One that got away.

[pipster]

Re: One that got away.

Watching the Hammers last week the commentator said we rejected Bowen, and a few years later up he pops to score the winner in a European championship final.

[Bobby Dandruff]

Re: One that got away.

Let’s bring him back and ruin him. Finish what we started.

Who was the last striker to come to us and actually play better than they were playing?

Bothroyd?

I'm probably wrong here, and happy to be proved so, but off the top of my I can't think of any strikers (or players in fact) who we have released/sold at a loss that I have wanted to come back.

e.g. I have no desire to see Bobby G come back despite succeeding in Germany now, nor A Corn.

[Bobby Dandruff]

Re: One that got away.

Watching the Hammers last week the commentator said we rejected Bowen, and a few years later up he pops to score the winner in a European championship final.

Yeah, I winced when the commentator said that :facepalm:

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Re: One that got away.

Looks like he's off to Watford

[Carl Dale's Mole]

Re: One that got away.

Looks like he's off to Watford

That's an interesting one!

[SOXY BOY]

Re: One that got away.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Healey now. I think he missed 9 months of the season following an ACL injury, but he scored the winner at Monaco on his return in June within a couple of minutes of coming on as a sub.

He’s clearly developed into a decent player.

Didn’t Healey suffer an ACL injury when he played with us ?
Did we reject Bowen? I didn’t think he wanted to join us .

[City123]

Re: One that got away.

Didn’t Healey suffer an ACL injury when he played with us ?
Did we reject Bowen? I didn’t think he wanted to join us .

He had a trial as a youngster and was rejected supposedly

We tried to sign him from Hull when we were in the PL but he turned us down as he was uncomfortable following Sala's death and "replacing" him

[AfricanBluebird]

Re: One that got away.

Another young player we didn't give a proper chance. Seems to be a constant theme.

He had six loan moves while with us between 2013 and 2019

Did well at Newport, MK Dons and Torquay - but never really looked sharp enough for us.

I can't remember many people complaining when he was released.

We have let some players go too soon without giving them a proper chance - Semi Ajayi for example... fans could all see he had huge ability and could make it at championship level, but Warnock didn't fancy him.. he then walked into the Rotherham side and has played over 100 games for WBA - including a full season in the PL.

In my opinion, he really was the one we let get away over recent years (and Bowen but we have already had a thread on him) - whereas Healey didn't show huge signs of his potential when with us. But good luck to the lad - he did brilliantly in France and now back in the championship.

If he can carry his form from 2 seasons ago into this season, Watford have a decent player - Wales also!

[the other bob wilson]

Re: One that got away.

He had six loan moves while with us between 2013 and 2019

Did well at Newport, MK Dons and Torquay - but never really looked sharp enough for us.

I can't remember many people complaining when he was released.

We have let some players go too soon without giving them a proper chance - Semi Ajayi for example... fans could all see he had huge ability and could make it at championship level, but Warnock didn't fancy him.. he then walked into the Rotherham side and has played over 100 games for WBA - including a full season in the PL.

In my opinion, he really was the one we let get away over recent years (and Bowen but we have already had a thread on him) - whereas Healey didn't show huge signs of his potential when with us. But good luck to the lad - he did brilliantly in France and now back in the championship.

If he can carry his form from 2 seasons ago into this season, Watford have a decent player - Wales also!

Pretty sure he's not qualified to play for Wales.

[AfricanBluebird]

Re: One that got away.

Pretty sure he's not qualified to play for Wales.

Yeah you're right TOBW

[TheGoose]

Re: One that got away.

He had six loan moves while with us between 2013 and 2019

Did well at Newport, MK Dons and Torquay - but never really looked sharp enough for us.

I can't remember many people complaining when he was released.

We have let some players go too soon without giving them a proper chance - Semi Ajayi for example... fans could all see he had huge ability and could make it at championship level, but Warnock didn't fancy him.. he then walked into the Rotherham side and has played over 100 games for WBA - including a full season in the PL.

