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Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:06 pm
by tdk1
Right, I've always wondered about this, and turn to the collective darlo hive mind for info. I remember Jimmy case turned out for us in one game in the early 90s, which I think was a 0-0 draw, possibly v Exeter. Wikipedia confirms this appearance count.

At the time I remember thinking, as a child, that this was a massive coup. (I thought the same thing about Phil linacre, as all I knew about him was that the tannoy announcer said we had signed somebody called Lineker). Clearly it wasn't the major success story I imagined it to be.

But does anyone know why we signed him, and why he then disappeared after one game?

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:09 pm
by MKDarlo
was it not v Brighton

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:09 pm
by MKDarlo
was it not v Brighton

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:43 pm
by tdk1
You may well be right

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 2:49 pm
by Vodka_Vic
'Cos he was chronically unfit and past it

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 2:49 pm
by Vodka_Vic
'Cos he was chronically unfit and past it

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 3:09 pm
by divas
That was my recollection. Somehow he went on to play a fair few more games the following season at Brighton before taking over as manager.

Can’t remember whether it was McEwan or Murray who brought him in but I’m sure he wasn’t the only old fogey who came in short term that season. Neil McNab springs to mind.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 4:50 pm
by Wiseacre
Didn't Roger Davies turn out in a cup game - Maidstone ? - during Cyril's time.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 5:24 pm
by Yarblockos
I thought Jimmy Case played vs Wycombe.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 6:59 pm
by Feet4ever
Yes, his one game was against Wycombe(Martin o neill was their manager-not sure we had a permanent one at the time)

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:03 pm
by broadsexile
Almost certain it was v Wycombe in the dog days of McEwan's tenure, when we didn't win for months then Murray came in and we beat Colchester 7-3. It was definitely a 0-0, we were definitely there, it was definitely in autumn '93 and the only game which fits those criteria is one v Wycombe where we played surprisingly well.

PS - was Linacre actually announced as a 'signing'? Can't remember the circumstances he joined in - was he back-up for Cork/ Borthwick after David Geddes left? Joined from Blue Star, I believe.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:04 pm
by The Golden Hairclip
Neil McNab also played one or two games for us at a similar time


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Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:07 pm
by tdk1
broadsexile wrote:Almost certain it was v Wycombe in the dog days of McEwan's tenure, when we didn't win for months then Murray came in and we beat Colchester 7-3. It was definitely a 0-0, we were definitely there, it was definitely in autumn '93 and the only game which fits those criteria is one v Wycombe where we played surprisingly well.

PS - was Linacre actually announced as a 'signing'? Can't remember the circumstances he joined in - was he back-up for Cork/ Borthwick after David Geddes left? Joined from Blue Star, I believe.
I didn't think it was Wycombe, but its likely I'm just wrong.

Linacre was just announced in the line up on the tannoy. I assumed he was related to Gary.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:13 pm
by Feet4ever
Case was brought in to replace mcNab, who had gone to play in Ireland. However, after the Wycombe game, Gerry Forest was relieved of caretaker duties and Case never played for us again

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 6:50 am
by Darlo_Pete
Wiseacre wrote:Didn't Roger Davies turn out in a cup game - Maidstone ? - during Cyril's time.
I got excited about Roger Davis joining us, as I also follow Derby and remember him at his best. Think he may have played 3 games for us, but he was hopeless.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 7:44 am
by boorman
broadsexile wrote:Almost certain it was v Wycombe in the dog days of McEwan's tenure, when we didn't win for months then Murray came in and we beat Colchester 7-3. It was definitely a 0-0, we were definitely there, it was definitely in autumn '93 and the only game which fits those criteria is one v Wycombe where we played surprisingly well.

PS - was Linacre actually announced as a 'signing'? Can't remember the circumstances he joined in - was he back-up for Cork/ Borthwick after David Geddes left? Joined from Blue Star, I believe.
That Colchester game is my all-time favourite. Not only did it look like a new dawn of total football, but it was the (sadly brief) return of Lee Ellison as an attacking force. I don't think Ellison helped himself a lot of the time, but I do wonder what might have happened to his career if Alan Murray didn't sign Bernie Slaven and just stuck with him in that 433 with Chapman and Painter that worked so well against Colchester. I thought he was very unlucky to make way for that waste of space. In my mind, Bernie Slaven was actually a bigger coup than Jimmy Case at the time. What a disappointment!

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 8:41 am
by Fatty eats roadkill
Bernie Slaven, had more offsides for us than the amount of goals he scored for Boro! :shock:

As for the Colchester game, I missed the first couple of goals cos I was about ten minutes late getting in!

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 9:33 am
by Vodka_Vic
I uses to see Lee Ellison out in town around that time. He was regularly drunk and it's such a shame that alcoholism destroyed his career.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 1:19 pm
by Makka Pakka
It was indeed v Wycombe 23th October 1993, almost 25 years ago. (Ex-SAS) Neil McNab played 5 games sept-oct that season.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 1:26 pm
by Ghost_Of_1883
broadsexile wrote:Almost certain it was v Wycombe in the dog days of McEwan's tenure, when we didn't win for months then Murray came in and we beat Colchester 7-3. It was definitely a 0-0, we were definitely there, it was definitely in autumn '93 and the only game which fits those criteria is one v Wycombe where we played surprisingly well.

