The Endzone - thread for ex-utd players or products.

Right. I wanted to talk about Ebanks-Blake and maybe even track him a little bit, but didn't want it to get incinerated in the furious fires of the other teams thread.

What I thought is that we could talk about ex-players who are still held dear here or those we hate, even. I dunno, do as you will..


Anyway, Ebanks-Blake is now joint top-scorer in the Colaship with 20 goals and he is showing the same form and a little less ability than he had before that terrible ankle break. I find it an incredible achievement on his side to have gotten himself back to such a level after a break that some wondered if he'd ever recover from (myself included) he is playing at that level that made the Rossi-Campbell pairing so lethal, and like Rossi, he is a top-flight footballer at the very least and as I understand it, we had so much doubt whether he'd ever get his game back that we didn't put any percentage sell-on fees for him when he was sold to Plymouth for a pittance (given the break and the doubts around him coming back, we couldn't have dreamt of more than the £800k [iirc] that we got) he was sold to Wolves for £1.5m and his next sell-on is going to be quadruple that. I would not be surprised in the slightest if Keano went in for him should they stay up and Wolves not get promoted.

His goals and game are getting sharper and sharper and I had hopes Frazier would be able to make a late run at top scorer in that division, but think Blake (who was always more of a goal-scorer) will run away with it now. Those two could even meet in the play-offs should Wolves and Hull get there.

I am really proud of him and what he has achieved. It takes a lot of heart and self-belief to comeback like that when you've been written off and to have the same game he had before with the same boldness and courage as well as that knowledge he will get clattered a lot with the pace he runs at reminds me of that Utd-type character our players tend to have.

Look out for him in the future. He should be in a Premiership near you, soon.

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Oh, and Paul McShane.... fill in the space! Is he still an Ireland international?

Thanks for that! There's a lot of players that just disappear and leave you wondering just where they got to.

Shawcross! Good call! He is doing very well in the Colaship very solid, sensible defender. He was never MUQ, but he was never an embarassing player like a McShane. He'll eventually end up at a mid-table PL club I think. Very sensible player, limited by not having top class ability.

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Does anyone know what happened to Fox, Neumayr and how danny Rose is doing?

Haven't heard anything about Rose since he went to Oxford. Nor the other two, come to think of it.

wow... just saw the highlight of the goal that SE-B had against Charlton

that was something special the way he beat the defender and his shot on goal was full of power. good stuff.

[youtube]xQ4sB-PHlgk[/youtube]

Blake is a very prolific player and was a joy to watch with Rossi partnering him. He's not actually 100% of what he was, I'd say it's about 85% or so, but he's well on the way to getting there. He's getting better and better and I think he'll be in the Prem soon, I expect he'll score there as well as long as he gets supply. He is nothing without supply, unlike a Campbell or so.

I think it's a shame he got that break when he did, he was on the cusp of getting his shot and that was all taken away from him in one fell swoop.

Everton apparently want Ebanks-Blake...

Wolves have told them to go away, but there's no way they will be able to keep him if Everton make an offer.

Huge leap for him if he gets the move. Huge.

That's quite a strange question.

He is nothing like either and if he is seen as someone who will score goals for them he'll leapfrog them.

There's every reason for them to pursue him, or another striker who will actually score goals and make the penetrative runs of a poacher.

As 'Arry says 'them who are like gold dust'

Ebanks-Blake Wolverhampton 23
Beattie Sheff Utd 22
Phillips West Brom 22
John Southampton 17
Lisbie Colchester 17
Campbell Hull 15


1 more game to go.. it's up in the air whether Wolves will even make the play-offs.

I cannot see Blake being anywhere other than the PL next season.

Goals in the Colaship aren't worth what they used to be, but it's definitely a platform for young strikers on the up and that tally of his will have alerted a fair few PL clubs to him.

Campbell is too unselfish to have wracked up, unfortunately.

Shawcross will definitely play in the PL one day even if Stoke don't go up this season.

He's the type you see break through the ranks at places like Middlesbrough and he'll get better and better with age.

Was never United class, but he's a solid, sensible, no-nonsense CB who will reach his full potential without a doubt. He'll be far, far better at 26 or so than he is now.

Well done to Ryan Shawcross and Jonathon Greening on getting to the PL.

Stoke will go straight back down... but I wonder if Shawcross will do enough to get himself a move.

Ebanks Blake was confirmed Colaship top scorer also although Wolves didn't make the play-offs. Can't see him being in the Colaship next season. A PL club will snatch him up, imo.