[Archived] Could have Simon Garner made it in the Premier league of the 80's

[Ben-2000]

Bit too young to remember him fully although I'm sure he scored at one of my first Rovers games Vs Plymouth at home then did a little jump celebration.

Was that the 5-2 game in 1992?

That was my first ever Rovers game

[Mattyblue]

The City hat-trick from 2:03 sums him up.

[Tom]

Was that the 5-2 game in 1992?

That was my first ever Rovers game

Thats the one I was thinking of but my memory is hazy, that can't have been my first game as I remember an away game at Tranmere before then.

[Ozz]

Garner could probably done a job at a mid table top flight team in his best form. Certainly better than some that made a living in that time in the 1st Division, such as Cascarino, Galvin, Varadi, Kerry Dixon, Chapman, Fashanu, Durie, etc

Was up for a transfer under Kendall but saw him off and reaped the benefits.

I have Simons autobiography, with the inside sleeve signed by the great man. His goals and Bill Foxs steady hand kept us alive back in the dark ages,

LEGEND.

[USABlue]

Refreshing change, a thread of the "good old days" Albeit division(s) lower than now. Nice change of pace from the Venkys and Kean crap. I think he was deffo good enough. A goal scorer full stop. He'd have done it at the highest level too.

[den]

We have to remember that in all the time he was at Ewood, not one of the first division clubs came for him - and that includes the time he was on the transfer list. At that time, it wouldn't have taken a kings ransom for rovers to let him go either. SG was a brilliant finisher in the lower leagues, but possibly didn't have the all round game needed to perform at a higher level.

and that's not taking anything away from him. He certainly is a rovers legend.

[McClarky]

he would have donw well. In those days there was less of a gap between the top teams and the rest and there was less financial incentive to move so you could hang onto players more easily. Once they were under contract they were tied in anyway. Garner was lightning over 5 yards, had a great shot on him, had great instincts for goals and could link up well as well. He played with some right donkeys during his Rovers career (Bell, Stonehouse, Thompson to name a few) and usually made them look better than they were by his support play. Remember people like Mick Quinn making it big in Div 1 in those days and Garner was at least as good as him.

There were others around in those days who didn't get a proper chance as well like Kieth Edwards, Tommy Tynam and Steve Bull.

Someone said earlier than Garns was a lower division player, what tosh! he only played 1 season, as a youngster, in Div 3 and his whole career apart from that was in Div 2 where he regularly come up against teams like City, Chelsea and Leeds and scored against them.

he was the best.

[den]

Someone said earlier than Garns was a lower division player, what tosh! he only played 1 season, as a youngster, in Div 3 and his whole career apart from that was in Div 2 where he regularly come up against teams like City, Chelsea and Leeds and scored against them.

Division 2 is a lower league. I know it's battling against the tide here, but he was rovers all time record goalscorer, but no first division club came in for him - as far as I'm aware. They must have seen something that suggested to them that he wouldn't cope with the top league. That was probably that Garner was basically a penalty box player. I'm not slating him by any means, or taking away his great achievements, I'm just putting a different viewpoint forward.

[broadsword]

is this what he's up to now?

http://www.simongarner.co.uk/index.html

[bob fleming]

An old Q&A from BRFCS with him.

[King Kenny's Magic]

I can only remember the back end of Garners career. He was a great poacher,good turn of speed and could turn on a six pence. From a personal point of view i have only good memories. I went to Newcastle away in 1991 i think. We got beat 1-0. Me and my family ended up in the players lounge. We met several players from both sides(including Mirandinah) we finally saw Garner and suprise suprise he was up at the bar,fag in one hand,pint in the other,brilliant! I used to play in the same football team as his son John so he used to come and watch us quite frequently too. Happy days!

[broadsword]

An old Q&A from BRFCS with him.

JIM'S QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:

Oh my word, hysterical!