PS - was Linacre actually announced as a 'signing'? Can't remember the circumstances he joined in - was he back-up for Cork/ Borthwick after David Geddes left? Joined from Blue Star, I believe.
Linacre we paid a fee for and he indeed was a "signing". The Blue Star manager at the time commented that "he was on another planet" regarding his ability at that level, and therefore deserved another shot at pro football.

He wasn't brought in as back up for Cork/Borthwick but as competition to them, and at the time Borthwick was struggling a bit for form.

I actually thought Linacre looked a good player in his few appearances but for one reason or another it didn't really work out for him.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 12:16 pm
by beatroute66
I remember Jimmy Case's one-and-only appearance for us well - definitely Wycombe - as confirmed by the man himself in his autobiography:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Hie ... be&f=false

It's a real shame he couldn't stick around as his experience and class probably would have been a big help at that time. We weren't great.

I'll also never forget *that* Colchester game or, as I like to call it, 'Peter Kirkham 7 Colchester 3'. He was unplayable that night and very modest about his performance when we praised him after he was subbed.

I can't think of too many I've seen at Darlo down the years who had as much natural ability and flair as Peter?

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:14 pm
by shildonlad
I remember Lee Ellison playing non league for likes of shildon and bishop. Seemed decent at that level. He once said the scotch guy at Darlington knocked his confidence when he was younger? I'm sure he had one final shot as a pro with Darlington in late 90s under David hodgson.

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Re: Knowledge

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:12 pm
by quaker4life
shildonlad wrote:I remember Lee Ellison playing non league for likes of shildon and bishop. Seemed decent at that level. He once said the scotch guy at Darlington knocked his confidence when he was younger? I'm sure he had one final shot as a pro with Darlington in late 90s under David hodgson.
He was definitely playing for us in the 1998/99 season (when I first started following the club) I remember someone in the East Stand really had it in for him, every time the poor lad got the ball you'd hear this bloke bellowing at him

"You're f**cking* useless Ellison!"

"Touch of an elephant! Lee Elephant!"

The last time I saw him he was playing for Southport he came on us a sub when we played them at Feethams in the first round of the FA Cup in the 1999/00 season, said bloke who we hadn't heard a peep out of all season shouted out "you're still sh*te Ellison!" as he was about to come on the whole crowd around him burst out laughing!

I think we won 2-1 that day and young Keith Finch stole the show in goal.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:12 am
by boorman
Yeah, Billy McEwan froze Ellison out basically, but it's probable that Ellison didn't show all that much willing when the going got tough. For a devout Lee Ellison fan like me, it was the most unbelievable news when Hodgson (who I was certainly no fan of) rescued him from non league and brought him back. But he wasn't the same player. He got a lot of stick from the crowd and I remember thinking how tragic it was. I can remember him playing really well leading the line in a 1-0 defeat at Scunthorpe, but other than that he didn't deliver much.

What he never lost though was his ability to shoot from the edge of the box. He had that Gabbiadini knack of placing it just out of reach of the keeper from what would look like an innocuous situation. When he went back to non league I'd follow him a bit and you'd see him have a nightmare for most of the game but then pop up with two or three great goals. He definitely had the class to make it at a higher level - it's a shame it went the other way for him. Do I remember rightly that Blackburn bid good money for him when he first burst onto the scene in the old Division 3, and we turned it down?

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 7:51 am
by Comfortably_numb
boorman wrote: Do I remember rightly that Blackburn bid good money for him when he first burst onto the scene in the old Division 3, and we turned it down?
was it Dalgleish at Blackburn splashing the cash? I thought at the time we should've taken the offer - a good £100k for us - and for Ellison better coaching elsewhere

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 1:36 pm
by onewayup
I thought Peter Kirkham was brilliant the night we beat Colchester, Peter could do everything and more than gazza could, he lacked believe in himself at that time, but is now a millionaire property developer, he was at the dolphin centre last year at a get together with other ex darlo players. Nice guy.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 2:29 pm
by shildonlad
Summed up well about Ellison chaps. At shildon he was not quick but would be in right place at right time get the head to he ball from a cross and score kinda experience over youth. He was in the 2003/2004 squad at shildon which I define the best ever as they made it to fa cup round 1.


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Re: Knowledge

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:04 pm
by beatroute66
onewayup wrote:I thought Peter Kirkham was brilliant the night we beat Colchester, Peter could do everything and more than gazza could, he lacked believe in himself at that time, but is now a millionaire property developer, he was at the dolphin centre last year at a get together with other ex darlo players. Nice guy.
You're right - he's a smashing bloke. No airs or graces.

Simon Shaw is another one. Just a really nice, ordinary lad.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:05 pm
by beatroute66
Just on Ellison - that time that him and Dugald ripped Hartlepool apart.

Wow.

Re: Knowledge

Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:31 am
by boorman
Dugald McArrison: another sliding doors moment that didn't work out for Ellison. What if we'd have bought him instead of Nick Cusack? A third of the price and they had a great partnership. We'd have certainly done better that season if we'd have had McArrison.