Just how good were/was/is/are (Wolves Edition)

[Law's Bus]

Seem to remember him taking a while to get up to speed with things when he first arrived, early appearances looking very weak and timid, then he was about the only good thing about the team through most of Lambert's spell before getting injured and reverting back to weak timid performances before he was sold.

Yes, Joao Teixeira looked by far the better of the two for the first few weeks, then Helder got up to speed.

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

Thought he played pretty well at Arsenal away too. Like many others I wanted him to come good again, that goal v cardiff alone was worth his fee

 

[Premier Quality]

That first season, he was absolutely amazing, the best player I’d seen in our shirt in years - dribbling, going past people, assists, goals, work rate, he had absolutely everything.

Since his injury though, he’s been an absolute shadow - looked like no desire, scared of being hurt, didn’t score, couldn’t go past people, went backwards all the time, was absolutely pointless.

Can’t believe we’re getting £15m for him from Leeds - 3 goals and 3 assists in 37 games according to transfermarket (only 27 starts and only 17 completed) is awful in the champ for that kind of spend.

Good luck to him though, nice guy - I hope he can get some kind of form back, but it seems unlikely.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

24. Paul Butler

Paul John Butler (born 2 November 1972) is a former footballer where he played as a centre-back. Born in Manchester, he played for Republic of Ireland. He was most recently a player at League Two side Chester City, where he also had spells as captain and assistant-manager.

He has previously played in the Premier League for Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and was also a former captain of Leeds United.

Butler was born, in Moston, Manchester and began his professional career at Rochdale in 1991 and remained with the club for five seasons before joining Bury. Here, he won promotion to the second flight in his first season.

After one season in the second flight with Bury, he moved to Sunderland for £1million and won the First Division championship in his first season. He featured through a full season in the Premier League in 1999/2000.

However, he found himself often left out of Sunderland's first team during the following season. To gain playing time, First Division Wolves took him on loan in late 2000, a move made permanent by incoming manager Dave Jones for £1m in January 2001. He was made club captain for the following season which saw the team mount an automatic promotion challenge, only to fall away in the final weeks into the play-offs, where they lost to Norwich. The next year saw Butler win a second promotion to the top flight though, as the club won the play-offs, beating Sheffield United 3–0 in the 2003 final.

He remained with the club for their solitary season in the Premier League but could not agree terms of a new contract afterward and instead joined fellow-relegated side Leeds United in July 2004.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I don't often jump in first but I will here. I never liked the fat bastard. Never wanted to sign him, we could have done much better than that.

His attitude was shit, he tried this ridiculous hard man act far too often (never convincing), his fitness was frequently a disgrace, slow as fuck, awful on the ball and I thought he was a genuine downgrade on Ludo who I absolutely adored. Also Moston is a shithole, never trust anyone from there.

Thick enough to think that it's Moxey who blocked him getting a new deal rather than DJ lying to him.

Looks disgraceful these days as well. You're not in Inspiral Carpets, dickhead.

 

[Kenny]

Apart from all that he is ok?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I missed out that he was almost as bad as Berra at attacking corners.

Fine otherwise, yeah.

 

[Tony Towner]

Not even the Inspiral Carpets looks like the Inspiral Carpets any more.

Butler's time at Wolves is pretty transparent. Came in on loan for a side that had lost interest in playing for Lee so looked an improvement on what we had. Got signed permanently, got fat, got booed, got dropped, lost some weight, got back in the side.

He was competent in the choke and promotion season as a classic head it and kick it centre half. He should have been binned before when we went up though. A player that needed to be upgraded straight away, but Lescott's knees and Craddock bring shite meant he played more than he should have.

One thing I will say is that he was good for Lescott's development, talked him through games and coached him

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I thought we looked better with Mark Clyde in there in 02/03 for a while but Zamora did a bit of a number on him and that seemed to affect him for a bit.

I was absolutely livid with him in that Reading league game at home. Very lucky to get a second chance after that.

Absolutely loved Bothroyd scoring against Leeds in the last minute and the cameras panning on Butler straight away. He'd been giving it large all week.

 

[Deano]

Thought he was ok. He was just a head and kick it CB as mentioned above but as we had Lescott who was quicker and could play next to him they complemented each other quite well. We were never going to stay up with him and Craddock as the pairing in the Premier League though.

 

[Premier Quality]

I quite liked butler - he was no frills head it and kick it, but he was decent at it. The 1-0 Man Utd game, he headed it and kicked it very effectively for example.

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

As we walked to the ground on one of those early 2003/4 PL home games, a mate of mine said we'd be relegated if Butler and Craddock remained our centre halfs for the season. Simple comment and so true. Unfortunately the manager didn't have the same foresight.

 

[Deano]

Did we try and sign a player for the position in that January? I can't remember now.

 

[Derby Wolf]

Knowing DJ it was probably Paul McGrath

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Don't think we did. We signed Jones, Ganea and Cort.

Maybe he thought Okoronkwo would come good but that would be highly optimistic.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

25. Steve Froggatt

Stephen Junior Froggatt (born 9 March 1973 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire) is an English former footballer. His senior playing career lasted from 1991 until 2001, when he announced his retirement after failing to recover from injury.

Froggatt began his career Aston Villa as a trainee, before turning professional and making his debut for the team in 1991. He truly established himself during the first Premier League season of 1992-93 as he made 21 appearances, scoring his first goal (against Crystal Palace) in the process, helping the club to end as runners-up. Villa won the League Cup in 1994 and although Froggatt was not part of the squad for the final he played in the semi-final first leg against Tranmere Rovers. He also won recognition from the England U21s, earning two caps during this season.

Froggatt was sold to First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 1994 for £1 million, where he linked up again with Graham Taylor, who had given him his YTS contract at Aston Villa. The winger played for four full seasons at Molineux as the club twice failed in the promotion play-offs. In total, he made 111 appearances for Wolves before being sold to a third West Midlands side, Coventry City.

 

[Tony Towner]

Underrated, not as injured as people remember, unlike Richards signed a contract so we could get some money back. Bit of a nob in real life

 

[sycophantia]

I sound like a stuck record but here is another player I really liked, possibly cos he played in my position(s) but I also thought he was a very good player, shame he was dogged by injuries

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Nowt you can do about his first injury. Shocker of a tackle (by a player I went on to like for Wolves, the world is strange sometimes).

I loved Froggy. More of a Jarvis style winger than a Kennedy/Dennison but there's a place for that. If you had him at his best then feasibly he's one who might get in our current squad as a LWB. Not many of the 90s crew you'd say that about.

Fair play on the contract stuff, I'll always respect him for that.

McGhee playing him as a LB in a back four was not the greatest move but y'know, McGhee.

 

[sycophantia]

Underrated, not as injured as people remember, unlike Richards signed a contract so we could get some money back. Bit of a nob in real life

Didn't realise he was a bit of a nob, only thing I know about him personally was he opened a shop in Newport (local celeb) and my missus took our boys along, he wad good with them, signing stuff etc