Unlucky in their time.

[sledger]

actually just checked and Keown played more than 40 times, which is far more than I remembered/imagined

can't help but feel he would have picked up considerably more caps still though, had he not had Adams, Campbell, Ferdinand and Terry ahead of him

 

[BoyBrumby]

Dixon, Bould and Keown all good enough to play for England way more than they did too tbh

And Ray Parlour, who I maintain is genuinely one of the most underrated premiership players ever

Yeah, that Hoddle couldn't find room for the Romford Pele in his 1998 squad but did for an arthritic Rob Lee was a travesty.

Dixon & Keown did at least have semi-respectable international careers and both got to go to tournaments; Bould was stiffed, but we had some very decent centre-halves in his time: Butcher, Adams, Walker and Mark Wright off the top of my head.

IIRC at the time Bould was the eldest English debutant since Leslie "brother of Denis" Compton, another Gooner, but suspect Kevin Davies & (maybe) Rickie Lambert have been older since.

 

[GIMH]

Mark Wright is bottom-feeding trash.

On a similar note though, Steve Bruce another defender from a similar era who somehow avoided international honours. Easy to forget now seeing the rotund journeyman manager but he was a hell of a player in the early days of the United dynasty.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Mark Wright is bottom-feeding trash.

On a similar note though, Steve Bruce another defender from a similar era who somehow avoided international honours. Easy to forget now seeing the rotund journeyman manager but he was a hell of a player in the early days of the United dynasty.

Ha, I very nearly added "racist scumbag bigtime Charlie though he is" as a disclaimer.

I used to amuse myself when a ManUre fan went on about Bruce being the "best centre half never to play for England" by suggesting that no, that'd be Franz Beckenbauer.

 

[GIMH]

I talked about it in the old days of CW so apologies if you already know this, but I had a physical run-in with Mark Wright circa 03. He was best mates with the landlord of the pub I worked in at the time and we were having an after-hours staff party on a Sunday. I was suitably sozzled and when I tripped over a chair the boss suggested it was time for me to go home.

I pleaded with him to leave me be, I said I’d drink no further but wanted to stay as I was enjoying everyone’s company etc. He wasn’t having it and put his hands on me to which I responded, ‘get the **** off me you fat ****’

He was deeply unimpressed so flexed to punch me, I wriggled past him but this was when I had hair down my back, which was tied back in a ponytail from working the bar earlier that evening. So as I’m getting myself away Mark Wright grabs my ponytail, says ‘you’re just a nobody mate’ and according to a couple of other people swung his beer bottle as if he was about to smash it over my head before thinking better of it and throwing me to the floor. Him and the landlord then dragged me along the floor, swinging me against walls and the soup kettle as they went, and launched me out of the premises.

Anyway, went downstairs the next morning and told mother dearest what happened who insisted on going to the police. I think the police really wished Wright had bottled me because they seemed desperate to nail him, but alas. I got suspended from work for about six months on full pay, before resigning on police advice.

I wasn’t hurt, though it was all rather embarrassing. Not the first or last time my big mouth got me into trouble, though the response was somewhat disproportionate. Anyway I shouldn’t have called the boss a fat **** but Wright really had no business getting involved and just saw an opportunity to throw his weight around which sums the man up.

When I got in that night I told my sister about it, what sticks in the mind is that Mark Wright had been in the running for the vacant TRFC job at the time. I swore to her if he got the job I’d not set foot back in Prenton Park until he was gone. The club got word there had been an incident with a local fan and got cold feet, it was somewhat surreal hearing Sky Sports News confirm he was out of the running due to an incident. I think he might well have got the job. So I took one for the team. Worth it.

 

[Uppercut]

It's kind of an indictment of how selection worked at the time: pick a formation, then pick the "best" available player in each position. For most of the 90s the all-English Arsenal back four was miles better than the England back four (or three), even though the England back four often had better players in every position.

 

[sledger]

My favourite Mark Wright related story actually has nothing really to do with Mark Wright, but more to do with a friend that I have with the same name.

When at Uni together we were asked in one of our early classes to say a rhyme (or something along those lines) to help everyone remember our names.

So for example, one bloke said something like "I'm Alex Carter and I'm hear to get smarter".

Another said something like "I'm super nice David Rice".

And then Mark said "I'm Mark Wright, like Mark Wright".

