- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,645
Look, I wasn't trying to suggest that Wilkins was crap, far from it, only that I'm not prepared to label him the Greatest Youth Coach Ever, as some seem to suggest. The players that did come through the youth team- and yes, there were a few- are mostly average League One or Two players, nothing special. Most clubs at this level have a few youth team products in their first team: it's the way life works in the lower divisions and reflects the financial status of the clubs more than the brilliance of the coaching systems. The fact is that historically the Albion have been pretty shit at bringing through their own players and Wilkins, for my money, brought them up to the standard of most other clubs, no more, no less.
For my money, he always seemed to struggle to impose himself on the older players, finding it a lot easier to deal with the players he'd known through his youth team coaching days. He came across as a little over sensitive at times too: at one stage he resigned before a home game didn't he, can't remember why, but he was persuaded to stay for whatever reason.
As a player, he was one of the most frustrating I can remember- clearly had great passing ability, but tackled like a six year old girl, hence the long-sticking nickname Wendy. Barry Lloyd had a reputation for never, ever subbing him, no matter how ineffective he was in a particular game. So yes, he had his moments, but if it weren't for that (AWESOME) free kick against Ipswich, he would hardly be remembered as an Albion legend. IMHO of course.
For my money, he always seemed to struggle to impose himself on the older players, finding it a lot easier to deal with the players he'd known through his youth team coaching days. He came across as a little over sensitive at times too: at one stage he resigned before a home game didn't he, can't remember why, but he was persuaded to stay for whatever reason.
As a player, he was one of the most frustrating I can remember- clearly had great passing ability, but tackled like a six year old girl, hence the long-sticking nickname Wendy. Barry Lloyd had a reputation for never, ever subbing him, no matter how ineffective he was in a particular game. So yes, he had his moments, but if it weren't for that (AWESOME) free kick against Ipswich, he would hardly be remembered as an Albion legend. IMHO of course.
