The world of fizzy pop

Norwich and ex MUFC winger Luke Chadwick has signed a 3 month loan deal at Stadium Rollers!!  In a dramatic fall from grace, the ex european cup winner (oh yes!!!!!), whose face you could play dot to dot on, signed for the Bletchley based club in order to gain first team football. 

“I wash myself with a rag on a stick”

27 year old Chadwick, who also had a spell with Stoke City, shot to fame at the turn of the century, not for his footballing skills but his good looks and charm.  Also known as ‘ratty’, ‘you spotty freak’ and ‘Puss boy’ to fellow professionals, Chadwick is one of a growing trend  of fellow MUFC youth players of his generation to fail on the big stage. Point being that although  Fergie found and nurtured the likes of Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, The Nevilles et al, if you dig deeper into his archive and examine the flops pushed out the back door, their famous youth system aint that great!!

Here is a list of other teenage prodigys turned failures;

Chris Casper. 2 apps 0 gls. When spells at Bournemouth, Swindon and Reading (when they were gash) failed, he retired at 24.  Failed as manager of Bury, now Bradford youth team manager.

Simon Davies. 11 apps 0 gls.  1 cap for the worst Welsh national team in history!!  After failing as Ryan Giggs back up, spells at Exeter, Huddersfield, Luton, Macclesfield, Rochdale and various Welsh clubs kept the bank balance breaking even.  He now manages Chester City

Ronnie ‘I’ll deck the shit out of any Belgian referee you show me’ Wallwork. 19 apps and England U20 honours.  After having his lifetime Football ban reduced Wallwork played for Carlisle, Stockport, West Brom, Bradford, Barnsley, Huddersfield.  He now plies his trade in the wrong end of the Fizzy pop premier for Sheff Weds.  We’re mentioning no names, Danny Higginbottom, but unfortunately Wallworks partner in crime in the massacre of Liege plays in the top flight to this day

John Curtis. 13 apps 0 gls, England B honours.  One of the better ones, although he is only a right back.  Curits travelled the length and breadth of the country stopping off at Barnsley, Sheff Weds, Leicester, Portsmouth, Preston, Forest and QPR on the way.  Last I heard he was having a trial at the poorer of the 2 Nottingham clubs, Notts Co.

Michael Clegg. 9apps. 0gls. Retired in 2004 at age 27 having played for Ipswich, Wigan (when they were gash) and Oldham

Mark Wilson. 3apps 0gls.  This guys CV is interesting!!  Wrexham (with league status), Middlesbrough (only cos McClaren rated him), Stoke, Swansea, Sheff Wed, Doncaster, Scotland, USA and Doncaster again.

Danny Webber. 0apps 0gls.  After failing to impress Fergie, he has played for Port Vale, Watford and currently Sheff Utd.

Daniel Nardiello. 0apps. 0gls.  The Italian sounding Welshman, has had spells around the leagues at Swansea, Barnsley, QPR and now Blackpool.  Good signing on champ man if you are a club in the bottom half of league 1.

Bojan Djordjic. 2apps. 0gls. Sweden U21 honours.  This guy was the next big thing on Champ man, but he failed at Sheff Wed, in Denmark, Serbia, Scotland, and in Plymouth. He now plays in Sweden.

Paul Tierney. 0apps 0gls.  Having failed, he was shipped to the Non League via Crewe, Colchester, Bradford, Scotland, Blackpool and Stockport.  Now playing for Man United’s nearest neighbours and just two stops away on the tram, Altrincham.

Mark Lynch. 0apps. 0gls  Who?????  Sunderland, Hull, Yoevil and Rotherham.  Enough said

Darren ‘beats his mum, wife, your mum, your wife, anybodys wife or mum’ Ferguson. 27apps. 0gls. Scotland U21 honours.  Yes he played Football too!!  Signed by his Dad, failed and ended up in the lower leagues with Wolves and Wrexham, with whom he later went on to manage before leaving for Posh last year.

That was the real youth set up.

So next time somebody says “Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Butt, Neville etc (by the way, ask them to point out who else exactly there is, as they always stop at etc) just remember Casper, Davies, Wallwork, Curtis, Clegg etc etc…