Listening to Gerhards comments yesterday regarding Jacob Brown when he described him as being a good player without the ball. It reminded me of one of my all time favourite players Bob Earnshaw - who was a nippy little winger. He used to regularly dribble and dance around 3 defenders - only then to have to run back because he’d forgotten to take the ball with him.
Bob Earnshaw - bags of speed but no sense of direction. Half the time hed be running down the wing head down - and run clean off the pitch! Whenever he got the ball somebody would shout "Oppen t'gates, Earnshaw's comin"
Yep - lol !!! Only player that I can remember that kept dribbling and running forward even tho he’d left the ball 10 yards behind him.
on the 12th November 1966, Bob scored the winner against Port Vale in a 1-0 victory. This was when we were struggling at the foot of division 4 not long after Barrie Thomas and johnnie Evans arrived to boost us up the league. I remember this so well as it was my first home game "on my own" without an adult.
Big fan of Bob Earnshaw and everyone else who played for the club from that era.. I genuinely didn't think you were old enough to know that era ,thought you were middle aged at the most.
I would describe my own footballing style similarly. Most people would agree I'm better without the ball than with it!
Happy days ....old Bob could certainly run....I always had to laugh when the old guys in the brewery stand would say ..hed be playing for England would Bob if he only used the ball when he dribbles lol