For Northampton he made his name as an attacking central midfielder. I think that's where GT would have played him had he stayed.
Are you two mixing up your Rick Holden and Richard Hill again? Holden was the scruffy tramp who played on the wing. Hill only played 4 times
Another great bassett move. Scored 33 goals in one season from midfield. “Not in the plans of Dave Bassett”.
Rick Holden who went on to play for Man City after us and very successfully for Oldham in their Premier League Days, (yes that is true they were in the premier league!)
You had a feeling when the ball got out to the wing and he had space that something was going to happen and his sheer joy at scoring has never been repeated - he was seemed so surprised to be so popular and such a success - yes he milked it but we enjoyed his enthusiasm Another one was Glynn Hodges - jury was out at first but he just grew into the place and you just knew he was going to do it when it counted
Yes. Bassett man who effectively lost his place to the more hard working Holden but got back in the team, played a blinder for half the season, won player of the season (IIRC) and then buggered off in the summer as he was still p1ssed off that he hadn't been in the first team for so many months ! A bit like what happened with Lee Nogan later on !
As I recall, it was an injury to Hodges that ultimately did for our promotion/play-off bid to get back to the First Division at the first attempt.
Maybe that's how he lost his place initally ? I think we had 3 decent players who could play RW and it was struggle accomodating all 3 ? Neil Redfearn was also really a RW/RM too wasn't he and at about the same time.
Hodges had a wand of a left foot and he received alot of stick early season because he was a 'Bassett' man and he had big boots to fill with Barnes gone. He was one I wanted to do well and he came good...very good. I went up to the cup game at Sheffield United and we were battered for the entire game and only losing 1-0, last minute I told my girlfriend at the time that I wanted to go, she said just wait til the whistle and the ball was played out to Hodges who played a Kevin De Bruyne type pass right into the path of Gary Penrice who didn't have to break stride or take a touch...perfectly weighted...Penrice slotted it home to force a replay. I stood mouth open at that pass, it was just sublime I remember I had to go out with my girlfriend's parents the night we beat Arsenal at their place, remember it was a Friday night and I was grumpy all night because I wanted to go to it, I became even grumpier when I found out the score and Holden had scored. In that 5 year stretch in the top flight, we were Arsenal's bogey team, I remember reading we took 25 out of a possibe 36 points against them - not sure if that's accurate, but it felt accurate. Can't believe we only sold him for £165k to Oldham. Video of the goal included.
There used to be Watford fan who stood just below the scorecard who absolutely loved Ricky Holden. Once he was sold I never saw him again. Completely disappeared. Much like Mutley from the scoreboard end. What ever became of him?
My brother met Holden in a pub,St Albans or Harpenden,I can't recall. Paul asked if he was enjoying himself. He said something similar to : "Eight pints of sh***er and home t'dragon". My brother took the last word to be his dear lady wife but he wasn't entirely convinced. We called him 'Hubbly Bubbly',I've no idea why.
Didn't Holden become a fitness coach after he retired? Must have had some innovative methods, judging by his reputation.
I was at that game at Sheff U. I've always thought that a last minute equaliser somehow beats a last minute winner for ecstasy, particularly in an away game. Perhaps it's something to do with the combination of getting something when you are resigned to defeat and denying the opposition a win. The Watford/Arsenal record from the 80s is correct: 8 wins, 1 draw, 3 defeats = 25 points. Plus the famous win in the Cup quarter final at Highbury.
Indeed, I was at both games - remember the GT 'you don't get cramp at this club'? Never more apparent then, the following day we looked so fresh you wouldn't have thought we'd played the day before. The only thing I remember from the Highbury game was Malcolm Allen's diving header.
I’m guessing we are one of the six https://www.skysports.com/football/...lubs-interested-in-signing-the-spurs-defender
Hopefully we'll survive this week, be one of the final five and have a crack at the interviews next week. Bit worried about seeing Claude though.
