Optimistic Nut

Interesting to see Essien on that list from his Bastia days! Remember looking through the "Rumours" section on nufc.com, and he was linked with us from Bastia in 2000/1.

John Curtis is a great shout.

Just had a catch up with what's going on at St-Etienne. The other Director of Football was actually sacked, within a week, so was the manager, and he's just appointed Alain Perrin as manager.

St-Etienne are in a bigger mess than us at the moment. Last time I saw, they don't just have one Director of Football, they have TWO. They re-appointed Comolli after Spurs sacked him. Currently 18th in the table too.

We've already got a defensive-midfielder in the team.

Aye, that's the one. Think Djemba-Djemba might fill in at centre-back. Came with a good reputation from France, played for Man Utd, Villa, Burnley and now Odense.

Good stuff. That was a great time to be brought up as a football fan. Just about remember the 91-2 season, but from the promotion season I remember it well. ITV having coverage to Newcastle & Sunderland games, Jack Charlton's sh*t co-commentary...and for some reason, one of my most vivid memories of that season was watching Sunderland against someone on ITV some Sunday afternoon, Peter Davenport waiting to take a penalty and trying mind-games with the keeper by pointing which way he'd put it...he went to put it where he pointed and the keeper saved it easily.

Seem to remember we were very close to signing Mark Hughes as well just after Cole went to Man Utd, but he knackered himself scoring against us a few days later and nothing came of it.

Who was that lad that Middlesbrough signed from Boro at the same time as Greening? Greening at least made a decent Premiership career for himself, no idea what happened to the other lad, and he was the more highly rated at the time as well.

Agree to a point but the start of the following season was the best I've seen us play, seemed like we were winning 4 and 5-1 every week. Yeah, I remember us having a spell at the start of the season where we scored 3, 4, 5, 3, 4, 5 in our first 6 games...although I seem to remember Steve Watson playing up-front at the time and scoring goals, as Beardsley fractured his cheekbone at Leicester on the first game of the season. Seriously, I remember more about what was happening with Newcastle when I was 8-12 than what I do in the last 2-3 years. I think we won something like our first 5 away games that season! Before losing at Old Trafford iirc. I remember going to the first match (the Leicester away game you mention) and coming away thinking we could genuinely win the league that year. Yeah, it looked good for a while. Didn't Keith Gillespie score against us in that match you mentioned? Seem to just remember thinking we were going to thrash anyone and everyone those first few months.

Only really need a couple of centre-backs. Alton Thelwell came to mind. From the Spurs first-team and England Under 21s, to Hull, and now Leyton Orient, still only 28.

He now owns a crepe shop on Dean street according to someone on here Aye he does. Went in a couple of weeks ago and the only two customers in the shop were Bassong & N'Zogbia.

Agree to a point but the start of the following season was the best I've seen us play, seemed like we were winning 4 and 5-1 every week. Yeah, I remember us having a spell at the start of the season where we scored 3, 4, 5, 3, 4, 5 in our first 6 games...although I seem to remember Steve Watson playing up-front at the time and scoring goals, as Beardsley fractured his cheekbone at Leicester on the first game of the season. Seriously, I remember more about what was happening with Newcastle when I was 8-12 than what I do in the last 2-3 years.

Think Brian Kerr deserves a place on the subs' bench. After playing a dozen games in a team finishing 3rd and playing in the Champions League, as well as earning a Scotland call-up, he's just recently been released from Hibs.

I think Prutton is worthy of a place. Very good call. Think the story at the time was we were close to getting him in the summer of 2001 from Forest but they were being fussy over the transfer fee, then as the season developed Jenas began to emerge, and we signed him instead for a couple of million more than what we'd offered for Prutton.

Honourable mention for Christopher Wreh. Was 22/23 when he played a part in Arsenal winning the title in 1998, just 5 years later he was playing for Bishops' Stortford & Buckingham Town.

Remember when he pulled his hamstring celebrating a goal against Arsenal a couple of years ago in the Champions League?

John Harley?

Rohan Ricketts?

They don't count anyway since they've retired.

Ruel Fox & Chris Sutton both had very good Premiership careers and played a fair bit of European football. Hardly on a level with Richard Wright & Jeffers who were bought for big money by Arsenal, had done well previously, won England call-ups, then disappeared when they should be in their prime now, or Bernard who disappeared from football completely.

No they won't.

Another good one. Could Carlos Marinelli count in this? Or was he just all hype at Boro?

Hmm, to be fair they've still both made a decent Premiership career for themselves though haven't they? How old's Gillespie now?

Or younger even.