Cup. Obviously time dims memories and reputations but you can’t leave him out surely.
Possible of course that Rafferty deserves a starting place but that was even longer ago.
Possible too that Scowen may one day offer an alternative in defensive midfield.
@DevC , you are probably right, a player of Swain's quality should be in the XI.
He was the manager of Wigan when, in 93/94, they won at Adams Park and inflicted a third league defeat in a row on the Chairboys, the first time this had happened under St. Martin's managership. Apologies for digressing but this produced one of his famous rants in the next programme notes, not quite as strong as some, but interesting nonetheless:
http://www.chairboys.co.uk/history/1993-1994/february1994-2.htm
I especially liked this section:
"Last season it was you and the players together - and no one else I promise you - who carried this club into the Football League and it was then I believed that, despite my cynicism, you were different to every other band of supporters up and down the country. Your enthusiasm and unconditional support had an effect on my decision making last June. But I was wrong. I have no doubt this present calamitous crisis will be resolved and that you will have something to cheer about at the end of the season but for me Saturday was a watershed.
Last season the players withstood the massive loss of Glyn Creaser, rallied, and eventually won the Championship and FA Trophy double. So far they have withstood the loss of Keith Scott to Swindon and the loss of form of individuals, to stay in contention in the Third Division. Now they will have to withstand perhaps the greatest loss of all - the inspirational Terry Evans. And if they have to play against you also then so be it. Not all of them would win scholarships to Oxford or Cambridge University, not all of them would delight you with quick witted conversation and not all of them have the tidiest habits or the best manners in the world, but despite the condescending view of them, widely held from within the club, they are a better class of people. they still possess a decent spirit and a never say die attitude and I'm throwing my lot in with them. Together we will attempt to get you another day out at Wembley and promotion at the end of the season. Whether you deserve it or not is another matter. And by the way, I alone will pick the team. If you wish to pick the side then apply for the job - it may be available sooner than expected!"
We really didn’t deserve him did we!
Bit OTT as from memory it was only a very small minority who occasionally climbed down from Cloud 9 that season but you have to accept the frustrations for him.
Thanks for digging it out and posting @Steve_Peart - a great read.
Also doubles my respect for GA. We should really be grateful for his loyalty given the abuse he regularly receives.
I like putting together teams.
So best I can come up with for "played in top flight before playing for WWFC" based on their overall career
Heaton
Ablett Duberry McClelland Guppy
Ainsworth Wilkins Lennon Lee Wallace
Claridge
Subs: Walford, Wicks, Aylott, Holt Whittingham Scott, Suddaby, Church
Again I may have missed a few.
Did Mclelland actually make a 1st team appearance for WWFC ????
No Regis & Garner?
Ray Wilkins, Barry Silkman,Neil Price, Alan Mayes , Tony Cunningham, The Doc (Norwich and Spurs one).
Regis is a shameful miss, garner too.
He would have to go in ahead of Claridge.
Seriously good side at their peak.
@DevC I feel a bit put out that you have selected Claridge ahead of me up front! Not even on the bench.
I would say no
Frank Sinclair, Martin Taylor, Stuart Nethercott, Ben Roberts, Nicky Reid, John Williams, Stefan Oakes, Tommy Mooney, Sieb Dijkstra, Nathan Ashton
What is your recollection on what happened with John McCl, please Steve.
Quite a long list all told.
Fitting that lot into a 18 man squad (excluding McClelland for now) not easy
I'll go for
Heaton, Ablett, Duberry, Wicks, Guppy
Ainsworth Lee, Wilkins R, Lennon, Wallace
Regis
Subs: Taylor, Mooney, Suddaby, Doherty, Holt, Sinclair, Claridge
Now steve, about those loanees going on to play in top flight- obviously Dublin, Heaton, Mawson plus Chris Herd but must be several more.....
Still no room for Garner @DevC !?!?!? He was awesome for us, personally I'd have him over Claridge
Judging criteria was their career at its peak rather than time with us - Danny Wallace career with WWFC for example was memorably unimpressive although to be fair he was probably already ill at the time.
Not sure Garner is eligible anyway - did he get above Championship level?
Although come to think of it, not sure Heaton is eligible either. which means Taylor comes in in goal with Dykstra moving up to the bench.