The reaction in the room was generally negative, and I can remember some bloke turning to me and saying something along the lines of "oh wow, I bet this bloke is a real barrel of laughs".

The thing is though, with my laconic (i.e. crap and juvenile) sense of humour, I genuinely found Mark's response to be hilarious, and we have been friends ever since.

 

[GIMH]

When he was Chester manager, he once put one his players in hospital after said player dared to confirm Wright about sleeping with his wife.

the football one, not Sledger’s mate, although…

 

[sledger]

(my rhyme, for those who are interested, was obviously "my name is sledger, and to Indians I cause displeasure" ftr)

 

[Aritro]

I talked about it in the old days of CW so apologies if you already know this, but I had a physical run-in with Mark Wright circa 03. He was best mates with the landlord of the pub I worked in at the time and we were having an after-hours staff party on a Sunday. I was suitably sozzled and when I tripped over a chair the boss suggested it was time for me to go home.

I pleaded with him to leave me be, I said I’d drink no further but wanted to stay as I was enjoying everyone’s company etc. He wasn’t having it and put his hands on me to which I responded, ‘get the **** off me you fat ****’

He was deeply unimpressed so flexed to punch me, I wriggled past him but this was when I had hair down my back, which was tied back in a ponytail from working the bar earlier that evening. So as I’m getting myself away Mark Wright grabs my ponytail, says ‘you’re just a nobody mate’ and according to a couple of other people swung his beer bottle as if he was about to smash it over my head before thinking better of it and throwing me to the floor. Him and the landlord then dragged me along the floor, swinging me against walls and the soup kettle as they went, and launched me out of the premises.

Anyway, went downstairs the next morning and told mother dearest what happened who insisted on going to the police. I think the police really wished Wright had bottled me because they seemed desperate to nail him, but alas. I got suspended from work for about six months on full pay, before resigning on police advice.

I wasn’t hurt, though it was all rather embarrassing. Not the first or last time my big mouth got me into trouble, though the response was somewhat disproportionate. Anyway I shouldn’t have called the boss a fat **** but Wright really had no business getting involved and just saw an opportunity to throw his weight around which sums the man up.

When I got in that night I told my sister about it, what sticks in the mind is that Mark Wright had been in the running for the vacant TRFC job at the time. I swore to her if he got the job I’d not set foot back in Prenton Park until he was gone. The club got word there had been an incident with a local fan and got cold feet, it was somewhat surreal hearing Sky Sports News confirm he was out of the running due to an incident. I think he might well have got the job. So I took one for the team. Worth it.

I think I've read you post about this before, but it's great every time. He sounds like a ****ing wanker and you got him in the end. Great stuff.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I didn't realise the universal hate for Mark Wright. I was watching a World Cup Group game in Italia 90 with a bunch of drunken reprobates (I was away from home in Newark) and Wright scored a goal. They all went absolutely bananas except a bloke named Joe West who did not move, not even a flicker of a smile. Not much of a story, but he just hated Mark Wright and refused to show pleasure.
As a side story I think he went to uni with the motto "I'm Joe West and I wear a vest".

 

[Uppercut]

When he was Chester manager, he once put one his players in hospital after said player dared to confirm Wright about sleeping with his wife.

the football one, not Sledger’s mate, although…

Didn't he lose that job for (allegedly) racially abusing a player in training? Top bloke all round.

 

[GIMH]

Didn't he lose that job for (allegedly) racially abusing a player in training? Top bloke all round.

I thought that was Oxford but might have happened twice

 

[Uppercut]

I thought that was Oxford but might have happened twice

Ah it was actually Peterborough I was thinking of. It did happen twice.

 

[Furball]

We'll draw a veil over USA 94, but come Euro 96 he was omitted for Phil "****ing" Neville.

Had to go check that because that's one of those facts that just doesn't sound right because he would have been 19 or 20 at the time and barely in the Man Utd side (bearing in mind Beckham didn't make the squad) but nope, number 19 in the squad according to Wiki was indeed Phil Neville.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Jimmy White. Denied so often by Hendry in the World Championship and also lost to Davis and Parrott in finals. Don't get much more unlucky than being a 6 time runner up in your sports biggest prize.

 

[andruid]

Monica Seles getting straight up stabbed on the field at the height of her powers has to count for something