Good or bad...... players we can all argue about!

[Steelworks End]

In a similar vein, I can recall Peter Withe being dismissed by a Popular Side pundit as "Another big useless buzzer up front" (at least, I think he said buzzer ). Withe didn't have a bad career after his very short spell at Holker Street, including winning a handful of England caps.

[Wintergreen]

Best winger ever to play for Barrow, Frank Gamble.

'Ever' or in the non-league era?

[mickmike wilson]

When debating good or bad, there are names that are very obvious (eg Cowps good, very good) so I'll try to pick a slightly more obscure name . . . Neil Illman, who played around about 20 games for us in the mid to late 1990's. Good or bad? Interesting! In the remaining 19 or so games after his debut he fell into the "bad" category but the debut was worlds apart and one of the most remarkable baptisms I can remember from any Barrow player. He totally bossed the show and I was staggered at his performance, like that of a multi-million pounds player in a league way way below his merits. Yet, as stated, after that first match, he was ordinary, poor even. How is it possible to produce a contrast, a chasm, of such staggering proportions?

Interesting piece.

Another similar type thing but more aimed at those types who when contracts are close to up put in several very good showing to resign up or gain a good move then return to mediocre average, such a waste to have it & not use it.

[Jonty]

One that split opinion- Carlos Logan. When on his game- could put a cross in, stepped in and did a job at left full back for a while, had his best game for us at Wembley and remains the only Barrow player I've ever seen do a back flip after scoring. Plus he was a season or two ahead of Walker with the Mohican hair do.

[DIXIE]

Best winger ever to play for Barrow, Frank Gamble.

'Ever' or in the non-league era?

I am 56 so even though i went to a few games in the league, i don't remember too much.

[dodger]

Ted Cribley. Legend

[Wintergreen]

'Ever' or in the non-league era?

I am 56 so even though i went to a few games in the league, i don't remember too much.

Fair dos, great player Gamble in a very good footballing team but for me Roy McCarthy was king o' the wing. He stuck rigidly to the bye-line and when the ball came to him everyone knew he would take on the full back and nine times out of ten (as l remember it) would scorch him for pace and ping over a quality cross for someone like Bill McAdam or Jim Mullholland. Oh to see a bit of that again.

[barrowaberdeen]

Great player Bolland. We had a great defence for a couple of years, spender, bolland, Jones, Pearson, jellyman, Edwards.


James Owen, likeable to the fans but was he any good?

Bolland ducked out of headers. Fatal in a centre half.

James Owen wasn't supposed to play football he was supposed to destroy any opportunity to create. Although he tended to have that effect for both sides during the game, I enjoyed how much he was disliked by the players he was facing.

[ant]

Great player Bolland. We had a great defence for a couple of years, spender, bolland, Jones, Pearson, jellyman, Edwards.


James Owen, likeable to the fans but was he any good?

Bolland...Class. Still have his shirt.

Paul Rutherford, Threads always complaining about commitment on here. He always played with 100 p.c. commitment and gave all for the badge. Does that make up for any shortfalls?

[Murphy2 3]

Alan Cook ,P.E teacher at my secondrary school,tricky winger .Ran rings around us 12 year olds

[pjdaly]

[quote Fair dos, great player Gamble in a very good footballing team but for me Roy McCarthy was king o' the wing. He stuck rigidly to the bye-line and when the ball came to him everyone knew he would take on the full back and nine times out of ten (as l remember it) would scorch him for pace and ping over a quality cross for someone like Bill McAdam or Jim Mullholland. Oh to see a bit of that again.
[/quote]

Interesting points there, Gary. Frank Gamble was immensely talented with a ball at his feet; I understand he was a bit of a jack-the-lad and perhaps that explains why he didn't sustain a career at a level several rungs higher than the modest NPL stage he lit up for us in Vic Halom's all-conquering side of 1983-84. Nobody could surely debate whether Gamble was anything other than a very good player but plenty could debate why such a talent didn't shine much higher up the pyramid.

