Debut players who you knew you would be CLASS

[Il Duce]

Maheta Molango.

 

[Storer68]

frankie lampard scoring ith an overhead kick for swansea at the goldstone when he was 17

saw mcmanaman play for a liverpool team when he was 16 at saltash's ground in a match against everton

i saw that as well.

i saw clive walker play for england schoolboys. . .......

 

[scarfer1]

I saw a little known player called Ryan Giggs turn out for the England School boys - he was pretty average though. I'm glad he chose to play for Wales!!!!!

 

[smudge]

Peter Ward at Hereford......why were we worried that Super Fred had been dropped for this young slip of a lad?

 

[The Wookiee]

Alan Shearer - Scored on every debut he made for each club he played for

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Brian Wade, scored all 4 against Newcastle on, I think, his debut and faded into obscurity within weeks.

 

[BensGrandad]

I dont remember Adrian Thorne playing for the first team prior to us beating Watford 6 - 0 to secure our first ever promtion from Div III South to Div II under Billy Lane. He scored 5 of the 6 goals but didnt play many more games for us if in fact any after that. One of the oldies on here will help me out I am sure.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I dont remember Adrian Thorne playing for the first team prior to us beating Watford 6 - 0 to secure our first ever promtion from Div III South to Div II under Billy Lane. He scored 5 of the 6 goals but didnt play many more games for us if in fact any after that. One of the oldies on here will help me out I am sure.

Hi BG
Just had a look in the Albion archives and the Watford game was on 30/4/58.
Adrian Thorne first scored* for the Albion vs Southend (2-0) on 18/1/58 and his last goals for us (2) were at Plymouth Argyle on 3/4/61 (2-1).
He scored 4 in my first Albion game against Bristol Rovers (6-1) on 27/8/60.

*There's also an 'A Thorne' listed as scoring in a wartime game vs Leyton Orient on Boxing Day 1942 but I don't know if it's the same fella.

AD

 

[7:18]

Whing......don't believe me, search for my thread the day of his debut during the Blackpool game. I got slammed for saying it, but he has turned out to be solid for us, great signing.

 

[BensGrandad]

Hi BG
Just had a look in the Albion archives and the Watford game was on 30/4/58.
Adrian Thorne first scored* for the Albion vs Southend (2-0) on 18/1/58 and his last goals for us (2) were at Plymouth Argyle on 3/4/61 (2-1).
He scored 4 in my first Albion game against Bristol Rovers (6-1) on 27/8/60.

*There's also an 'A Thorne' listed as scoring in a wartime game vs Leyton Orient on Boxing Day 1942 but I don't know if it's the same fella.

AD

Thanks for that I didnt realise that he played or us for so long but I am sure that it was not the same player who scored in 1942. The one I mentioned was quite young, which he wouldnt have been if he first played in 1942 some 16 years earlier.

 

[Gully]

S4L, Andy Whing was a quality signing, possibly the best the club have made since BZ, the man definitely has class.

 

[Gwylan]

I saw a little known player called Ryan Giggs turn out for the England School boys - he was pretty average though. I'm glad he chose to play for Wales!!!!!

Wrong. He played for Wales because he's Welsh - it's the only team he could have played for. He played for England schools because selection is not on nationality of the players but where the schools are located. This is a mistake that seems to crop up with some regularity on here.

Brian Wade, scored all 4 against Newcastle on, I think, his debut and faded into obscurity within weeks.

This another one that seems to crop up regularly. Wade's four goals were not on his debut - in fact, they weren't even his first goals for the club.

 

[nwgull]

Wrong. He played for Wales because he's Welsh - it's the only team he could have played for. He played for England schools because selection is not on nationality of the players but where the schools are located. This is a mistake that seems to crop up with some regularity on here.

Since there is no actual nationality as Welsh (or English), only British, I'm fairly sure Giggs could have played for England if he had chosen to. I don't think the Welsh FA could have had too many complaints given that he grew up in Manchester, as well as being in the Utd and Englad youth set up since the age of 14.

Given that he's never had the chance to play at a World Cup, I often suspect that Giggs regretted comitting himself to Wales at the age of 17.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

Ignoring the fact that it wasn't a competitive game, and probably not his debut either, Spurs played a pre-season friendly at the Goldstone, and they included a young CB by the name of Sol Campbell, who had yet to make his debut in the first team. He completely bossed the whole game, and I can remember thinking he looked like a bloody GIANT. The program said he was only 17 and I remember it being discussed that it must be a typo.

I played against him when I was a teenager He was playing up front and was MASSIVE even then. I wasn't exactly small either.

He scored 5. I was subbed.

 

[Lethargic]

Since there is no actual nationality as Welsh (or English), only British, I'm fairly sure Giggs could have played for England if he had chosen to. I don't think the Welsh FA could have had too many complaints given that he grew up in Manchester, as well as being in the Utd and Englad youth set up since the age of 14.

Given that he's never had the chance to play at a World Cup, I often suspect that Giggs regretted comitting himself to Wales at the age of 17.

I think technically he could have played for England, but as he has stated his parents were welsh and his grand parents were welsh so there was only one country he was ever going to play for.

 

[Spearritt of the Albion]

David Beckham's debut was pretty memorable. He came on in a cup game at the Goldstone. We immediately broke down the wing, crossed and scored! He must have been thinking that would be his first, and last game!!

More memorable, though, was Norman Whiteside's debut. This big kid came on as sub and a huge roar went up from the Man Utd fans in the North-East corner of the Goldstone. We had never heard of him before but a few months later he became the youngest ever player to play in the World Cup, breaking Pele's record in the 1950's.

He was so well built for a teenager that I think the Utd fans thought he was the new Duncan Edwards. (Now there's a player I would have loved to have watched).

 

[Peter Grummit]

Paul Dickov.

PG

 

[empire]

I have to disagree with the comment that he was wasted by the England set up. It was more a case of Fowler coming through at a time where there was a better striker than him (Shearer) and the fact that the Shearer / Sheringham partnership worked so well. He was then unfortunate that after that Owen came through, who again was a better player and that Fowler was suffering a number of ankle injuries that took a lot out of him.

but goal ratio ,imo fowler was the best ,one chance,one goal,

 

[dougdeep]

Sidwell, if we'd kept him I'm sure we would be in the Championship still.

 

[portslade seagull]

Mark Farrington.....(only joking)

Lawrenson absolute class !!!