08-10 Players: Where are they now?

[The Red Baron]

Adam Lockwood has just signed for Guiseley AFC...thats a bit of a falling from grace too!

I think injuries have caught up with him, which is why he left Bury. Guiseley are in the Skrill North, which is about the highest level for part-time players now (a lot of the Skrill Premier/ Conference sides are full-time now).

[Donnybax]

I also miss Emma Rigby, used to sit next to her at some home games. WOW

[Red Rover]

I also miss Emma Rigby, used to sit next to her at some home games. WOW

I often wonder if she is still with Matt Mills...

[Alickismyhero]

Simon Gillette is contracted to Forest but has just signed on loan for Bristol City.

[Red Rover]

Gillett*

As if! He was forest's best player last season!

[ss1953]

Heff was live on BBC Scotland last night in the Hibs vs Hearts Derby

Dean Shields is at Rangers

[Northants Nomad]

Dean Shields is at Rangers

Must get confusing for the fans with Dean Shiels there too.

[Glyn_Wigley]

Dean Shields is at Rangers

Must get confusing for the fans with Dean Shiels there too.

Don't forget they've got Dene Shiels too...it must get very confusing in the dressing room..!

[NickDRFC]

Anyone remember Dene Shields? I think he made maybe a couple of appearances on loan for us (from Sunderland?)

Just looked him up and he's playing for Xewigka Tigers, in the Gozo Football League.

Dumps all over the Skrill North really.

[Colin C No.3]

Simon Gillette is contracted to Forest but has just signed on loan for Bristol City.

He didn't look sharp enough at Forest I take it? Let's hope he glides into Bristol & it runs smoothly for him. That'd have them bristling in Nottingham. Have to say I'm glad we didn't offer him a contract. It looked a close shave at one point, that would've put me in a real lather.

[Colin C No.3]

George Friend is a regular for Middlesbrough, always liked him.

Not even on the bench against the Rovers.

[IDM]

I thought he was?

[silent majority]

His name was on the big screen amongst the replacements available.

[Northants Nomad]

Dean Shields is at Rangers

Must get confusing for the fans with Dean Shiels there too.

Don't forget they've got Dene Shiels too...it must get very confusing in the dressing room..!

No, that one (Dene) IS 'Shields'! It's Dene Shields and Dean Shiels.

[BigH]

Gees reading all this is slightly depressing - apart from Mike-F's Emma Rigby dream. No wonder we nearly went down in 2011 and the Board threw in their lot with McKay the following season.

[Donnybax]

I also miss Emma Rigby, used to sit next to her at some home games. WOW

I often wonder if she is still with Matt Mills...

she isn't they split up soon after he left rovers.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Here's the squad we started 2010-11 with, and where they are now:

1    Neil Sullivan  - Retired
33    Gary Woods - 3rd Choice at Watford, Tier2
Defenders
2    James O'Connor - Loan at Bristol C - Tier 3
6    James Chambers - Walsall - Tier 3
24    Mustapha Dumbuya - Reserve at Notts C - Tier 3
11    Adam Lockwood - Guiseley - Tier 6
4    Shelton Martis    -  No club
23    Byron Webster -  Yeovil  - Tier 2
21    Sam Hird  - Chesterfield - Tier 4
5    Wayne Thomas - Tamworth - Tier 5
3    George Friend - In and out at Middlesborough - Tier 2     
Midfielders
15    Mark Wilson  - Retired
22    Dean Shiels  - Rangers - Scottosh Tier 3   
26    James Coppinger  - Donny - Tier 2    
8    Brian Stock - Reserve at Burnley - Tier 2
7    Martin Woods    - No club
18    Simon Gillett  - Loan at Bristol City - Tier 3
14    Josh Payne  - Woking - Tier 5
34    Robbie Clark - Pitea IF - Swedish Tier 4   
16    John Oster - Gateshead - Tier 5   
Strikers
9    Steve Brooker - No club
10    Billy Sharp - On loan at Reading - Tier 2   
12    James Hayter  - Yeovil - Tier 2   
29    Waide Fairhurst  - Rainworth Miners Welfare - Tier 8
36    Bradley Grayson     - Ange IF - Swedish Tier 5

All of which begs two questions. How in the name of holy hell did we manage with that squad to a) get within farting distance of the top 4 half way through the season, and b)effectively bankrupt ourselves because of the wages?

[BigColSutherland]

Here was our zenith:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/9194775.stm

01 Sullivan - Retired
02 O'Connor - Tier 3
05 Thomas - Tier 5
21 Hird - Tier 4
24 Dumbuya - Tier 3
08 Stock - Tier 2
15 Wilson - Retired
16 Oster - Tier 5
26 Coppinger - Tier 2
12 Hayter - Tier 2
19 Healy - no idea

Substitutes
33 Woods - Tier 2
11 Lockwood - Tier 6
25 Souza - no idea
09 Brooker - no club
10 Sharp - Tier 2
22 Shiels - Scottish Tier 3
29 Fairhurst - Tier 8

Answer to BST question 1. Top manager
Answer to BST question 2 . Awful decisions from the Board

[Belle_Vue]

Bradley grayson back in england with matlock along with oscar radford

[NickDRFC]

Easy to say that player X is now in Tier 4/5 so must be rubbish, but that's a bit misleading - take John Oster for example. At times he was superb for us, and very much a Championship footballer. Just because he's not playing there now doesn't make it any less true.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Nick

If it was just one or two players who had dropped down the leagues at the end of their career, I'd agree. It's the fact that the vast majority have dropped down the leagues that is the point. It shows how little solidity there was to the team we built. The fact that only two players have become established for any length of time at clubs that have been higher that us for the last 2-3 years (Sharp and Friend) shows how fragile our squad was.

It's both a testament to the quality O'Driscoll had to get a squad as limited as that playing so well, but also an indictment of how little we developed players.

[NickDRFC]

Billy

Fair point in some respects, but I'd say that midfield and up front are reasonably well represented in or around this league. It's where the defenders are playing now that really highlights how we were punching above our weight, and why it was little surprise that without quality reinforcements (Naylor etc) we struggled as much as we did.

In fact of the 2 who are still playing at this level, I'd say that only Friend has proven himself capable and Webster is simply lucky to have made it by virtue of playing for a team who themselves punched above their weight in gaining promotion last year. Hopefully he makes the grade himself (I rated him as a youngster but thought he'd never come back from the assault at Bramall Lane) or even pushes on further.

[The Red Baron]

Points of information: Waide Fairhurst is currently playing for Lincoln City (Tier 5)- the lad at Rainworth MW is Jordan Ball. David Healy is a free agent having been released by Bury last season.

Dennis Souza is a free agent having spent the last two seasons at OFI Crete of the Greek super league.