Amazing even then that we could firstly get a player of Ronnie’s qualities and then retain him throughout his prime years.
Ronnie signed at 28, for most players that would be towards the end of their career but Ronnie, as we all know, was unbelievable for us for the next 5 years. For me, the best I’ve ever seen in a reds shirt.
The best side in my lifetime, with a legend . Proper legend. International, goal scorer, set the pitch alight when he had the ball. Watched them home and away ,great time. Such a shame we only played in the second tier .
And despite not being good enough for the likes of Leroy Lita, Tarn was good enough for him. Still lives round these parts somewhere AFAIK
Second best 40 grand paid I reckon was to Derby for Paul Futcher with Calvin Plummer thrown in , not literally of course .
Different times. I'm just so glad I saw Ronnie play for us in his prime. We've had some great players, but no one comes close to the King.
I think him and Banksy complimented each other very well, the experienced player and the youngster. Maybe they secretly challenged each other for the best performances and best goals.
I remember talking to a Cambridge United shareholder after we beat them 3-1 in the League Cup at The Abbey in 1982 and she couldn't stop talking about how brilliant our midfield was. I had to agree with her.
We know some Fowls and Blunts fans used to bitch and moan a lot on Praise or grumble. But sometimes even they occasionally gave us credit for often having a strong goalscoring attacking midfield. Can you imagine Ronnie or Redders or Hignett or Hourihane in a Wensdy kit!!.