Remember Them? Ross Gardner

Ross Gardner arrived with fellow Newcastle academy trainee James Beaumont with a bit of hype and high hopes. The pair highly regarded at Newcastle, and with Gardner having represented England at junior levels. The story was that they had fell afoul of Newcastle’s Academy boss Peter Beardsley, being accused of bullying the pair, which was a claim later dismissed.

Gardner in action for Forest

Gardner was a midfielder, born in South Shields, he was hoped to be a bit more of a box to box midfielder. Forest had had a good time with bringing through youth at that time, and with the club having missed out in the playoffs, would be hoped to come though in the wake of the likes of Gareth Williams.

However it was an incredibly turbulent time at Forest. Hart was the manager who signed them, and by the time Gardner left a short few years later we had rattled through a number of bosses, both permanent and care taker.

Gardner would make his debut as a sub under Paul Hart coming on as sub in a 6-0 demolition of MK Dons. Restricted to a few sub appearances, who got more game time under Joe Kinnear as the slide toward League One began. The team at this stage were losing the best players.

In the infamous relegation season, under Megson Gardner actually broke through and started a number of the last few games of the season in the run in.Maybe in preperation for the drop to give him match time, or because there was little else (Sonner and Gunnarsson for example) so he got game time.

As we dropped into League One under Megson, Gardner continued to feature sporadically, until the arrival of Calderwood who deemed him surplus to requirements and let the North East native go initially on loan and then permanently to Port Vale. His last games were as a late substitute against Brentford and Colchester. As we struggled on in League One before the McParland and Barlow renaissance and stormed up the table,it was also the signing of the likes of Sammy Clingan that pretty much ended his Forest career a well as getting injured just when he'd have got a run in the team.He never scored for Forest.

After a short stint at Vale, he ended up in the non league playing for both Eastwood and Shildon in County Durham. Now at the age of 28, when he should be at his peak, he is retired and works as a Gas Technician.

I always had high hopes for Gardner, I thought he looked like he was going to make it. Maybe had he been with a team on the up at the right time things would have worked out differently, as we often here that youngsters that emerge into struggling teams tend to get adversely affected. Neither Gardner or Beaumont for that matter are still in the game. and I think that merely illuminates thats throwing youngsters into a struggling team merely hinders them.


Ross is on Twitter @Rossygardner.

Remember Them? Toddy Orlygsson

Well it has been a long long time since I did one of these. One of these features where we look at the lesser remembered players of the past, and just do a little round up. Just to put in context we previously did Nikola Jerkan, Thierry Bonalair, Felix Bastians and Brett Williams.


Orlygsson



This week we look at Icelandic winger Þorvaldur "Toddy" Örlygsson. We signed him in 1989, so as an 8 year old I was fairly excited at signing a foreign player, who were still fairly rare in the English game. Especially as at the time we were banned in Europe. Toddi was apparently Icelandic player of the year when we signed him.

Olygsson was a left winger, a position being contested at the time by Tommy Gaynor, with Ian Woan to be signed by the club not long after. We had also been using Garry Parker as a left winger the season before, with Hodge and Webb being stalwarts in the middle, before Webbs departure for Manchester United. This meant we need left sided cover with Parker moving back inside, which gave Olygsson some game time.

The next 2 seasons he would barely appear at all in the first team. The emergence of Scot Gemmill, and Kingsley Black coming in, and Woan’s continual development meant the midfield would shuffle around a bit. A young Irishman named Roy keane was also fresh on the scene and Parker departed for Villa. But Olygsson would feature quite often on the bench.

In the first year of the new Premier League, Olygsson featured more often than the previous season, and the team struggled. Used mainly as cover for Woan, who missed around 20 games that year, it wasn’t to be a fun season. Although he grabbed a goal, the team were relegated and afterwards Olygsson was let go by Clark as Forest roared back into the Premier League.

Icelandic football occasionally produces players of quality, say Eidur Gudjonsen, but into the late 80’s their league would have been about as good as Wales own league. Orlygsson after Forest had a successful two years at Stoke before drifting further down the league with Oldham, maybe finding his level somewhere between the lower second and third flights.

