Ex-Player Thread Ex-Player Thread

[Carpy]

 

[Northernyellow]

Watched an interview where Matt Le Tissier spoke about coming to Oxford at 14, stayed with a friend of his dads in the city, was going to go to a local school and train in our youth set up at nights, did two days at the local school, none of the kids spoke to him so he went back home. So if you were at an Oxford School in about 1983/84 and a weird kid from Guernsey turned up and you shunned him you cost us a class player you miserable fucker, just shows it pays to be nice.

And on trial with LeTissier was Graeme LeSaux. They were both part of a larger group of triallists from the Channel Islands. We sent LeSaux back after a few days. So possibly not the finest couple of weeks in the club's recruitment history. PS. In the mid 80's, Jim Smith signed Nigel Winterburn for us on a two year deal from Birmingham. Decided after a week or so that he was hopeless, so passed him on to Wimbledon. For younger readers, Winterburn was a LB (like LeSaux) and went on to play 400+ games for Arsenal. Never got more than a handful of England caps because his career coincided with Kenny Sansom & Stuart Pearce.

 

[Kernow Yellow]

Well Kiddie are a pro team, but I thought Wotton was only loaned to us from Saints so not technically an alumnus. Moderator pedantry assessment required.

If you do count loanees, then surely Keith Andrews at Brentford is the most significant ex-U and current manager.

Speaking of Paul Wotton, he was once on the receiving end of a nasty assault by Chris Zebroski. We signed Zebroski soon afterwards - we clearly didn't have a 'no dickheads' policy in those days...

 

[Kernow Yellow]

Watched an interview where Matt Le Tissier spoke about coming to Oxford at 14, stayed with a friend of his dads in the city, was going to go to a local school and train in our youth set up at nights, did two days at the local school, none of the kids spoke to him so he went back home. So if you were at an Oxford School in about 1983/84 and a weird kid from Guernsey turned up and you shunned him you cost us a class player you miserable fucker, just shows it pays to be nice.

I've heard a slightly different version of this story from a youth team player at the time - apparently Le Tiss was quiet and homesick and terrible in training due to being low on confidence. The person in question tried to talk to him but he was very shy and didn't seem to want to be there. But, as they say, 'recollections may vary'.

 

[holdsteady]

I've heard a slightly different version of this story from a youth team player at the time - apparently Le Tiss was quiet and homesick and terrible in training due to being low on confidence. The person in question tried to talk to him but he was very shy and didn't seem to want to be there. But, as they say, 'recollections may vary'.

Dunno, the video I saw he talked about school not football training, sounded like he only last a couple of days from that, most footballers don't have to adapt to a new school, club and home. I think at that age if your first day at a new school, having moved away from home for the first time to somewhere where you know no one, goes badly then that could really knock your confidence when you go to train later in the evening, especially when you are coming from a tiny place like Guernsey. Probably no ones fault, he was just to young to adapt to it at that age.

 

[MJB]

I've heard a slightly different version of this story from a youth team player at the time - apparently Le Tiss was quiet and homesick and terrible in training due to being low on confidence. The person in question tried to talk to him but he was very shy and didn't seem to want to be there. But, as they say, 'recollections may vary'.

Are we sure Le Tissier wasn't already banging on about chemtrails and other crackpot conspiracies as a kid? I'd have given him a swerve as a teenager too if so!

 

[unification]

Sean Clare makes his debut for Turks and Caicos Islands (alongside our former nemesis Anthony Stewart now of Bedford Town) against Montserrat.

T&CI are ranked 205 in the world.

 

[m]

If you do count loanees, then surely Keith Andrews at Brentford is the most significant ex-U and current manager.

Speaking of Paul Wotton, he was once on the receiving end of a nasty assault by Chris Zebroski. We signed Zebroski soon afterwards - we clearly didn't have a 'no dickheads' policy in those days...

Speaking of loanees, and rhyming with 'Wotton', AFC Totton are (player-)managed by Scott Rendell. Totton are not a professional club.

(I've no idea why I bothered either)

 

[Emilio]

Speaking of loanees, and rhyming with 'Wotton', AFC Totton are (player-)managed by Scott Rendell. Totton are not a professional club.

(I've no idea why I bothered either)

You're truly wasted on us.

 

[Whingit]

Armand Gnanduillet with a very weird celebration in the (surprisingly well attended) French third division.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Dunno, the video I saw he talked about school not football training, sounded like he only last a couple of days from that, most footballers don't have to adapt to a new school, club and home. I think at that age if your first day at a new school, having moved away from home for the first time to somewhere where you know no one, goes badly then that could really knock your confidence when you go to train later in the evening, especially when you are coming from a tiny place like Guernsey. Probably no ones fault, he was just to young to adapt to it at that age.

Its odd he doesn't mention his brother Kevin who played / trialled for our youth side I'd have thought around the same time .

 

[West Oxon U’s]

 

[Left Wing Cross]

Shame he wasn't super value for us

 

[Greenstar]

Interesting that Slovenia don't have Nik Prelec even on the bench. What an expensive waste these continental 'stars' were for us when we compare with our academy talent

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

 

[Wallop]

Got to love an Alfie Potter injury time goal.

 

[Emilio]

Got to love an Alfie Potter injury time goal.

Really? Didn't realise he had previous.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Not a player but Kelvin Thomas has stepped down as Chairman of Northampton Town and is now a minority shareholder after a consortium which includes ex Brazil forward Pato, took over the club.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

 

[Osei Yaw]

Ryan Williams scored the only goal of the game for India against Brazil in a 1-0 win.

Only joking, he was subbed off in the 83rd minute when they were 3-0 down.

They lost 4-0.

 

[Osei Yaw]

Turns out Williams did in fact score for India last week in a 1-1 draw with Panama. Fair play to him, always liked him.

 

[holdsteady]

It’s always slightly strange to me that India and China are so s**t at the worlds most popular sport, it might not be huge in those countries but sheer numbers should let them be competitive, instead Ryan Williams gets to play.

 

[Marked Ox]

It’s always slightly strange to me that India and China are so s**t at the worlds most popular sport, it might not be huge in those countries but sheer numbers should let them be competitive, instead Ryan Williams gets to play.

Don't know about India but these 2 articles give a good idea why China are as poor as they are:

China's football future: The mountain school producing prodigies

Pupils in China's Gansu province hope football can help them escape poverty.

www.bbc.co.uk

'Numb' and 'humiliated': Why China's football dream lies in tatters

China has failed to qualify for the last five World Cups - and once again, their chances look unlikely.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Steve Gilbert]

BDK played 90 minutes for Bristol City yesterday in a friendly against Palace. He assisted another Ex Yellow, Luke McNally’s goal.

 

[MarkG]

Sam Deering

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

 

[MJB]

That pitch looks… agricultural.

 

[holdsteady]

Was the game played at a local park?

 

[Yellowmania]

And why hasn’t the only supporter got a head?

 

[Emilio]

Call that a "Fence End"?

 

[Marked Ox]

That pitch looks… agricultural.

A ploughed field would have been an improvemenr looking at that.