With a little bit of time to spare, courtesy of the school holidays and having no grandchildren to look after, I thought I’d resume the ‘Legends Series’.
Now those who have, and there are some, who have followed this series religiously, you may have been expecting, as I suggested in the last legends article, one on Tony Thorpe.
However, in a fit of pique, I’ve opted to take a look at Ross Barkley but, rest assured I will cover Tony Thorpe next.
For those of you who might be new to this aspect of our site, the links below will take you straight to the players I have already covered.
John Moore, David Preece, Mal Donaghy, Brian Lewis, Bruce Rioch, Fred Jardine, Brian Horton, Kevin Nicholls, Tony Read, Steve Foster, Mike Keen, Ian Buxton, Lars Elstrup, Peter Anderson, Graham French, Alan West, David Moss, Terry Branston, John Aston, Paul Futcher, John Ryan, Syd Owen, Marvin Johnson, Malcolm MacDonald, Bob Hatton, Steve Buckley,Chris Coyne, Ron Baynham, John Still, Jack Bannister, Ricky Hill, Chris Nicholl, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Don Givens, Gordon Turner, Brian Stein, Jesse Pye, Raddy Antic, Joe Payne, Max Dougan, Alan Slough, Ray Whittaker, Dave Pacey, Milija Aleksic, Ron Davies, Sandy Davie John O’Rourke, Les Sealey, Bob Morton, Wally Shanks, Gordon Riddick, Billy Bingham, Herbert Moody, Adrian Alston, Reg Pearce, Keith Allen, Jimmy Ryan, George Cummins, Rodney Fern, Harry Walden, Billy McDerment, Scott Oakes, Bert Mitchell, Kingsley Black, Mike Harrison, Matt Tees, Jimmy Husband John Collins, [Billy Waugh, Steve Howard, Robert Hawkes, Mark Pembridge, Bernard Streten and Sol Davies, Gordon Riddick](http:// So let’s take a look at Ross Barkley. Firstly, I expect that some criticism will be aimed at me for selecting Ross Barkley for this series, after all his Luton Town career existed of just 31 Premier League appearances, a small number compared to those who have yet to appear in this ongoing series, but, what an impact he made. After gaining promotion to the Premier League, courtesy of that memorable day at Wembley back in May 2023 and beating Coventry City in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, we all knew that Rob Edwards side would have to be strengthened. But when it was announced, on 9th August 2023 that Barkley, a midfielder with 33 England caps, had signed for the club, did anyone dream to imagine the impact the player would have? After all, picked up on a free transfer, Ross, after a great start to his professional career, had floundered as he went from club-to-club, never quite, until he joined Luton Town, hitting the heights of his days at Everton. Some questioned as to whether his previous injury record would see his appearances limited, a suspicion I also admit to harbouring. However after joining the Hatters Ross, it could be said, rediscovered his love for the game and soon became an automatic starter for the club. After settling in, the former international midfielder soon won over the hearts of the Hatters faithful who appreciated how he could control the game, how he could hold onto the ball, how he could ride tackles and how he could find that defence splitting ball that is so essential in top-flight football where goalscoring chances are rarer than in the lower leagues. His form was so impressive that there were thoughts he could re-establish himself as an England squad member, but, unfortunately, it didn’t happen and perhaps that might have been because he found himself on the injury treatment table late in the season. But, his scintillating displays continued to impress the Luton Town support with some claiming he was up there with the best that had played for the club, over the years. Indeed, in a poll I ran, it was only the legend that is Ricky Hill who beat him when it came to electing Luton’s best ever midfielder – your-5-best-ever-midfielders-revealed Sadly, with the Hatters relegated, back to the EFL Championship, and after his impressive displays for Luton Town, it was always going to be hard to keep a player of Ross’ ability on the books and on 01-July-2024, less than a year after signing on the dotted line for the Hatters, Ross joined a club he’d spent a loan spell at earlier in his career, Aston Villa, a club where he could play Premier League and Champions League football. During his time at Kenilworth Road, Ross made 31 Premier League appearances, scoring on 5 occasions and I’ve no doubt that, when asked, he’ll remember his time at the club with great fondness. Interesting Fact Not many people will be aware that, although he played for England, at many levels, he was also eligible to play for Nigeria, courtesy of having a Nigerian grandfather. He also chose to use his mother’s maiden name whe he could, quite legally, have chosen to use his father’s name of Effanga. Ross Barkley – Mini Fact File Full Name – Ross Barkley Date of Birth – 05-December-1993 Place of Birth – Liverpool, England Height – 6 feet 2 inches Position – Midfielder Youth Career – Everton Career – Everton, Sheffield Wednesday (loan), Leeds United (loan), Chelsea, Aston Villa (loan), Nice, Luton Town, Aston Villa International Honours – England U16, England U17, England U19, England U2O, England U21, England Next up, on my list of those to be covered is Tony Thorpe. If you have a name of a former player you would like to see covered please feel free to drop it into the comment facility beneath this article. Also, if you have any memories of Ross Barkley, on or off the pitch, please feel free to also share them in our comment facility. COYH Bristol City v Luton Town? Bristol City to Win! Bristol City to Win! Vote Luton Town to Win! