Why Didn't We Sign Chris Marsden in 1994? (6 Viewers)

Finham

Well-Known Member
OK this is doing my nut in now and it needs its own nostalgic thread.
Here's my thought's from the Julian Darby thread (what a world...):
Chris Marsden would have been a great player for us,
Chris Marsden looked unfathomably brilliant to me in his loan spell. Does anyone have any concrete or otherwise reason/rumours for him not signing? I thought he was class against Swindon-OK it's just Swindon-just found the full match online and in the intro, Keys says "Chris Marsden was MOM in the 2-1 win at Spurs and his move is expected to be made permanent shortly". So why didn't it? What went on? Is it the "bit of a nutter" stuff we've all heard since? Because he could surely have filled an Ian Crook sized hole in our midfield for relative peanuts.

He had one hell of a simple PPM, as you see at the very start of this Stockport goal: get the ball, turn around in a circle, give it to teammate in space. He did it loads against Swindon and the crowd loved him. It may look like nothing, but it was better than Boland, Darby, Flynn etc could do:

He was obviously a key part of the Stockport side that went up from what is now L1 and was playoff-chasing in the division above the year after in 97/8. Dave Jones must have known how good he was to take his old player to Southampton and Hoddle certainly didn't discard him when he (in disgraceful circumstances) took over, and there was even a (not ironic) campaign for him to get an England call.

You have to presume that it was the off field stuff that led to him being in the lower leagues for another 6 years after our loan spell-he wasn't just a late bloomer, he had it when we had him. What a waste!

It really upsets me as we got a glimpse of what he had and he should have been OUR cult hero, not Southampton's! This goal just topped it off:


I might have to watch that Swindon game back later to see if I was just imagining him being so great!

EDIT: just before KO to the Spurs game, comms say "Word is that Coventry have been playing the passing game a lot more of late and were very impressive against Spurs." Yeah, cos of Marsden!



So, fresh thoughts: I am 17 mins into re-watching the Swindon game:



...and he's still as good as I remember. Hasn't misplaced a single pass, which is unique to our midfield (and he must have made a dozen already), has set up several shots, played 3-4 cracking balls. But he didn't close down with a sense of real urgency and he hasn't made a tackle yet. Maybe we thought him and Darby were too lightweight/inexperienced?
 

LastGarrison

Well-Known Member
I always thought it was down to a dodgy knee and he didn’t pass the medical? Then subsequently went on to play 100’s of games!
 

olderskyblue

Well-Known Member
Huge rumour at the time was he was a coke head (The bottled drink of course….)
 

ovduk78

Well-Known Member
There were concerns about his previous medical issues and Phil Neal wanted Stockport to let us loan him for another month before buying him. Stockport were struggling financially and wanted a quick sale and Wolves came in and bought him. I don't think his time at Wolves was a massive success and he missed a lot of games, maybe through injury but I don't know.
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
He looked class. Played with his head up, knew where players were and was always willing to receive the ball even in tight situations.

I thought we should have signed him. His subsequent career at Southampton suggests we let a very good player slip through our hands. I think there were concerns about a serious knee injury he had had earlier in his career.
 

Finham

Well-Known Member
There were concerns about his previous medical issues and Phil Neal wanted Stockport to let us loan him for another month before buying him. Stockport were struggling financially and wanted a quick sale and Wolves came in and bought him. I don't think his time at Wolves was a massive success and he missed a lot of games, maybe through injury but I don't know.
Huddersfield rather than Stockport (he joined Stockport in 96 and rehabilitated his career), but yeah, just 8 games at Wolves and 10 in a spell at Notts C were what followed in the three years after that Swindon match.
 

Terry_dactyl

Well-Known Member
I think he played in a midweek game against Man Utd which we lost, possibly 1-2? He looked quality then against a v good Utd side.
it sticks in my memory as the bloke sat in front of me with his two young (8 or 9ish), Man Utd supporting sons, totally went for it when we scored our equaliser. Fists clenched and in their faces. They looked terrified! 🤣🤣

Did we not sign Sandy Robertson or Dougie McGuire or someone instead?
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
Huddersfield rather than Stockport (he joined Stockport in 96 and rehabilitated his career), but yeah, just 8 games at Wolves and 10 in a spell at Notts C were what followed in the three years after that Swindon match.

When he broke through at Huddersfield he was considered a bit of a wonder kid until his very serious knee injury.

It obviously took him a while to get his career back on track, but fair play to him - he did that at Southampton.
 
D

Deleted member 5849

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I think he played in a midweek game against Man Utd which we lost, possibly 1-2? He looked quality then against a v good Utd side.
it sticks in my memory as the bloke sat in front of me with his two young (8 or 9ish), Man Utd supporting sons, totally went for it when we scored our equaliser. Fists clenched and in their faces. They looked terrified! 🤣🤣

Did we not sign Sandy Robertson or Dougie McGuire or someone instead?
Sandy Robertson - who came with his own issues!
 
D

Deleted member 5849

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Finham

Well-Known Member
I thought his only issue was not being particularly good? Sounds like more stuff going on…

I’m pretty sure he never kicked a ball in anger for us.
I don't know about anger, but 4 games(!), all as sub, all defeats: QPR (H) 0-1, Swindon (A) 1-3, Newcastle (A) 0-4, QPR (H) 0-1. You can't blame him for all of that of course, but it was just 1-0 when he came on against Newcastle, 0-0 the second QPR game and 1-2 against Swindon. I don't remember seeing him, but I remember those that had being furious. The contrast with what Marsden brought to the table couldn't have been more stark I guess?
 

Bad Boy

Well-Known Member
I thought he was bloody great when he was with us as was Johnnie Jackson, but what did I know, I was just a thick telephone engineer!!!
 

CCFCSteve

Well-Known Member
He looked class. Played with his head up, knew where players were and was always willing to receive the ball even in tight situations.

I thought we should have signed him. His subsequent career at Southampton suggests we let a very good player slip through our hands. I think there were concerns about a serious knee injury he had had earlier in his career.

Spot on. Then just kept it simple and rarely gave the ball away. As you say always appeared to be available and have time. Quality player

Couldn’t believe when we signed Robertson instead and was gutted as a young lad
 

steve101

Well-Known Member
I think he played in a midweek game against Man Utd which we lost, possibly 1-2? He looked quality then against a v good Utd side.
it sticks in my memory as the bloke sat in front of me with his two young (8 or 9ish), Man Utd supporting sons, totally went for it when we scored our equaliser. Fists clenched and in their faces. They looked terrified! 🤣🤣

Did we not sign Sandy Robertson or Dougie McGuire or someone instead?
Poor Dougie McGuire. Didn't he get glandular fever shortly after he signed for us?
 

ovduk78

Well-Known Member
Poor Dougie McGuire. Didn't he get glandular fever shortly after he signed for us?
Didn't he make a few sub appearances under Sillett after impressing for the reserves and when he made his first start he was substituted at half time and was never seen again?
 

eastwoodsdustman

Well-Known Member
Didn't he make a few sub appearances under Sillett after impressing for the reserves and when he made his first start he was substituted at half time and was never seen again?
Came on away at arsenal for the last minute or two. Didnt touch the ball and never played again for us.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
I always assumed his first name was alleged and not Chris
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Allegedly was selling drugs to players allegedly and Allegedly was stoned and drunk and had to be thrown out of Billy Wrights funeral allegedly - and years later errors of ways were seen

Allegedly
 

Finham

Well-Known Member
Allegedly was selling drugs to players allegedly and Allegedly was stoned and drunk and had to be thrown out of Billy Wrights funeral allegedly - and years later errors of ways were seen

Allegedly
Do you think that there is any truth to these alleged allegations ? ;)
 

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
I think he played in a midweek game against Man Utd which we lost, possibly 1-2? He looked quality then against a v good Utd side.
it sticks in my memory as the bloke sat in front of me with his two young (8 or 9ish), Man Utd supporting sons, totally went for it when we scored our equaliser. Fists clenched and in their faces. They looked terrified! 🤣🤣

Did we not sign Sandy Robertson or Dougie McGuire or someone instead?

Dougie McGuire was brilliant. Remember seeing him at a preseason game at Racing Club Warwick and he was unplayable. And yes, I get who the opposition were, but he was so skillful.

Sandy Robertson was good too. We'll be talking about Richie Partridge next.
 

Terry_dactyl

Well-Known Member
Dougie McGuire was brilliant. Remember seeing him at a preseason game at Racing Club Warwick and he was unplayable. And yes, I get who the opposition were, but he was so skillful.

Sandy Robertson was good too. We'll be talking about Richie Partridge next.
Yeah! At least RP made more than a couple of fleeting appearances…
I seem to remember Tony Sheridan was ‘the next big thing’?
 

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
Yeah! At least RP made more than a couple of fleeting appearances…
I seem to remember Tony Sheridan was ‘the next big thing’?

RP was magnificent.
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member

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