Harty's Column-Leon Knight

[Vatican Citys No.2 Keeper]

Been away for few days so is possibly fixtures, but Harty's column in the Worthing Herald was mostly dedicated to leon this week.

BACK in 2001, a young Chelsea footballer seemed to have the world at his feet.

Leon Knight, 19, was in the England Under-20 squad, and despite limited first-team opportunities at the big-spending Blues, a promising career away from Stamford Bridge beckoned.

Fast forward almost a decade and this summer, 27-year-old Knight found himself without a football club after being shown the door at Queen of the South.

His time at the Albion, August, 2003, to the beginning of 2006, was brief but eventful and certainly entertaining.

But, in my opinion, Knight will surely go down as one of the biggest ever under-achievers to pull on a blue and white shirt.

A clearly potentially gifted footballer on the pitch, Knight off the pitch was almost the opposite.

A man who could start a fight in an empty room. He was divisive and disruptive, and, arguably, his very public spat with then Albion boss, Mark McGhee, which involved him being thrown off the team bus in the middle of the New Forest on the way to a New Year fixture at Southampton, could possibly be viewed as the beginning of a slippery slope for McGhee, which resulted in relegation and ultimately the sack in September, 2006.

At the time, Dick Knight said he sacked McGhee because he'd lost the dressing room. I wonder if the Leon Knight row, in the midst of a relegation battle, ultimately lost, was the catalyst for the manager's ongoing issues.

Having said that, some of Knight's off-the-field antics were actually quite amusing. Legend has it that one night at the Withdean, two young ladies arrived at the ticket office both claiming to be his girlfriend, and found themselves face to face, with neither left a ticket for the match by Knight.

On discussion, it was discovered by both young ladies that Knight had been allegedly stringing them both along, but it appeared that revenge was just around the corner. As Knight turned out for the Albion, the girls made their way back to his flat, armed with a key, and some scissors, and proceeded to cut up some of Leon's prized suits.

A couple of weeks later, he came on the phone-in sporting a very dashing jacket. At the end of the interview, we went to an immediate trailer and in the breaker off mic, I thanked him for coming on and admired his jacket and asked him the question "Is it new?"

The look he gave back was one of that he knew what I knew, if you get my drift.

An amusing interlude to a frustrating time for all concerned.

At 27, Knight finds himself on the footballing scrapheap, a figure of fun on North Stand Chat, and although that probably doesn't sit any ice with him, I wonder what does go through his head.

There are millions of young lads up and down the country who would have given anything to have his opportunities, but he's had the chance and, through his own stupidity, blown it.

Whether he's still got something left in the tank, if anyone is prepared to take the chance, remains to be seen

HARTY: On former Albion striker Leon Knight - Worthing Today

 

[The Terminator]

i will never forget that pen at cardiff made my year

 

[Ernest]

As ever Harty is spot on

 

[vegster]

 

[Helter]

Ian hart is a bellend.

 

[BensGrandad]

Ian hart is a bellend.

On what have you based your view.

 

[Helter]

On what have you based your view.

Worse commentary ever for bbc southern radio and just waffles on and on and on. Get the Worthing herald every week and always rip his page out to wipe my arse with.

 

[BensGrandad]

I dont recall him ever doing a commentary for SCR. Like him or not the phone has never been as good since he left. I would think that his page in the Worthing Herald is one of the better pages of that awful paper.

 

[e77]

How did a coach going between Brighton and Southampton end up in the New Forest?

 

[BensGrandad]

How did a coach going between Brighton and Southampton end up in the New Forest?

I think that it was possibly a misprint possibly going to Bournemouth.

 

[e77]

I think that it was possibly a misprint possibly going to Bournemouth.

Would make sense. From memory I seem to recall the falling out happening at the Bournemouth away game.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

Worse commentary ever for bbc southern radio and just waffles on and on and on. Get the Worthing herald every week and always rip his page out to wipe my arse with.

Now THAT is ecology in action.

Hows the career going Hawsey?

 

[Helter]

And the Argus reject ( Ian Hart ) has to scroll NSC looking for a story. How sad that you need to scroll internet forums to find a story for the Worthing rag tag Herald.

And I bet most of it was copied and paste

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

And the Argus reject ( Ian Hart ) has to scroll NSC looking for a story. How sad that you need to scroll internet forums to find a story for the Worthing rag tag Herald.

And I bet most of it was copied and paste

Its a good job Harty is still in print somewhere though eh? otherwise you would have a very dirty arse.

 

[User Removed]

Would make sense. From memory I seem to recall the falling out happening at the Bournemouth away game.

No it was definitely Southampton away, New Years Day I believe.

I think the New Forest reference just makes it more dramatic!

 

[Pat McCrotch]

Hart does make me yawn

 

[Billy Mays]

Might not be everyone's cup of tea but back in the dark days of our history he did an awful lot to ensure that we still have a club to follow. I don't know him well but have always found him to be a decent bloke.

 

[dazzalewis1968]

And the Argus reject ( Ian Hart ) has to scroll NSC looking for a story. How sad that you need to scroll internet forums to find a story for the Worthing rag tag Herald.

And I bet most of it was copied and paste [/QUOTE

There will be a Leon story this week in the Argus but at least Andy Naylor
sat down with Leon for a chat last week at withdean.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

How did a coach going between Brighton and Southampton end up in the New Forest?

It going from the team hotel in the New Forest.

 

[portlock seagull]

Both Harty's are club legends