Thursday, 31 August 2006
euell.... always believing
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I was sad to see Jason Euell leave, not that it wasn't the right decision, although "up to £300,000" seems a measly return for our record signing.
He overcame disabilty (he is deaf in his left-ear) to progress through Wimbledon's youth team scoring on his debut and then becoming a regular for the crazy gang playing 5 seasons in the Premiership. After scoring 20 goals in Wimbledon's first season after relegation, at the top of the transfer market, Curbishley signed him for £4.75m.
He then scored 10 or more Premiership goals for each of the next three seasons, including one in the famous 4-2 victory over Chelsea on Boxing Day, 2003.
Not blessed with the best first touch, he made up for it with a powerful attacking style, for which playing just behind the strikers suited him. It was during this season that he pissed off Curbs by stupidly getting sent off against Man Utd. This was the season after, I think, that Euell and his wife lost their child very suddenly. Initially after a short break his form didn't seem affected, but we will never know how that terrible tragedy played on his mind in the coming seasons, particularly when things started to go wrong with him and he fell out with Curbs.
He also had a well documented bust up with fans trying to get his autograph after a game, which did him no favours, especially as he was very popular in the covered end.
Of course Dowie and Palace offered £2.5m for his services back then and we should have bitten that greasy Jordan's hand off, but we didn't for whatever reason. The fact that Dowie's now also willing to let him go maybe proves that he is a different person and talent to the one he was earlier in his career.
In my opinion a player who scored 10+ goals in 3 consecutive seasons in the top flight puts him up there as one of our best ever strikers. Jase leaves with Chicago Addick's very best wishes and I hope that he can resurrect his career up on Teeside. ¶ 15:56
I was sad to see Jason Euell leave, not that it wasn't the right decision, although "up to £300,000" seems a measly return for our record signing.He overcame disabilty (he is deaf in his left-ear) to progress through Wimbledon's youth team scoring on his debut and then becoming a regular for the crazy gang playing 5 seasons in the Premiership. After scoring 20 goals in Wimbledon's first season after relegation, at the top of the transfer market, Curbishley signed him for £4.75m.
He then scored 10 or more Premiership goals for each of the next three seasons, including one in the famous 4-2 victory over Chelsea on Boxing Day, 2003.
Not blessed with the best first touch, he made up for it with a powerful attacking style, for which playing just behind the strikers suited him. It was during this season that he pissed off Curbs by stupidly getting sent off against Man Utd. This was the season after, I think, that Euell and his wife lost their child very suddenly. Initially after a short break his form didn't seem affected, but we will never know how that terrible tragedy played on his mind in the coming seasons, particularly when things started to go wrong with him and he fell out with Curbs.
He also had a well documented bust up with fans trying to get his autograph after a game, which did him no favours, especially as he was very popular in the covered end.
Of course Dowie and Palace offered £2.5m for his services back then and we should have bitten that greasy Jordan's hand off, but we didn't for whatever reason. The fact that Dowie's now also willing to let him go maybe proves that he is a different person and talent to the one he was earlier in his career.
In my opinion a player who scored 10+ goals in 3 consecutive seasons in the top flight puts him up there as one of our best ever strikers. Jase leaves with Chicago Addick's very best wishes and I hope that he can resurrect his career up on Teeside. ¶ 15:56
