Just how good was Dean Ashton?

[Canaryboy]

At the time that he played for us, and his initial time at West Ham, it felt like he was easily good enough to have become an England regular and end up at a bigger club than West Ham. 

But just how good was he? Do we think he was Peter Crouch / Les Ferdinand good...

... or was he Teddy Sheringham good?

.... or Alan Shearer good? 

 

[morty]

He was Teddy Sherringham good and would have gone on to be Alan Shearer good I reckon!

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Personally I was conviced he was the new Alan Shearer. Ashton had everything except pace. He had physical presence, could use both feet, was a great finisher, had a powerful shot. I honestly think he was that good. Shaun Wright-Phillips of all people

 

[morty]

*Obvious post*

If only we had bought him at the beginning of the season.....

Saw him play at a legends game a year or two ago, after having his ankle fused. One of the saddest things I have ever seen, clearly still loves playing.

 

[Canaryboy]

Shaun Wright-Phillips never got in contact to apologise for the tackle or wish him good luck with recovery, and after Ashton's retirement never got in contact to wish him well. 

Has since been happy to sit and collect £65000 a week at QPR for not even making an effort to even imitate a footballer, for several years.

 

[Canaryboy]

My opinion, by the way, is that he would probably have been as good as the 29 to 32 year old Alan Shearer, who had become a superb target man and was still doing the business for England until he retired from international football. That is the Alan Shearer that most people remember, the target man. He retired at 34/35. 

But not as good as the 25, 26, 27 year old Alan Shearer (final three seasons with Blackburn, first with Newcastle) when he really did have everything, including electrifying pace, and was genuinely up there with the very best strikers in the world, 136 goals in 4 seasons during that period.

 

[splutcho]

Still the best player I've seen in a Norwich shirt. Would have led England's front line with Rooney. Just had "it".

 

[splutcho]

Just to add, a Dean Ashton, with no injury problems now, would cost you upwards of £30m

 

[Canaryboy]

Just to add, a Dean Ashton, with no injury problems now, would cost you upwards of £30m

Probably about right, and Alan Shearer when he made his move to Newcastle for £15m in 1996 would probably cost Gareth Bale type money. 

That does get me thinking about Andy Carroll though, he's a huge figure of fun because Liverpool paid £36m / half a Gareth Bale for him and he flopped, but if he didn't have his injury problems then jokes aside, he'd probably be Englands best striker, and Newcastle fans will probably end up saying similar things about him in the future (how good he could have been). 

 

[Dubai Mark]

Agree with all if this, he was exceptional and would have been right up there with the greats!

 

[GJP]

I would say he's a bit overrated, going by some of the comments here.

And I was a big fan of the guy.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

It makes you wonder how we were ever able to sign him really doesnt it. Half a season with us in the top division probably wasnt enough to make the big boys look at him, but had he stayed injury free West Ham probably would have struggled to keep him - could imagine Liverpool or Tottenham paying big money for him.

Id like to know how much he was scouted when still at Crewe by the big boys and did we steal a march, or did they simply think he wasnt ready and one we'll keep an eye on at Norwich?

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Probably about right, and Alan Shearer when he made his move to Newcastle for £15m in 1996 would probably cost Gareth Bale type money. 

That does get me thinking about Andy Carroll though, he's a huge figure of fun because Liverpool paid £36m / half a Gareth Bale for him and he flopped, but if he didn't have his injury problems then jokes aside, he'd probably be Englands best striker, and Newcastle fans will probably end up saying similar things about him in the future (how good he could have been). 

Im mildly dyslexic. I couldnt understand your post until Id read it three times and realised you'd written Gareth Bale and not Gareth Barry   :mellow:

 

[Suffolk Canary]

Am i the only one who thinks his resemblance to Ruddy is slightly scary?

 

[morty]

Am i the only one who thinks his resemblance to Ruddy is slightly scary?

I saw John Ruddy in Chapelfield once and thought it was Dean Ashton. Thank God I didn't actually go and chat to him!

 

[It's Character Forming]

I always think of us buying him from Crewe when people knock one of our signings on the basis that no-one else "bigger" has come in for them.  A great player, although I'm not quite sure about him being up there with Shearer but certainly could've been regular for England.

 

[Wiz]

I would argue that Grant Holt was a far bigger and better signing for us than Deano was.

 

[Indy_Bones]

That would only be because of circumstances though Wiz, rather than BGH being the better player.

If we'd signed Ashton at the start of the season, we'd have stayed up (IMHO), had a 20 goal a season striker on our books and would probably have been fending off the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd in the summer - that's how good he was (and I never every saw Holt linked with ANYONE that big)...

 

[Wiz]

That would only be because of circumstances though Wiz, rather than BGH being the better player.

If we'd signed Ashton at the start of the season, we'd have stayed up (IMHO), had a 20 goal a season striker on our books and would probably have been fending off the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd in the summer - that's how good he was (and I never every saw Holt linked with ANYONE that big)...

Very true Indy.

 

[Suffolk Canary]

(and I never every saw Holt linked with ANYONE that big)...

Wenger said after the our second season in the Prem (i think) that they had made an inquiry about him to see how much he'd cost, just in case they could get him on the cheap.  That was about as close as it got.  Sadly age was never on Holty's side by the time he had reached his peak