[Albion] Ian Wright

[wellquickwoody]

Water under the bridge, no need for recriminations.

Always liked Wrighty, even more so when Arsenal became my glamour club during our war years. Seems to know how to be humble and opinionated at the same time, good mix. Well done SF too.

Now about Mark Bright............

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Martin Keown too I think.

But he was peculiarly crap at the time.

 

[Easy 10]

Interestingly, most Palace fans despise him now. Something about him celebrating in front of them when he scored against them for Arsenal. Then going to Burnley instead of back to them when he was at the arse end of his career.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Well done Palace. Fair play. To think Ian Wright could have been running out for us. I always liked him - even back in the day.

 

[drew]

Think we're being a bit harsh! He had numerous trials as a teenager and wasn't taken on by anyone. He didn't sign for Palace until he was 22 so that's three years after trialling with us.

Keane I believe was friends with Paul McCarthy and the rumour was he wasn't taken on because he was too small. A reason given by many clubs for not having a look at him.

As regards Keown, I think we were given an option to buy but it was about £45k and as money was tight and he was a teen we didn't proceed.

All this goes to prove that hindsight is an exact science!!

 

[drew]

Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Denis Law - we certainly know how to turn 'em down!

When did we turn down Law? He was signed by Huddersfield when he was 14!

 

[BN9 BHA]

Chris Cattliin obviously wasn't a good at spotting what a good player Ian Wright was, maybe that's why he ended up selling Brighton rock.

Respect to Steve Foster.

 

[GT49er]

When did we turn down Law? He was signed by Huddersfield when he was 14!

Billy Lane wanted to buy him from Huddersfield but the directors refused to let him; some suggestions were made that they thought he was too small. Other reports were that they told Lane he'd have to sell the rest of the team.

 

[Mackenzie]

Did Wright’s rejection coincide with us giving Dean Saunders a contract? Perhaps we couldn’t stretch to the two of them (although they’d have both been on a pittance compared to the “senior” professionals). Perhaps it was just the timing that was out.

Oh and well done Steve Foster.

 

[BigGully]

A very close friend was a young pro at the time when Wright was on trial with us and played in the same team of ressies when he did, he can hardly remember him, only this morning he couldn't quite believe that he was on trial for 6 weeks, he replied, really !!!

He said there was a conveyor belt of young triallists at the time, I suspect his problem was that he didnt have a dominant scout arrange the trial, therefore not a ally that would try and convince Cattlin to give him a chance, supposedly O'Regan had Melia and Penney had Sammy Nelson, once you are at a good level its the little things in a precarious profession that make the difference.

Fozzie was a big character and a generous guy.

 

[Seagull kimchi]

Course he wasn’t , down here to get a few games before he got a chance at Arsenal

Remember we played him up front on the odd occasion - did well, too.

 

[Surrey Phil]

Total respect for the guy & Fozzie (although that already went without saying)!

 

[drew]

Did Wright’s rejection coincide with us giving Dean Saunders a contract? Perhaps we couldn’t stretch to the two of them (although they’d have both been on a pittance compared to the “senior” professionals). Perhaps it was just the timing that was out.

Oh and well done Steve Foster.

Don't think so. Wright signed for Palace when he was 22 in 1985, the same year we signed Saunders. His trial with us was when he was a teenager so about 3 years earlier.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Top bloke.

Picking players is all very easy with hindsight.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

As I remember, the reason for not signing Wright was that we already had Fashanu and Saunders and weren't in the market for strikers.

 

[The Large One]

Chris Cattliin obviously wasn't a good at spotting what a good player Ian Wright was, maybe that's why he ended up selling Brighton rock.

Respect to Steve Foster.

Obviously....

Steve Penney
Hans Kraay
Dean Saunders
Danny Wilson

Working for a board and regime that utterly shafted him. Yeah, utterly clueless.

 

[DumLum]

Anyone else remember when we played them in the Simod cup in 1990/91? Wright was given loads of grief by the north stand at a corner. He sort of craned his neck at us. Stuck in my mind . I think he scored that night as well.
How we turned him down I will never know

Was I the only one wondering if he thought he was getting racist abuse?
Everytime the ball fell out of the sky to him after a hopeful punt from a defender we were chanting "Hoof,Hoof,Hoof!"

 

[The Large One]

As I remember, the reason for not signing Wright was that we already had Fashanu and Saunders and weren't in the market for strikers.

Not sure it was them.

He said he was on trial here at the age of 19. That would put it as probably 1983. Fashanu and Saunders didn't arrive for another couple of years. More likely Terry Connor, Alan Young and Gordon Smith.

 

[Ernest]

Remember we played him up front on the odd occasion - did well, too.

The 3-5 loss to Charlton

 

[BigGully]

As I remember, the reason for not signing Wright was that we already had Fashanu and Saunders and weren't in the market for strikers.

I think he was way down the pecking order to be considered as a viable first team striker, he was just a kid trying for a contract, any contract, 6 months 1 year anything.