Dean Ashton

[zemas tendon 0]

Says RVW can handle the pressure, shame couldnt be said to you, as soon as we got relegated you couldnt wait to jump ship and put in lacklustre performances in the Championship and then have a mysterious injury prior to our FA Cup game!!! put the lure of Norwich has brought you back to the County, Shame you couldnt find digs in London!!

[birchfest 397]

I don''t blame him, staying at Norwich would have really worked out... We were terrible and he left for a club record fee. On topic I agree I think RVW will grow into the season and I fancy 12-15 goals from him, which would be a good return.

[walks on water 0]

[quote user="zemas tendon"]Says RVW can handle the pressure, shame couldnt be said to you, as soon as we got relegated you couldnt wait to jump ship and put in lacklustre performances in the Championship and then have a mysterious injury prior to our FA Cup game!!! put the lure of Norwich has brought you back to the County, Shame you couldnt find digs in London!![/quote]Someone has forgotten the absolute carp we were playing when we were relegated and playing in the Championship. It depressed me no end to see his obvious talents wasted by our tactic of reapeatedly humping it long to him ( -the other being to give the ball to Hucks down the left) ...we weren''t going to be promoted, and we were playing god awful football with little or no variation. Don''t blame Ashton at all for wanting to further his talents at a higher level; in fact he signed a contract extension (that he wasn''t obliged to do) helping us to ultimately get a bigger fee for him (together with not being cup tied.)Real damn shame about that Shaun Wright-Phillips tackle whilst he was on England duty. Ashton was looking a natural successor to Teddy Sheringham in his intelligent link up play and I believe he would have gone on to be an England regular for years. Met him whilst on holiday in Southwold once and he was a lovely bloke ...even played footy with him on the beach with his and my son.Classic case of  what might have been, and it was a real joy to see some of his performances for NCFC ...notably THAT lob volley against Man City.

[*** 0]

Lets pray that RVW hangs around a lot longer than Cashton did![:|]

[Norwich R Us 59]

A little unreasonable... but it is pretty lame that you can qualify as a "Norwich Legend" by simply living here after retirement!

[ryanncfc 0]

Why do some people on here think just because they support Norwich, that means that every player we have, must also be a big fan? Dean Ashton was a professional footballer, he came to Norwich in the Premier League, did his very best for us (if we got him at the start of the year we would have stayed up), but the rest of the squad wasn''t good enough. We went down and after a while, he was offered a good deal by a Premier League team while offering us £7.5m. If you were offered a job for probably 3 times what you are on and your current employer was offered a bundle of notes for you, I think you''d go!!!He got in the England squad after leaving us, I doubt he would have playing for a struggling championship side! Some people on here need to realise that footballers are human, and like the rest of us, will take the best opportunity we are offered to better what we have (financially or in any other way)

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="ryanncfc"]Why do some people on here think just because they support Norwich, that means that every player we have, must also be a big fan? Dean Ashton was a professional footballer, he came to Norwich in the Premier League, did his very best for us (if we got him at the start of the year we would have stayed up), but the rest of the squad wasn''t good enough. We went down and after a while, he was offered a good deal by a Premier League team while offering us £7.5m. If you were offered a job for probably 3 times what you are on and your current employer was offered a bundle of notes for you, I think you''d go!!!He got in the England squad after leaving us, I doubt he would have playing for a struggling championship side! Some people on here need to realise that footballers are human, and like the rest of us, will take the best opportunity we are offered to better what we have (financially or in any other way)[/quote]Spot on Ryan [y]

[zemas tendon 0]

[quote user="ryanncfc"]Why do some people on here think just because they support Norwich, that means that every player we have, must also be a big fan? Dean Ashton was a professional footballer, he came to Norwich in the Premier League, did his very best for us (if we got him at the start of the year we would have stayed up), but the rest of the squad wasn''t good enough. We went down and after a while, he was offered a good deal by a Premier League team while offering us £7.5m. If you were offered a job for probably 3 times what you are on and your current employer was offered a bundle of notes for you, I think you''d go!!!He got in the England squad after leaving us, I doubt he would have playing for a struggling championship side! Some people on here need to realise that footballers are human, and like the rest of us, will take the best opportunity we are offered to better what we have (financially or in any other way)
[/quote]

 

Agree in few points, but if my Employer saw me shirking after only been given a hefty pay rise, and then feigning a illness on big day!! im sure questions would be asked!!

[Yobocop 1,095]

I think the op is getting confused with handling pressure and loyalty

For whatever reason Ashton was unloyal to Norwich but could certainly handle the pressure of big games, that header v Man U anyone?

[Syteanric 1]

mhmmm...

 

Dean Ashton, does he stay at a crap mid table championship side, or does he see where the club are in January.. move on to play in the FA cup final and represent his country whilst the club he has just left starts on a downward spiral to league 1.

 

So then Zema''s Tendon.. who had the last laugh?

