In a season that has lurched from desperate to comical, despair to hope, the agony of watching Barnes’-fueled relegation fodder to Parry’s gnarly battlers, the one thing we can all agree on is that the Tranmere squad as of mid January 2010 is desperately short of quality up front.
Thomas-Moore, Curran and Gornell have worked hard as Parry’s preferred front 3 but even the Physio-turned-Savior has readily admitted what he wants most as a belated transfer window Christmas present. “We are looking for someone with some pace but with some height and size – and maybe someone who has a bit of a record in scoring goals.”
The irony in this is until last week, Tranmere had a player on their books who in theory ticked all the above boxes. Hell, he’d even turned out for England.
Step forward, or more appropriately perhaps, amble forward, the enigma that is Michael Ricketts.
A man blessed with the physical requirements every side dreams of in a target man. A man who, despite his size, possesses the touch of class and close control that exposes his premier league pedigree.
And yet….
Michael Ricketts could not get a game under Les Parry. Moreover, Michael Ricketts has struggled to hold down a first team place at a club since the nadir of his career, at our old enemy Bolton back in 2003.
A quick glance at his career stats provides intriguing reading. 14 goals in 31 starts at Walsall earned him a move to Bolton, where then boss and former Aldridge nemesis Sam ‘carp features’ Allardyce coaxed some excellent performances out of the big man. So much so that he earned a call up and 45 minute cameo under Sven, albeit in a friendly.
This would prove to be the highlight of big Mike’s career- a subsequent move to Boro for 3.5m resulted in a meagre return of 3 goals in 22 appearances. He dropped down a level to Leeds where he failed to hit the net in 25 league appearances, and then, on loan to Cardiff, smashed in 5 in a dozen appearances and seemed to have regained some of his vigour.
Spells at Burnley, Southend, Preston and Oldham followed, as Ricketts successfully earned the dubious title of journeyman. By the time he turned up at Walsall again, he was somewhat of a spent force- but then managed to hit 9 goals in 25 starts, his first regular run of games in some 6 years.
And yet…
He was again released. When John Barnes turned to him in a desperate attempt to fix the gaping void he’d failed to fill in the summer, it was clear there was little left in the tank, and to say he’d let himself go in terms of his physique would be being extremely kind.
His debut from the bench at Elland Road resulted in derisory jeers from the Leeds fans who remembered his spell at their club. In the few games he started at Prenton Park he showed brief glimpses of his ability, but all to often he was so far behind play he’d only just made it into the box by the time the ball was cleared.
Even Les failed to get him match fit, despite the rest of the squad improving in fitness massively in the last few months, and it was with great relief to most Rovers fans when it was announced he’d left last week by mutual consent- freeing up some wages for a much needed replacement.
His one goal for Rovers (I refuse to acknowledge the Hudds’ goal which was patently not his) was scored away at Exeter in a 2-1 defeat- a decent back post header. But this single goal would be all Rovers’ fans would really have to remember him by.
So what was wrong with Michael? What I saw of him suggests his heart just wasn’t in it. He was so unfit he could hardly run after 10 minutes. I recall one fan shouting at him “move your arse Ricketts!” to which he simply replied “I don’t have to”.
Maybe this is where the problem lies. Mike doesn’t have to play football. Maybe he has lost the love of the game; maybe he is financially comfortable and happy to ply his trade at any club willing to hire him on past glories.
Whatever the reason, it’s a sad waste of a talent. Perhaps Kevin Blackwell, his former boss at Leeds, sums it up best. “I think Michael needs to ask himself if he loves football enough.”
From what I’ve seen, that’s a very astute observation.
