Three Jackson-era players that were vastly under rated & three that were incredibly over rated

October 2, 2018 Gary 2000-2009, From the archives, Galleries, Lincoln City, Opinion 3

Over Rated – Stefan Oakes

Courtesy Graham Burrell

Oakes’ inclusion was a foregone conclusion really. When he joined I got incredibly excited, he had a cultured left foot and a range of passes and shots which were sure to be an asset. I’d marvelled over him at Wycombe and having had a soft-spot for Luton as a youngster, I knew all about his big brother Scott. They were a talented footballing family and Jacko talking up the midfielder only increased the hype.

We never saw the best of Oakes, more often than not he was injured and when he did play he drifted out of games quicker than the ball drifted out of play. He showed his left foot to be capable, he hit a few good corners and free kicks, but he never lived u to the hype.

It is telling that after playing for City he went to Tamworth, Oadby Town and had a spell in America. The spark had gone long before he pulled on the red and white, whether that was because of injury or just age, we’ll never know.

3 Comments

  2. I agree with you on all these, except on Patulea. Yes, he missed as many chances as he scored, but he still managed to be our top scorer with 11 goals in his 31 league appearances (14 of which he was only a sub). The best strikers usually miss as many as they score, but at least they get into the right place to do so. Interestingly, we took 47 points from the 31 games he played, and only 12 from the 15 games he didn’t play.

  3. Hmm

    Players I’d forgotten, some remembered with a shudder, but take issue with some of the ratings. Aaron Brown? Meh, average at best. Agree Rob Burch was a good keeper, let down by a deteriorating defence under Sutton. Paul Green (Schoey signing) was a good and versatile player blighted by injury.

    Kovacs I liked, no McAuley but he ‘laid it on the line’ as they say.

    Patulea ‘missed as many as he scored’ but that was John Ward’s modus operandi, the point is they both had the instinctive awareness to get in position to miss, dust themselves down and bury the next one, two very similar players. Patulea’s problem wasn’t lack of talent, it was prima donna tendencies.

    Jacko was ‘a good manager’ when Neil McDonald was his assistant. When McDonald left, it all went Pete Tong. Doesn’t take much to suss out why.

    No ‘Turbo’ Robinson, he of the open goal miss at Stockport??

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