Sliding Doors

[YF Dan]

http://www.rageonline.co.uk/mainpage.ph ... :00:00.000

More specifically, Ian Atkins' half time team talk

[Matt D]

you weren't the only one whose mind was wandering along those lines.

i wonder if dean whitehead and sam ricketts will be reflecting on where oxford are when they line up against each other in the top flight next season?

[YF Dan]

I'm going to use this thread to pay homage to Dean Windass.

What a goal.

What a player. One of the best I've seen.

Losing him to Bradford when we did was another pivotal moment in our recent history.

[DLT]

And one of the biggest arseholes ever to play for the club.

I remember hearing stories about his total lack of sensitivity to club staff's plight when they weren't getting paid but he was still drawing his wedge.

No disagreement on his ability as a player but I can find no space to be happy for him.

Ashbee is one that surprises me. I remember him and Wanless in midfield together for Cambridge. Good player.

[Ascension Ox]

And one of the biggest arseholes ever to play for the club.

I remember hearing stories about his total lack of sensitivity to club staff's plight when they weren't getting paid but he was still drawing his wedge.

No disagreement on his ability as a player but I can find no space to be happy for him.

Ashbee is one that surprises me. I remember him and Wanless in midfield together for Cambridge. Good player.

At the end of the day, we are all more interested in what our players do on rather than off pitch. Windass, admittedly seemingly a prize lummox, was one of the best players we have ever had.

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

At the end of the day, we are all more interested in what our players do on rather than off pitch.

Usually, but not always and not necessarily.

[boris]

And nor are the two facets of behaviour mutually exclusive - what a player does off the pitch can often have implications for what they do on the pitch.

[Baboo]

Losing him to Bradford when we did was another pivotal moment in our recent history.

Didn't he throw a strop and demand a move almost to the point of walking out on us.

Great player though - we did well to get him in the first place. It is hard not to admire him for doing what he has done at his age. Fair play - be intersting to see if he gets a few run outs in the Premiership and how he does against the best around.

[Hog]

Does he have a contract for next season? From the interviews I've seen he's certainly working hard to make it virtually impossible for them not to give him something!

[DLT]

Did we do well to get him in the first place?

I thought he been rotting away in a bin marked 'untouchable' for a long period of time up in Aberdeen, after some of the worst behavioour ever seen on a football pitch.

If I remember correctly Aberdeen let us have him for no money up front. It was only when we sold him that we actually paid Aberdeen a fee.

He was frigging lucky we were prepared to take a chance on him and let him rejuvenate his 'dead' career.

[Kernow Yellow]

Ian Atkins' half time team talk

&quotRight lads, we've got 5 defenders on the pitch, along with Hunt and Wanless, so let's at least make sure we keep a clean sheet, eh?&quot

The more I think about it the more I realise that Jim Smith (mk 2) = Ian Atkins

[x586]

Standout memories concerning Windass:

- his goal at Ashton Gate - first game of the season. A 2-2 draw?

- parading his Son in a Leicester City replica shirt in front of the East Midlands Today cameras whilst &quotafter&quot a move to Filbert Street ... a couple of days later parading his Son in a Bradford City replica shirt after signing a contract with them.....

- not terribly sensitive, nor apparently troubled with self-doubt.

[Hog]

The three sendings-off in one game is one I remember. Here are a few more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/2008/05/2 ... -20430509/

[Mally]

Standout memories concerning Windass:

- his goal at Ashton Gate - first game of the season. A 2-2 draw?

- parading his Son in a Leicester City replica shirt in front of the East Midlands Today cameras whilst &quotafter&quot a move to Filbert Street ... a couple of days later parading his Son in a Bradford City replica shirt after signing a contract with them.....

- not terribly sensitive, nor apparently troubled with self-doubt.

My favourite Windass story is the one about his transfer from Hull to Aberdeen. The Hull manager wanted to sell him but was concerned that Windass wouldn't go if he worked out how far away Aberdeen was, so he told the Aberdeen manager to arrange a flight for him so he wouldn't know the distance.

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

If you put Windass tackle into Youtube, it asks you to confirm that you're 18|| before proceeding....