Steve Morgan - left back & Gavin Ward

[helmclaret]

Remember him? Truly awful.

Amazing that he played in the Premier League.

[claretonthecoast1882]

Was he late 90s ?

[helmclaret]

Yes a Stan first season signing I think.

[jdrobbo]

Interesting fact,

Had a mare at Bournemouth, when we lost 5-0, getting sent off I think, in what was the first ever game with a yellow ball for increased winter visibility (I think).

[fidelcastro]

Sadly, I do remember. He would be in many people's worst ever Burnley XI, particularly if you aren't old enough to remember some of the dross we had in the eighties.

[Rowls]

I think Stan brought him in out of desperation as he was ever so slightly better than what we had at our disposal.

I think maybe Chris Scott played at LB a fair bit that season and he was essentially a youth player thrown in the deep end after the sacking of the Infamous Four.

Desperate times.

[mkmel]

He was well off the pace whenever he played

[Marney&Mee]

Was he late 90s ?

Don't think he was that old...

[dibraidio]

He made 415 league appearances and scored 21 goals. He was only 30 when he came to us but he only played 19 league games after leaving us.

It's funny how players get judged as crap when they've managed to make a living for over a decade doing something that many of us could only dream of being good enough to do once.

The PFA has 4000 members but there were over 2 million people playing the game in the UK when Morgan was a pro. PFA members represent less than 0.2% of people playing. Imagine being in the top 0.2% of your profession and having fat old blokes watching you every Saturday shouting at you that you are ****!

[Papabendi]

You make a solid point. See my recent posts about Neil Moore.

[Rowls]

Always got the impression Stan brought him in because of his professionalism and attitude rather than his actual ability.

Granted, he was not good for us but he was arguably better than the alternatives and perhaps brought a better standard of professionalism to the squad.

[Terrier]

Better than les thompson?

[fidelcastro]

Better than les thompson?

I'm sure Thompson had gone by then.

[JTClaret]

Steve Morgan is the one I always think of when 'worst players' are mentioned. I think I was only about 15, and couldn't for the life of me work out how he got in the team. He was so slow.

It's a fair point above about being in the top 0.2% of players... although part of the role as a professional is to be watched for entertainment, so judgement, and comparison is to be expected. He wasn't a player who wasn't great and forgettable, it's a player who is memorably bad haha

[helmclaret]

He made 415 league appearances and scored 21 goals. He was only 30 when he came to us but he only played 19 league games after leaving us.

It's funny how players get judged as crap when they've managed to make a living for over a decade doing something that many of us could only dream of being good enough to do once.

The PFA has 4000 members but there were over 2 million people playing the game in the UK when Morgan was a pro. PFA members represent less than 0.2% of people playing. Imagine being in the top 0.2% of your profession and having fat old blokes watching you every Saturday shouting at you that you are ****!

No doubt he had a good career before he joined us. He was absolutely horrendous for us. And I’ve never shouted that to any Burnley player.

[dibraidio]

No doubt he had a good career before he joined us. He was absolutely horrendous for us. And I’ve never shouted that to any Burnley player.

Are you trying to suggest that I called you a fat old bloke?

[SalisburyClaret]

Didn’t Stan call him the Dark Destroyer?

[EarbyClaret]

Can't help but associate him with that fairly desperate transitional period when Stan took over from Waddle publicly sacked four players and had to somehow bolster the squad

All a bit harsh on Morgan who may well have fared better in a more settled team. Didn't Tom Cowan take over at LB? Seem to remember it was the signing of Cook and Cowan that salvaged that season and created the basis for the successful promotion campaign that followed

[claptrappers_union]

Sometimes players are brought in to do a job. Plug gaps or bring experience to the team. Steve Morgan was one of those.

Surprised he was only 30 when he signed though.

[Burnley1989]

I’m almost 33, he’s easily top 3 worst players I ever watched!
He’s a name brings flashbacks and I was only a kid

[Dark Cloud]

A mate of mine bumped into Stan T's son shortly after we'd had Morgan and mentioned him in less than glowing terms. According to said mate, Stan's son said after Morgan's first game Stan was sat at home glass in one hand, his head in the other and said "What the f... was I thinking"??

[Rowls]

I’m almost 33, he’s easily top 3 worst players I ever watched!
He’s a name brings flashbacks and I was only a kid

There were four other far worse players sacked earlier in the same season.

