Jamie McCombe
There would be an obvious place for Jamie McCombe in this conversation, because he had the size we value without being an awkward footballer who offered little beyond his height. He was comfortable on the ball, a threat in both boxes and, to my mind, somebody you could put in the middle of a back three and trust to have a real influence. His subsequent spell with Bristol City also gives us something more substantial than guesswork about whether he could cope higher up the pyramid. We’re talking about the best version of Jamie, including the experience he gained after leaving us.
What appeals just as much is the environment he came from here, because Keith Alexander’s sides were built on togetherness and being greater than the sum of their parts. Everybody had a job, everybody contributed, and the collective made us difficult to play against, which should sound familiar to anyone watching City now. McCombe understood that approach and had the physical attributes to make it work.
Take the player who developed beyond his Lincoln spell, add that grounding in what Keith demanded, and I think we’d have somebody capable of making a significant contribution at this level.
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