Poor Dean Ashton

[decaff 10]

Genuinutely gutted for Dean Ashton...Not a world class striker by any means but he worked hard and was a solid player who always seemed to give it his best.

It's such a shame that he's has to retire as he still had a good few years still to go in his career and i could see him moving onto bigger things in the prem and also internationally aswell. Hopefully he'll carry on in football as a coach or something.

I wish him all the best anyway!

[CockneyMafia 10]

Genuinutely gutted for Dean Ashton...Not a world class striker by any means but he worked hard and was a solid player who always seemed to give it his best.

It's such a shame that he's has to retire as he still had a good few years still to go in his career and i could see him moving onto bigger things in the prem and also internationally aswell. Hopefully he'll carry on in football as a coach or something.

I wish him all the best anyway!

 

Purely from a football point of view I feel sorry for him. As someone who plays three times a week I would be distraught if I were told I could/should never play again.

 

From a financial perspective the boy will be fine. At least this didn't happen fifty years ago or the lad would be forced to fall back on a trade, or, worse still, the benevolence of the welfare system.

[The Manager 12]

yep its a sad day for any football player at top or bottom level when your told you cant play the game you love anymore

 

Wish him all the best

[Joe Momma 10]

He had it all and could've gone all the way IMO - next year's World Cup? Anything ...

I'm absolutely gutted and we sang his name all match at Brum today .... and boy how we could've done with him

 

Up The Hammers

[Antics^^ 10]

I feel sorry for him, but he's set for life money wise. He had a good football brain so maybe a career in coaching awaits?

[Joe Momma 10]

Money isn't everything though.

He's 26 and has hardly played for 3 years so, effectively, 23 years old and a FA Cup runners-up medal and 1 England cap to show whilst one of Crouch, Heskey, Darren Bent or Carlton Cole will be off to the WC (with Rooney/Defoe/Owen ?) and they're just not in the same class, I'm afraid.

[happyhippy 11]

Very sad; very good player. Have to agree with you Joe. I'd have wished he could have been in an Ireland shirt.

[Longcol 597]

I remember him as a 17 year old for Crewe getting two cracking goals against Rotherham in a Cup match. Best player I've seen in the flesh at that age except for Trevor Francis.

 

Without his injuries he'd just be coming into his prime as a top class striker.

[dw82 10]

Whilst it's sad that he has had to retire, I don't get this twist that people are putting on it that it's a shame because he would have been in the World Cup squad?

 

He's only ever once played for England, the World Cup is 6 months away and there is only one more international friendly planned. Ashton's played about 30 Premier League games in the last 3 seasons, and hasn't played at all for over a year; even if he'd got fit and playing again, how on earth would he have made it!?

[JFKvsNixon 11]

Whilst it's sad that he has had to retire, I don't get this twist that people are putting on it that it's a shame because he would have been in the World Cup squad?

 

He's only ever once played for England, the World Cup is 6 months away and there is only one more international friendly planned. Ashton's played about 30 Premier League games in the last 3 seasons, and hasn't played at all for over a year; even if he'd got fit and playing again, how on earth would he have made it!?

 

I think the point that they are making is that if it wasn't for his injury he would have been playing for the last three years, and as such he would have been challenging for a place in the squad.

[dw82 10]

No I'm talking about people in the media especially (including Tony Cottee I recall) specifically saying things like "it's a real shame for England as he would have almost certainly been in the squad."

[Joe Momma 10]

And so he would .... or are you more qualified than Capello?

 

BTW learn yer facts before spouting yer drivel - he DID play for England (once) and the original ankle-break that started it all happened whilst training for England after his 1st call-up:-

 

International career

 

"Ashton progressed through the England youth set up, racking up an impressive goal-to-game ratio. In August 2006, Ashton was first called up to the England senior squad for their friendly against Greece, part of new manager Steve McClaren's first team. However, just a day before the match, the striker suffered a heavy tackle from Shaun Wright-Phillips which resulted in a broken ankle in training and missed out on a chance to make his England debut against the Greeks. He then later was ruled out for more than a year and missed the whole of the West Ham season. He was recalled to the England squad and was fit to face Estonia. However, a few days later, it was announced that he had been ruled out of action for up to six weeks with a sprained medial knee ligament, forcing him to once again miss out on making his international debut for a second time. In May 2008, Ashton was named in McClaren's successor, Fabio Capello's, squad for the USA and Trinidad and Tobago friendlies.

He finally made his debut, more than two years after his first call up, in the game against Trinidad & Tobago on 1 June 2008."