Official Site : Stephen Fostered Fearless Stones' Development

Stephen Fostered Fearless Stones' Development - More from the official site...
03-06-2014 12:33 PM

<a href="http://wall.barnsleyfc.co.uk/Event/Barnsley"></a>

 

My favourite bit:

'Stones once said Foster was his role model, stating his desire to become ‘as good as him’. “I always said he was a nice kid,” laughed Foster. “He’s just being nice, isn’t he?

“He’s a lot better player than I was and he can have a lot better career than I did, I’m sure he will do! He’s got all the attributes.”'

 

Stones once said Foster was his role model, stating his desire to become ‘as good as him’.

So we got rid of Foster and re-signed Kennedy and McNulty. I bet Stones never wanted to be as good as them.

 

Still can't believe he isn't playing professional football anymore. My favourite BFC player of the last decade. Made everyone he played with look better than they actually were

 

Kennedy does that too.

 

I thought he still had something to offer. Maybe not in the Championship, but in league 1 or 2. He'd played all 5 of Tranmere's opening fixtures before having a row with Ronnie Moore. He then gave it up, I guess he wasn't enjoying it any more.

 

That's what I didn't get, as Foster always seemed a model pro - as the original article seems to reflect. I imagine Ronnie Moore was the problem. Not sure I could get on with him either. Thing is with Foster his reading off the game was so good that pace wouldn't have been an issue lower down the leagues with some younger legs along side him.

 

But even if Ronnie Moore was the problem why didn't he find another club when he left Tranmere?

 

Under Hillcroft, he rarely did any training, certainly nothing too physical/strenuous. A bit like Ledley King at Spurs I suppose. Despite that, he was regularly selected to start under both managers, and I can remember him getting his head stuck in during injury time in many games, as well as scoring what was a bloody crucial goal at Cardiff, assisted by that other bloke with the ginger hair.

Apparently, Ronnie Moore didn't see things like Keith Hill did, nor David Flitcroft, and when Foz asked to be taken off in a game at Tranmere, the wánker went off on one in the dressing room and Stephen wasn't impressed. And so they severed ties. Moore later ripped into Jimmy McNulty in a similar manner.

I think that after leaving Tranmere, Foz realised that his body was no longer up to the rigours of professional football, but more so, I don't think his heart was in it any longer. He missed being a Barnsley player. Nowt else was going to come close. Hence his retirement late last year.

I was gutted to see him leave, he was a very underrated player for us. But added to that, both he and his wife were good people who took the club to their hearts. It's people such as Foz, and Bobby Hassell, that our club now need to find more of. Footballers with professionalism, who put club before any kind of personal ambition.

In my opinion, of course.