In my opinion, he really was the one we let get away over recent years (and Bowen but we have already had a thread on him) - whereas Healey didn't show huge signs of his potential when with us. But good luck to the lad - he did brilliantly in France and now back in the championship.

If he can carry his form from 2 seasons ago into this season, Watford have a decent player - Wales also!

re: Ajayi, i had the same feelings with that James Connolly too. think he was only 19 when he went on loan to Rovers and was superb for them in league 2. was amazed we didnt give him a new contract and send him back to them on loan. I guess its a wait and see on how his career goes, but seemed like a strange one at the time.

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Re: One that got away.

re: Ajayi, i had the same feelings with that James Connolly too. think he was only 19 when he went on loan to Rovers and was superb for them in league 2. was amazed we didnt give him a new contract and send him back to them on loan. I guess its a wait and see on how his career goes, but seemed like a strange one at the time.

I was surprised about Connolly too. What's the point in a loan if it goes well but you get shot of the player anyway? Shame he was injured last season and didn't get the chance to progress on league one. Hopefully he'll get a chance to do that next season.

[Rock_Flock_of_Five]

Re: One that got away.

He had six loan moves while with us between 2013 and 2019

Did well at Newport, MK Dons and Torquay - but never really looked sharp enough for us.

I can't remember many people complaining when he was released.

We have let some players go too soon without giving them a proper chance - Semi Ajayi for example... fans could all see he had huge ability and could make it at championship level, but Warnock didn't fancy him.. he then walked into the Rotherham side and has played over 100 games for WBA - including a full season in the PL.

In my opinion, he really was the one we let get away over recent years (and Bowen but we have already had a thread on him) - whereas Healey didn't show huge signs of his potential when with us. But good luck to the lad - he did brilliantly in France and now back in the championship.

If he can carry his form from 2 seasons ago into this season, Watford have a decent player - Wales also!

"We have let some players go too soon without giving them a proper chance - Semi Ajayi for example... fans could all see he had huge ability and could make it at championship level"

No one ever saw him play at Championship level during his time with us. He was an unused sub for two League Cup games.

Whilst it could be argued we let him go too soon, to say.... "fans could all see he had huge ability and could make it at championship level" is stretching it a bit.

[Rock_Flock_of_Five]

Re: One that got away.

He had six loan moves while with us between 2013 and 2019

Did well at Newport, MK Dons and Torquay - but never really looked sharp enough for us.

I can't remember many people complaining when he was released.

We have let some players go too soon without giving them a proper chance - Semi Ajayi for example... fans could all see he had huge ability and could make it at championship level, but Warnock didn't fancy him.. he then walked into the Rotherham side and has played over 100 games for WBA - including a full season in the PL.

In my opinion, he really was the one we let get away over recent years (and Bowen but we have already had a thread on him) - whereas Healey didn't show huge signs of his potential when with us. But good luck to the lad - he did brilliantly in France and now back in the championship.

If he can carry his form from 2 seasons ago into this season, Watford have a decent player - Wales also!

This is what the City correspondent at the time, Dominic Booth, had to say about Ajayi's departure:

"I think Warnock quickly settled upon the players he trusted in defence and was never going to consider anyone else. Ajayi hardly pulled up trees during his loan spells, so there wasn't an overwhelming amount of evidence to persuade Warnock to change things and give him a shot."

[Pedro de la Rosa]

Re: One that got away.

We have let some players go too soon without giving them a proper chance - Semi Ajayi for example... fans could all see he had huge ability and could make it at championship level, but Warnock didn't fancy him.. he then walked into the Rotherham side and has played over 100 games for WBA - including a full season in the PL.

Warnock didn’t fancy him because he wasn’t as good as Bamba, Morrison and Manga. A few hundred games later, and he’s a good player at this level but that was never going to happen here.