[chris]

Christ Jim's questioned, not shy is he:

Jim: Do you think you would have been a better footballer if you had not smoked like a chimney and drunk like a navvy?

Garner: No. And while I've always enjoyed a drink, your description is over the top.

[Mattyblue]

Division 2 is a lower league. I know it's battling against the tide here, but he was rovers all time record goalscorer, but no first division club came in for him - as far as I'm aware. They must have seen something that suggested to them that he wouldn't cope with the top league. That was probably that Garner was basically a penalty box player. I'm not slating him by any means, or taking away his great achievements, I'm just putting a different viewpoint forward.

Differnet days though den,. the gap between the First and Second division wasn't massive. Christ, Steve Bull played for England from the Third Division!

Micky Quinn et al were of a better vinatge than Garns? I don't think so.

[den]

Differnet days though den,. the gap between the First and Second division wasn't massive. Christ, Steve Bull played for England from the Third Division!

Micky Quinn et al were of a better vinatge than Garns? I don't think so.

So if the gap wasn't as big, there's more reason for first division clubs to have come in for him. He should have been able to make that step up easier in his days, than he would today.

Let's not forget, Garner was around a long time at Rovers and scored goals all his career, yet not one single first division club came in for him. They must all have taken a look at him, but no-one moved.

Don't get me wrong, watching SG was brilliant, I'm taking nothing away from what he achieved at Ewood. There was a reason why no bids were forthcoming though. Like I said earlier, rovers put him on the transfer list at one stage, but still there were no bids. For me, he didn't have the all round game and that's the only reason I can see for him never being wanted in the top league.

Just a debating point.

[onlyonejackwalker]

Garner could have played in the bottom half of the PL all day long and if the current strikers we have keep getting picked at this level then he would have been nailed on to get a game for us.

At the end of the day he was a very good natural goalscorer and would have scored even more goals in a better team with better service and as pointed out by others he did not look out of place when up against recognised defenders and goalkeepers.

You don't score the amount of gaols he scored for us without having something about you. He scored a variety of goals with both feet and a fair few at the back post with his head and was one of my favourite all time Rovers players due to his achievements, record and loyalty.

We had a few good lads back then were Rovers through and through and we could do with similar players at the club at this time. Players that would give their all, week in, week out. Gennoe, Fazackerly, Garner, Keeley, Scotty Sellers, etc.

We may not have been brilliant back then, but as a fan I was very supportive, proud and happy to be associated with the club and would defend them against all comers. I have never felt so distant form the club as I do at this time under the chicken pluckers and their ridiculous manager.

But thankfully, nothing lasts forever (apart from fan support) and one day they will all be long gone.

[onlyonejackwalker]

Division 2 is a lower league. I know it's battling against the tide here, but he was rovers all time record goalscorer, but no first division club came in for him - as far as I'm aware. They must have seen something that suggested to them that he wouldn't cope with the top league. That was probably that Garner was basically a penalty box player. I'm not slating him by any means, or taking away his great achievements, I'm just putting a different viewpoint forward.

They may have been concerned over his fitness and lifestyle although clubs in general were not as aware back then regarding such issues.

There are many players however that could have played at a higher standard but for whatever reason it did not happen for them. Timing, injuries, just plain luck of the draw. There are many others who have played at that standard for a short period only and been quickly found out.

I think the clue in in the term 'all time record goalscorer', many of the goals coming when we played at the top end of the old Division Two qualifying for the play-offs. Very, very good goalscorer our Simon.

Genuine club legend, although the word is banded around and overused, it definately applies to him in a Rovers context.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

LEGEND.

That is one Iconic picture for me Ozz....can someone please produce this on a T-Shirt?

[Ozz]

For me, he didn't have the all round game and that's the only reason I can see for him never being wanted in the top league.

Bloody Hell Den you are hard to please! He was a superb goal poacher, he could create goals on his own from nothing, he could be great wide left-hell he even went in goal for us and kept a clean sheet!

