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Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

Todays Games


superjohnmcginlay

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My lad played with him for Eagley Rangers and doesn't think he ever went to Wanderers. The Eagley head coach was a guy called Quinn Beech who was poached by United to create a Manchester United youth training sattelite facility which used Smithills School as its base. Fletcher went to United via this route. 

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21 minutes ago, MickyD said:

My lad played with him for Eagley Rangers and doesn't think he ever went to Wanderers. The Eagley head coach was a guy called Quinn Beech who was poached by United to create a Manchester United youth training sattelite facility which used Smithills School as its base. Fletcher went to United via this route. 

Just read Fletcher's Wiki page. Seems he did join Bolton (according to whoever edited that part of Wiki)

He certainly played 12 months beyond his years as a kid

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Strange one for VAR. Liverpool player shoots and keeper saves. Had it gone in VAR would have dissallowed for offside. It went out for a corner which, had Liverpool scored from, would have been looked at for VAR in isolation and not including the previous offside. 

Barmy!

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2 minutes ago, MickyD said:

Strange one for VAR. Liverpool player shoots and keeper saves. Had it gone in VAR would have dissallowed for offside. It went out for a corner which, had Liverpool scored from, would have been looked at for VAR in isolation and not including the previous offside. 

Barmy!

Just thought that myself. How have they not stopped and said it’s offside free kick to Everton?

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Back to Jimmy Phillips' lad though, how did he get released by Bolton (I get that if he wasn't good enough... blah, blah, blah.) but then to be picked up by a team like Liverpool? Who was pulling the strings at Bolton then? Or maybe it was Jimmy Phillips' effort to rid himself of any accusations of nepotism.

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1 minute ago, MickyD said:

Back to Jimmy Phillips' lad though, how did he get released by Bolton (I get that if he wasn't good enough... blah, blah, blah.) but then to be picked up by a team like Liverpool? Who was pulling the strings at Bolton then? Or maybe it was Jimmy Phillips' effort to rid himself of any accusations of nepotism.

Or getting the best for his lad?

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17 minutes ago, MickyD said:

Back to Jimmy Phillips' lad though, how did he get released by Bolton (I get that if he wasn't good enough... blah, blah, blah.) but then to be picked up by a team like Liverpool? Who was pulling the strings at Bolton then? Or maybe it was Jimmy Phillips' effort to rid himself of any accusations of nepotism.

Couldn’t see any chance of making it from the academy into the first team. I think (and I may be wrong) that his contract was up and he had the opportunity to go the USA and attend university over there on a “soccer” scholarship so he took it thinking of the bigger picture

At the last minute, as he was about to go, Liverpool came in and said that they wanted him so he cancelled the USA and went there. Jimmy had no influence - told him that it was his choice so he chose to go to the scousers (bit of a family tie there!!)

It was the classic situation at the time (and still is now at most clubs now) explained to me by Marc Bircham when I met him on holiday a few years ago. You have good players in the academy but the manager knows he is only likely to be there for a couple of years so spunks money on “proven” players because he knows that he won’t have time to develop players out of the academy. Said good players either drift out of the game or head to the lower leagues

Chelsea’s situation this year has highlighted just how many good players there are that wouldn’t normally get a chance but give it to them and fuck me they are actually quite good

No blame on anyone such as Jimmy re Nat. It’s the modern world of football which is totally fucked up thanks to the money from TV. Nat’s been lucky

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31 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

He was supposedly going to America on a scholarship. Signed for Liverpool a couple of days before he was due to leave. Quite where Liverpool’s interest came from is anyone’s guess. 

YeH pretty sure it was a set up and our own academy director helped him move on with no fuss. 

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1 hour ago, MancWanderer said:

Couldn’t see any chance of making it from the academy into the first team. I think (and I may be wrong) that his contract was up and he had the opportunity to go the USA and attend university over there on a “soccer” scholarship so he took it thinking of the bigger picture

At the last minute, as he was about to go, Liverpool came in and said that they wanted him so he cancelled the USA and went there. Jimmy had no influence - told him that it was his choice so he chose to go to the scousers (bit of a family tie there!!)

It was the classic situation at the time (and still is now at most clubs now) explained to me by Marc Bircham when I met him on holiday a few years ago. You have good players in the academy but the manager knows he is only likely to be there for a couple of years so spunks money on “proven” players because he knows that he won’t have time to develop players out of the academy. Said good players either drift out of the game or head to the lower leagues

Chelsea’s situation this year has highlighted just how many good players there are that wouldn’t normally get a chance but give it to them and fuck me they are actually quite good

No blame on anyone such as Jimmy re Nat. It’s the modern world of football which is totally fucked up thanks to the money from TV. Nat’s been lucky

I don't dispute the official version of events because it can happen, and I do recognise the scenario you refer to in bold, but the year he left we had three Academy graduates in our starting line-up and his dad ended the season as caretaker manager.

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He had Wheater, Dervite and Derik ahead of him with Holding (potentially) as well. With Lennon as manager 

You’re offered the chance to go to the US with the burgeoning football scene there, or do you sit in the academy of a club on a downward spiral hoping that maybe that you’ll get the call? Even if your dad gets the chance to be caretaker with no chance of being offered the big job

Not a difficult choice really. Luck had it that the scousers has already seen the potential 

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