[walks on water 0]

Really only started watching Norwich regularly from the early nineties, but thought Ashton was the finest centre forward I''ve seen play for Norwich in that time. He was outstanding, and only really lacked true pace. I''d love to bolt vintage Ashton and Hucks onto the team that''s being assembled for next season ...what a team that would be. Can only hope Riiiiicky has the same impact [:D]

[GenerationA47 747]

I get that and Zema is being harsh.

 

However I''ve noted with interest a small handful of ex-players, previously reluctant to be mentioned in the same breath as us, suddenly being prepared to be associated with the club. Is it because we''re into our 3rd prem season, by any chance? While Eadie, Hucks, McVeigh and many others (not necessarily fans) have been local & vocal for years, Ashton now leads the charge of the Norwich ''lite'' brigade.

[QHcanary 0]

"Lets pray that RVW hangs around a lot longer than Cashton did!"

Don''t be a bellend. Would you turn down more money, a better chance with England and playing in a better division?

Of course you wouldn''t, and why would Ashton? He was at a stage in his career where he needed to play at the top level.

Lets not forget there was plenty in it for the club. We more than doubled our money, didn''t we?

[Gingerpele 0]

Ashton moved back to Norwich as soon as he retired didn''t he?

Have never noticed him shying away from Norwich connection. And certainly don''t know what you mean by he ''leads the charge of the Norwich ''lite'' brigade.'' whats he doing now?

Anyway, way to harsh on him the OP and others in similar vein.

Why on earth should a Championship player reject a better wage in a better league? Especially when that player is in a side not doing very well. Is Snodgrass un-loyal because he left Leeds? Or was he just wanting to better his career?

I''ve never seen a Norwich fan can Snodgrass (or any other signing we''ve signed from lower down) un-loyal. And if a fan of the club they signed from claimed that, Norwich fans would almost certainly argue back that the player just wants to move to a better club.

Well thats what Ashton did. He left us, for a Premiership team. Even if it was 100% down to the money, so what? Its his career, and with hindsight I bet he''s extremely glad he got that pay rise because he had to retire far too early. Some fans just have very very strongly biased opinions that are quite pathetic really. Having a go at someone for bettering themselves, wether that be money-wise or status-wise (both in Ashton''s case) is just silly.

[CanaryNath 30]

pretty harsh OP, in my opinion.

Fantastic player rotting in a side who couldn''t pass the ball for toffee.....offered a spot in a premier league side and in the process nets his current employer their largest ever sale?

fair enough for both parties. I was disappointed when he left but not bitter.

[GenerationA47 747]

GP, if that was a genuine question, this is what he is up to now apparently:

"Ashton has not been involved in football since retirement but he has done some media work. Crewe manager Dario Gradi has asked him to join the coaching staff but as yet there has been no word on this. Now living in Norwich and playing a lot of golf" (premierleagueheroes.co.uk)

 

 If you don''t get what I mean by ''Norwich lite'' then don''t worry about it. Personally I don''t remember him being so connected until now, it was always West Ham and England - now he is doing charity matches at Carrow Rd, media punditry for Norwich games and all sorts. If you didn''t see that then fine, after all you are more qualified to study the media than me.

 

I didn''t know he was living in the area but if anything, that makes it more not less surprising that as far I as I recall he wasn''t seen much near Norwich City FC until recently and was best known for the way he left (I still recall seeing his attitude on the pitch at the Plymouth away game). Maybe he feels we''ve made up since he got inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, who knows.

[Morisons Prozac 0]

Why is everyone getting so agitated? He''s entitled to his own opinion so stop being spivvs

[marvin the martian 0]

I remember an interview where he said he deliberately stayed away from football for a while after he retired so it''s not just us he kept away from. Some people on here seem pretty desperate to find a player or ex player to have a dig at. 

[Josh 0]

For a moment I thought the OP was trolling but then I remembered such bitter and twisted Norwich fans really do exist. Just tune in to Canary Call after a match.

[CambridgeCanary 0]

What I object to in all this is not Ashton as such though he old have given us one season of real commitment. I do agree though that after relegation Worthy completely lost the plot and we were only going one way.

No, for me the real issue is they way Archant talk to any former player to spout any old rubbish.

Does Ashton know Ricky? I doubt it. So, how on earth is he more qualified to assess how Ricky will cope with the pressure than any one randomly plucked from the street? It''s a joke and why Archant print this rubbish before every game can only be down to lazy journalism.

Ricky''s friend, family, former teammates and former managers could offer a sensible view but Ashton?

[Houston Canary 0]

Certainly a legend, just not for longevity. He was our record signing albeit 5 months too late due to mismanagement, and in his tenure with us, he more than doubled in value to become our record transfer. Don''t forget we used £3 million of that, equalling his purchase price while banking £4 million in profit, to replace him with another pretty good striker.

Ya, his impact deserves legend status.

[Six Pack 91]

Ashton certainly "hit the ground running" when we signed him in that relegation season. He was a class act. Not sure if RVW is of the same standard until we''ve actually seen him play. If he (RVW) has Ashton''s natural ability he will score a lot of goals.