IMO, I think Simon was good enough to have played in the top flight at his peak. I grant you he was no Bryan Robson, but as a goal scorer he is second to Shearer (Alan) as the most natural goalscorer I've ever seen play for Rovers.

For the benefit of younger readers, if I was to liken him to a modern Premier League player, I think the nearest would have been maybe Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

[glen9mullan]

Garner was top notch, and did not become our record goal scorer by mistake, He is arguably one of the best strikers in England to have not been given that opportunity at a higher level, but their loss was our gain.

Steve Bull was capped for England whilst at Wolves, but Bull was not as good as our Simon Garner,

Simon was my hero as young boy, and I remember him coming to our school to help with the after school footie practice with a few other Rovers players.

Those where the days, something the modern game has killed

[Brownie]

I always thought of Garner as a fixture as opposed to a superstar, and I remember his home debut when he came on as sub and hit the bar. I actually preferred other strikers he played alongside particularly Chris Thompson and Andy Kennedy.

I would say Garner is rightly bestowed his almost God-like status at Ewood but I honestly doubt he was a top flight striker week in week out.

[philipl]

If you don't count Hoilett as a striker, I'd pick Garner over any of the forwards we currently have at the club.

Complete no brainer that one.

[m1st]

We have to remember that in all the time he was at Ewood, not one of the first division clubs came for him - and that includes the time he was on the transfer list. At that time, it wouldn't have taken a kings ransom for rovers to let him go either. SG was a brilliant finisher in the lower leagues, but possibly didn't have the all round game needed to perform at a higher level.

and that's not taking anything away from him. He certainly is a rovers legend.

You've certainly set the cat among the pigeons with this one, den!

Simon was certainly in good company as a Divison 2 forward who was never signed by a Division 1 team.

In the "research" [for want of a better word ] I'm doing in preparing the Sunderland preview, I discovered what I may have known at the time but had forgotten. Sunderland and Middlesbrough were both in Division 2 when Brian Clough moved to Roker Park and, of the 274 games he played in his League career for those two clubs, only the last 3 at most [neither the Sunderland FC website nor Wiki goes into that much detail], when he tried to come back from a cruciate ligament injury, were played in Divison 1.

[forumquizmaster]

Garner was top notch, and did not become our record goal scorer by mistake, He is arguably one of the best strikers in England to have not been given that opportunity at a higher level, but their loss was our gain.

Steve Bull was capped for England whilst at Wolves, but Bull was not as good as our Simon Garner,

Simon was my hero as young boy, and I remember him coming to our school to help with the after school footie practice with a few other Rovers players.

Those where the days, something the modern game has killed

I agree with you 100% about Garns mate, he epitomised 80s Rovers, but I think you might be being a tad harsh on Bully there. Wolves fans rightly regard him in the same esteem as we do Garner., He was a slightly different type of player to Garns and much better in one-against-one situations. He was instrumental in saving that club having signed for them just at the point where they were in the old 4th Division and Chorley had just spanked them 3-0 in the FA Cup. Credit where credit is due.

You've certainly set the cat among the pigeons with this one, den!

Simon was certainly in good company as a Divison 2 forward who was never signed by a Division 1 team.

In the "research" [for want of a better word ] I'm doing in preparing the Sunderland preview, I discovered what I may have known at the time but had forgotten. Sunderland and Middlesbrough were both in Division 2 when Brian Clough moved to Roker Park and, of the 274 games he played in his League career for those two clubs, only the last 3 at most [neither the Sunderland FC website nor Wiki goes into that much detail], when he tried to come back from a cruciate ligament injury, were played in Divison 1.

Excellent piece of research - I wouldn't have known this, particularly with the self promotion that Cloughie was fond of. Just shows that natural goalscorers can thrive at any level.

[den]

Bloody Hell Den you are hard to please!

Nothing wrong with that Ozz.