It was always clear he wasn’t up to the task of regular top level football, but back then we almost celebrated average players, like with Brian Rice. The problem was these average players ultimately led us to relegation.

Orlygsson ended up back in Iceland, finishing his playing career where he started with northern club KA Akureyri, where he ended up as player manager. He now manages IA Akranes in the Icelandic league. I’ll always remember him as pretty much being the first foreigner in my time to play for Forest. Hardly a signal of what was to come, but a player who always sticks in my mind.

Orlygsson played 37 times for Forest scoring twice.



Remember Them?... Paul McGregor

In the latest part of our successful series on the lesser lights of years gone by, we focus on the "BritPop footballer" Paul McGregor, who graced the fringes of the team in the mid 1990's.

Paul McGregor was briefly well known for two reasons in those heady days of the mid 1990's. One was for on field antics,the other for off field. Neither ever amounted to much.

McGregor's finest moment, arguably was scoring the winning goal in the UEFA Cup, in the third round, against Lyon. Pearce's penalty was saved, but McGregor followed up to tuck the ball in from close range. Like a lot of his career, even this moment is more well known for the fact Colin Cooper ran into the goal post celebrating the goal.

McGregor was also known, and possibly the reason he is ever remembered by anyone,is that he was in a band. As singer of the band Merc, the band achieved some local notoriety. They played a very well attended gig at Rock City, although,this was meant to be attended by Alan McGee, the Creation Records head honcho responsible for discovering Oasis. He never showed up to the gig.

McGregor though was suddenly popular. I personally remember seeing him featured in "90 Minutes" magazine which I read a great deal in the 90's. He also featured on Soccer AM, in it's earlier better incarnation,when it was actually about football, and not the heap of trash that caters for any old fool it is now.

McGregor also if memory serves scored a great Bicycle kick against Sheffield Wednesday, at Hillsbrough, in a 3-1 win. McGregor's contemporary and often equal Bobby Howe also scored that day, and I can't help thinking at times these two fate seemed to intertwine at Forest. When McGregor came on v Lyon, Howe also came onto the pitch. In fact it may have been Howe's shot blocked by a hand to give Forest the penalty against Lyon.

However, at a time that McGregor's career should have been kicking on, it seemed to stagnate. The problem became that the season after he broke through, we signed more strikers,Dean Saunders, notably,and then later some bloke called Pierre who came from Holland.

This pushed McGregor down the pecking order,so he had to go out on loan to get football. I remember in that season hearing on the BBC phone in 606, that Clarke should give the likes of McGregor and Howe the chance to shine, as the strikers we had obviously weren't doing the job, but Clarke, and then Bassett ultimately trusted in experienced players.

He spent periods on loan at Preston and Carlisle, before ultimately departing Forest for a fairly successful spell at Plymouth. There he would win player of the season, before losing form and ending up at Northampton,where his career would ultimately end, quietly as a substitute fr the Cobblers and he left the game in 2003.

Merc never amounted to much either, just another Britpop band from an era where anew net big thing appeared every other week. The novelty factor of a band being fronted by a pro footballer being quickly forgotten and consigning McGregor to the history books.It has been suggested elsewhere that the fact McGregor was in a band,and the late nights involved in that life style led to him taking his focus off his game,and costing him his regular career.

But McGregor did score a goal that should have been more celebrated. Scoring against a team who are now one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and ultimately put us through,that goal should be as famous as many others. However, it is not, like much of McGregor's career.

McGregor, has, in my research, re-surfaced with a new band who have just released an album.Ulterior are a new band he is in with his brother. It seems they were on Soccer AM this weekend, unbeknownst to me till around 30seconds ago. I call this uncanny timing.

Remember them?…Junior Agogo

Normally this feature has you racking your memory banks in the hope you’ll remember old fringe players from yesteryear to see how they finished up.

