https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43963627 Ex City player poised to take over from ex City player!
He went to a more established side in Bolton and enjoyed a longer stay in the PL as a result. Fair play to him.
Not as such, no. More Browny not rating him particularly highly and thinking we could get better. Ricketts wanted to stay. Was very complimentary about Phil Brown when I spoke to him though.
That seems crazy given he played almost every week, was immense in our promotion season and held his own well enough in the PL to attract rival clubs, something no one else bar Turner did.
I found it all a bit curious. I'd assumed that we'd sold him because we were skint (which we were) but apparently not. Paul Duffen said that Phil and Sam always had an interesting relationship, which he put down to Sam playing in Phil's old position. Sam says that loads of contracts were handed out in the latter half of 2008 when we were on the crest of a wave. He'd asked for one and had been told one was being prepared, only to then be told that the club felt that some players had seen their form dip once they'd got their contracts, therefore no more were to be handed out until the back end of the season. Sam asked later on in the season, but nothing happened, so he figured he wasn't wanted. Which he wasn't, really. Phil Brown told me that he felt club could do better, which led to us getting Paul McShane permanently. I love McShane, but personally think that Ricketts offered more of an all-round game at full back. Which ever way you look at it, we sold one-half of a pretty decent Premier League defence for the sum total of six million quid in the space of a few weeks. That was what started the rot, in my opinion.
Still hopeful of the back end of the year. Chasing up a few potential sponsors, and the final few interviews (tantalisingly close to Jan Molby but still thinking it'll never happen). If I can get some decent money behind it and release the book I want (A4, full colour, to make use of the many amazing images Dave Richardson has kindly given me permission to use) then I'll definitely get it out in time for Christmas. The bulk of the book is now written. The Wembley stuff still makes me cry.
McShane was never a right back much better at centre back, Rickett's was much better than Macca at right back IMO. Very strange.
Couldn't agree more. And in hindsight, we'd have been better with Macca replacing Turner at centre-back and Ricketts continuing at right-back. That would have spared us Ibrahima Sonko in a City shirt...
Put my name down for a copy please, and, as I was first to ask, I obviously expect mine to be signed by the author
Thank you. And done! I'll be marketing the hell out of it on here and social media when it finally comes out.
