Chris Eagles and Tom Hitchcock

[The French Connection]

I remember refereeing a Torquay reserve team game with Tiverton three days before Leon signed, he played up front with Akinfewa and Joe Kuffour and was utterly abysmal, even abusing the reserve team manager and getting dragged off for it. 3 days later my dad my dad messaged me to tell me we'd signed a player from Torquay for 75k and asked if I knew much about him, literally could have knocked me down with a feather!

 

A couple of years later I and many other stood up and gave him a standing ovation as he was being abused by a few numbskulls against Bournemouth on what I think was the last game of the season / appearance for us.

 

Let's see who signs for us and what they do for us.

 

Remember the Bournemouth game very well - look where they are now!

 

I didn't think we paid anything like £75k for Constantine, £12k seems to stick in my mind. Any other suggestions?

 

I remember seeing Darren Beckford play for Leeds Reserves at Vale Park, and he was absolutely atrocious! A couple of years later he signed for over £2m for Everton. Hasty judgement of players is a dangerous thing!

[robf]

£20,000 for Constantine wasn't it?

[TheSage]

Remember the Bournemouth game very well - look where they are now!

 

I didn't think we paid anything like £75k for Constantine, £12k seems to stick in my mind. Any other suggestions?

 

I remember seeing Darren Beckford play for Leeds Reserves at Vale Park, and he was absolutely atrocious! A couple of years later he signed for over £2m for Everton. Hasty judgement of players is a dangerous thing!

 

I think you mean Jermaine not Darren but the point still stands.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

£20,000 for Constantine wasn't it?

 

That was still over the odds!

 

Yes think you might be right, think that was the fee Torquay paid for him.

[bookworm]

I reckon any average league player would improve us, they don't have to be world beaters to improve our squad so lets be upbeat for a change.

[geosname]

Exactly. I don't care what they did for other clubs, it what they bring when they wear a Vale shirt that interests me. We've had plenty of well-regarded players who've been rubbish for us and we've had plenty of discarded players from other clubs who have been great. I'd like to think we'd give a new signing at least a chance to appear in the first-team before judging them...

 

Although you dont get a second chance to make a first impression its madness to judge everything based on that first impression.