Tony James

 

The first ever Deranged Ferret carried a caption on its front cover asking if ‘Lionel’ was the ‘Greatest Imp’. Back then a young Tony James bore a striking resemblance to Lionel Ritchie and he had exploded onto the scene after joining from Gainsborough Trinity.

James was a centre back, but he made just 29 appearances for the Imps. Why? He stood out a mile. He wasn’t the typical Fourth Division defender, all blood and thunder. We’d seen plenty of those go on to greater things, Thommo and Trevor Peake fine examples, but James was different. He could play the ball and had a certain quality which was hard to ignore.

He would often drop in a feign or trick to deceive a centre forward before laying a ball back to his keeper, but at 6ft 2in he was aerially dominant as well. He suffered an injury during his first season but, after 25 matches, was voted the club’s Player of the Season.

Inevitably, he made a move further up the divisions with Leicester City where he also won their Player of the Season before injury curtailed his career.

Why would he be a fit in today’s side? He could carry the ball and play it out like Sean Raggett, but he had that aerial presence too. In his early days, he had played in midfield as well and we know Danny likes a bit of versatility to his side. With the big move proving his quality, he’d be a great asset to today’s squad.