In this edition however, we take a look at Junior Agogo - a popular Forest striker wearing the garibaldi red shirt just 4 seasons ago. He was pivotal in our return to the Championship in the 07/08 season – even finishing our top goalscorer – and during his time at Forest, he became a regular international for his country.
His story began at the start of the 06/07 season when a somewhat striker curse hit Forest.

Nathan Tyson was just minutes into our first game of the season against Bradford when he seemed to slip over on his knees. It had initially looked harmless; however, Tyson was struggling badly and the injury proved to be devastating as he had suffered medial ligament damage.

The news meant Forest would be unable to field their best striker for the best part of 3 and a half months.

With then manager, Colin Calderwood, seeming to be on a mission to flog Grant Holt to Bristol City and other strikers Jack Lester, Scott Dobie and Neil Harris failing to provide the goals, something had to be done and quickly.
Forest turned their attentions to Junior Agogo - the star striker of Bristol Rovers - to tilt the balance.

Junior had to initially go on somewhat of a strike to get his move. After we had an initial bid turned down, Junior wasn’t impressed and did everything possible to get his move. By the end of August 2006, we had our man for a reasonable price of £125,000.

When he arrived at Forest, Junior was already something of a journey man, having played for no less than 11 clubs across England and America.

His arrival created real hope and promise about the season ahead.

Agogo was a reasonably strong striker who also had a bit of pace and a great shot on him – something we come to expect from all African strikers nowadays.

Junior’s first season was decent although abruptly cut short in March 2007 due to a groin injury - thus ruling him out of the fateful Yeovil playoff games. He grabbed himself 10 goals including a goal in the FA Cup giant killing of then Premier League team, Charlton Athletic.

Agogo’s second season would prove to be his last for Forest.

Having starred and re-established himself for Ghana, who had reached the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations, many big clubs had begun to sniff around him – Portsmouth being one.

Agogo seemed to have the idea put into his head, with the obvious assistance of his agent, that Forest wouldn’t be enough to help establish himself as a Ghana regular.

It seemed a bit mad but the general feeling was if we can pick up a decent fee, then let him go.

Fortunately, he stuck it out with us for the season and finished top goalscorer with 17 goals in all competitions. Junior’s goals helped contribute to us bouncing back into the Championship at the third time of asking.

In the summer of 2008, Portsmouth never came in for him but El Zamalek, the most successful team in Africa, did after star striker Amir Zaki went out on a season long loan to Wigan.

Forest picked up £565,000 and Agogo got his ‘dream move’ which would allow him to pursue establishing himself in Ghana’s team. Everyone was happy.

And this is where the story tails off for most Forest fans. What did happen at his 'dream move'?

Now I’m sure most Forest fans who remember Zaki will know Agogo would never have been good enough to fully replace him for Zamalek and sadly this proved to be the case.

Agogo never settled or performed in his 15 games for Zamalek despite a promising start.

Agogo was constantly clashing with club officials with rows over late pay and both were accusing each other of breach of contract. Junior had also been banned by the EFA for making obscene gestures at his own fans and began skipping training sessions.

Less than 6 months after joining Zamalek, he was hit with a £125,000 fine for no reason, prompting him to report his club to both FIFA and the Egyptian FA. Agogo said:

“Things started very well but in my few months there unbelievable changes happened from the management to the coaching structure. This did not help the development of the club and with the frustrations boiling over some management members decided to blame it all on me when I had nothing to do with it. I was fined US$200,000 for no crime and all these were not even written down in a letter to me. I stayed on because I thought things might improve but it didn’t.”

It was unsurprising that in April 2009, Agogo terminated his contract and left the club – which provoked Zamalek to then try and sue him for €1m.

The move was a total train wreck, an ill advised move that never paid off.

At 31, it has also left both his Ghana dreams and his reputation in absolute tatters. He didn’t even get a sniff at a call up for last year’s World Cup and can now be found plying his trade for Cypriot outfit Apollon Limassol.

Now I loved Agogo when he was at Forest and it’s very sad to see how things turned out. He probably could have done something in the Championship, especially with Davies’ guidance. I for one also do not believe his Ghana chances would have been ruined had he stayed here.

I’m sure he looks at where we are now and wonders; what if?