Roy McCarthy definitely divided opinion but for me he was a major, major factor in our promotion team of 1966-67. I mentioned local boy Keith Eddy earlier in this thread and the stick he copped from the sages of Holker Street . . . well, McCarthy took a merciless hammering from sections of the Holker Street crowd. I well remember during a break in play whilst a player was injured McCarthy sauntered casually towards the Holker Street goal and slowly raised two fingers to the boot-boys (boo-boys?) who had been delivering abuse. I think (no, correction, I know) McCarthy took stick because he was a bit timid, didn't enjoy tackling or heading very much, hence the cruel moniker "Handbag" given to him. But whilst some fans recognised his flaws and shortcomings they needed to see the strengths in his game . . . as you alluded, Gary, the pace was extraordinary, like nothing I have come close to witnessing from any other Barrow player. Forget Mackreth in recent times, he was a snail compared to McCarthy. I wish those born later were able to witness McCarthy in full flight. I would go so far as to say that of all disparate elements I have seen in 56 years of watching football at Holker Street (eg the power of Barry Diamond's long range shooting, the tree-trunk strength of Cowps in being to hold and shield a ball, the positioning of Fred Else's goalkeeping, the touch and control of Jimmy Mulholland etc etc) the most exciting and vivid memory of all has been the sight of Roy McCarthy playing the ball past an opposing left full-back, often from several yards back, and, as mentioned, "scorching" past the defender, leaving him for dead and then laying on the cross. The McCarthy pace was quite simply the most breathtaking and electrifying spectacle I have ever seen on Holker Street and we were privileged to witness it for several seasons. But it should be added that in 66-67 he also scored 12 goals, second highest goalscorer behind Mulholland. Not a bad tally for a winger.

McCarthy was only 21 or 22 years old back in our Division Four promotion season. When we dropped into the NPL in 1972-73 McCarthy returned for a second spell at the club and he was poor, seemed washed up. Yet he was only 27/28 by then and should have been in his prime. It has long puzzled me as to how he had fallen so low by that still young age. Perhaps he had just fallen out of love with the game? Or perhaps the tactical intelligence that grew rapidly within football from the later 1960's snared McCarthy and brought a premature end to his type of game . . . meaning in this case, quite simply, double marking. No longer could he run the ball past the full-back and leave him for dead, as a second opponent was wise to it and waiting to cut off the use of pace by filling in behind the first defender. A similar thing happened in the mid-1970's with Alan Cook, also mentioned in the post above; he was outstanding for a season and ran his full-back ragged on a regular basis but was never as good after that first season as teams wised up and put two defenders on him.

But, as you suggested, Gary, Roy McCarthy was an extraordinary sight back in the day. For sure, football was more tactically naive back then but oh was it exciting to watch . . . and never more so than when Roy McCarthy was blistering the right flank at Holker Street. I have never seen anything like it; I have never seen anything to rival that pace for excitement and entertainment at Holker Street.

[tommy2thumbs]

...and remains the only Barrow player I've ever seen do a back flip after scoring.

Gav Knight used to back flip...

[Hadrian]

Thought he did a forward flip?

Always worth watching!

[Kieran]

...and remains the only Barrow player I've ever seen do a back flip after scoring.

Gav Knight used to back flip...

Whether it was back or forward I haven't a clue, but he and Michael Rankine did one each in the same game once after they both scored. Early season at Holker Street not long after they both signed, Frickley rings a bell but I'm not sure on the opponents.

[Hadrian]

Ilkley Gazette (who knew?) talks of him doing a back flip when at Guiseley. My memory lets me down again...

[EDIT: He has had a few seasons in Australia recently.]

Michael Rankine - young, sharp and promising in his early career at Barrow - had his detractors among our fans but his subsequent career including ten years or so in League football tells it's own story.