[ClaretPope]

He wasn’t very good for us. I used to work with his sister - she’s now a Tina Turner Tribute act.

[Stanbill05]

Doesn't matter what he did before, footballers lose it and can become very ordinary very quickly. That's why I feel sorry for Dele Ali...

[helmclaret]

Are you trying to suggest that I called you a fat old bloke?

Maybe

We did meet up once in London about 15 years ago.

[Targetman]

Was he late 90s ?

He certainly played like he was in his late 90's!

[helmclaret]

Doesn't matter what he did before, footballers lose it and can become very ordinary very quickly. That's why I feel sorry for Dele Ali...

Amazing what's happened to Ali. He was a joy to watch in full flow 2-3 years ago.

[Stanbill05]

Amazing what's happened to Ali. He was a joy to watch in full flow 2-3 years ago.

Shocking and no guarantee he'll get out of it. I just can't see him playing regularly for any prem team. Hope he proves me wrong..

[arise_sir_charge]

Don’t know how true this is but I was once told that Ternent was desperate for players and at the time he approached Morgan he was working in a factory on £180 a week. Ternent offered him £200 a week to come and play and he took it.

[helmclaret]

He looked good to me on loan.

Anyone remember him?

[fidelcastro]

He looked good to me on loan.

Anyone remember him?

Yes.

[Zom Zom]

He was indeed a good keeper.

However as far as on loan keepers go, I really can’t see past Nicky Walker. He was excellent.

[Goobs]

He was indeed a good keeper.

However as far as on loan keepers go, I really can’t see past Nicky Walker. He was excellent.

Andy Marriott

[Zom Zom]

Marriott earned his spurs, definitely, but Walker was different class.

Mark Kendall on the other hand, was way beyond his best years when he landed.

[Bigvince]

Just the mention of mark kendall sent shivers down my spine! His performances against Blackpool and derby county in the cup,were amongst the most shocking I’ve ever witnessed as a claret

[Rowls]

Threw the ball away when we got one back against Stoke and delayed our re-start.

We equalized a little bit later having been 0-2 down.

Stoke weren't happy but was a great point on the road. 1999, promotion season under Stan. We had a good team who weren't prepared to lay down and die.

Payton scored two. The Stoke midfielder (Kavanagh? still owes Payts £20 for that one).

[Fretters]

Threw the ball away when we got one back against Stoke and delayed our re-start.

We equalized a little bit later having been 0-2 down.

Stoke weren't happy but was a great point on the road. 1999, promotion season under Stan. We had a good team who weren't prepared to lay down and die.

Payton scored two. The Stoke midfielder (Kavanagh? still owes Payts £20 for that one).

Wasn't Crichton an ever present that season?

Edit: just realised you mean he was playing for Stoke?

[Bordeauxclaret]

Horrendous traffic problems that day.
Think Stoke missed a late penalty as well.

[Rowls]

Wasn't Crichton an ever present that season?

Edit: just realised you mean he was playing for Stoke?

Yep. He kicked the ball towards the corner flag and delayed the restart by a good minute.

This was back when a smidgeon of decency and sportsmanship could be expected of players. We hadn't quite got to the point where every goal was celebrated for 2 minutes in the opponents half and the traditional scrummage for the ball following a goal was extremely rare and frowned upon.

We'd even given him a decent ovation when he came towards our end but he lost any respect with those antics.

[Rowls]

Horrendous traffic problems that day.
Think Stoke missed a late penalty as well.

Think Stoke had missed theirs before ours. Payts got to Kavanagh and he fluffed his lines. He tried to do the same to Payton who whalloped it home.

Great two goals that day from Andy. One of his finest Burnley performances.

[Bordeauxclaret]

I thought it was just after we’d made it 2-2 but could be wrong.

[Rowls]

That point sent us up at the end of the season so that's the important thing. And Payts made Kavanagh look like a tit.

Thinking about it, I think you're right. Kavanagh started it all by goading Payts who scored, Payts replied in kind for their penno and Kavanagh missed.

[Bordeauxclaret]

Like you say there was a lot of strong finishes to games that season.
We really had some excellent players for that level.

[jrgbfc]

Horrendous traffic problems that day.
Think Stoke missed a late penalty as well.

We set off and never made it that day. Still the only time it's happened in my time watching us, touch wood.