That 2004-2005 team in my mind is totally different from our current team. Apart from Hucks, Ashton, Bentley & McVeigh in the attack - the rest of the team were of a considerably lower standard.

I remember after we were relegated and after the first couple of games of the next season where the team played pretty much rubbish - Ashton still agreed to extend his contract for another 3 years.

That meant he was happy to stay with us or even if he was to move, the club would benefit from a massive fee received for a player under a long contract. You can take that however you want - did he have Norwich City at heart ?

[Six Pack 91]

[quote user="Six Pack"]Ashton certainly "hit the ground running" when we signed him in that relegation season. He was a class act. Not sure if RVW is of the same standard until we''ve actually seen him play. If he (RVW) has Ashton''s natural ability he will score a lot of goals.

That 2004-2005 team in my mind is totally different from our current team. Apart from Hucks, Ashton, Bentley & McVeigh in the attack - the rest of the team were of a considerably lower standard.

I remember after we were relegated and after the first couple of games of the next season where the team played pretty much rubbish - Ashton still agreed to extend his contract for another 3 years.

That meant he was happy to stay with us or even if he was to move, the club would benefit from a massive fee received for a player under a long contract. You can take that however you want - did he have Norwich City at heart ?[/quote]

"whichever way you want" - sorry typo

[Largey24 0]

Some people''s opinions of ex-players are frankly embarrassing. Why would anyone have a go at Ashton for leaving us when we got relegated from the Premiership. He was clearly one of our top players who deserved another go in the Prem, we weren''t doing much in the Championship to help that cause. Very unfortunate circumstances led to his retirement, and he must have enjoyed his time here as he now lives in Norfolk!

[Wings of a Sparrow 1,409]

Sure as night follows day the Dean "Cashton" thread makes its annual appearance.

[Rivvo 257]

Ashton feigned injury did he Zema, I seem to remember Worthy offering to show us the scans, mind you your team still are struggling in the Championship aren''t they?

[Juggy 0]

Funny how people remember history in different ways.

Ashton arrived in January 2005, almost kept us up, and then pledged his allegience to Norwich in the summer and said that he''d help us back up.

Despite losing numerous first teamers who jumped the sinking ship at the earliest opportunity (e.g. Damien Francis), Ashton and Huckerby both believed that we had enough at the club to come back up at first attempt (read Ashton interview by Hucks).

When it became apparent that we didn''t have enough both Ashton and the club agreed that it would be mutually beneficial if he went to West Ham, where he could get Premier League football and the club could make a significant amount of profit to help out with our operating costs.

Norwich bought Earnshaw, who did a perfectly good job in scoring goals, and Ashton justified his transfer fee at West Ham.

All of this bitterness seems to have developed at a later date, it us unjustified and in some cases completely false.

As for not coming to Carrow Road, Ashton has been very public about the fact that he was mentally scarred by football and couldn''t face going or watching it on TV for some time. He''d just had his career ended, why would he want to turn up at Carrow Road to watch players that he''d played against or alongside still doing what he used to love?

Ashton was not at Norwich long enough to be considered a ''legend'', but he was here long enough for us all to know that he had that something special and he should be at least fondly remembered. It is perfectly possible that if Ashton was still playing he''d be a Norwich striker now.

If a 29 year old Ashton with 20 England caps was currently at West Ham then you would all be creating threads saying how we should spend £12m on him as Holt replacement and the new Norwich number 9.... have no doubt about that.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,735]

Ashton wasn''t even here for a whole calender year, so spare me the "legend" talk?!?. He could have at least given us a whole season after we got relegated instead of jumping ship at the first opportunity?, I''ll always respect someone like Robert Green more for at least doing that.

all that aside though, if we''re honest, we signed him unfit, he was never totally fit or without carrying some sort of injury for the whole time he was here....and we sold him injured (Worthington has the scans to prove it). At West Ham he was  probably only totally injury free for a 3 or 4 month spell. If the Wight-Phillips thing didnt happen with England ,something similar would have only happened a little further down the line anyway.....this was sadly for him an accident waiting to happen.

[Juggy 0]

"He could have at least given us a whole season after we got relegated instead of jumping ship at the first opportunity?, I''ll always respect someone like Robert Green more for at least doing that."

The same Robert Green who stuck his fingers up at the Riverend in his final game and was then mysteriously ''injured'' and never seen in a Norwich shirt again?

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="TheNewBoy"]"He could have at least given us a whole season after we got relegated instead of jumping ship at the first opportunity?, I''ll always respect someone like Robert Green more for at least doing that."

The same Robert Green who stuck his fingers up at the Riverend in his final game and was then mysteriously ''injured'' and never seen in a Norwich shirt again?[/quote]thats Bull Sh*t...he got injured in the Pre Match warm up away at Sheffield Wednesday.his last game at Carrow Road before that was a 2-1 win over Leicester.. he must have run a long way at the final whistle to stick 2 fingers up at the river end when my highlights DVD shows us defending the Barclay 2nd half...Jackanory?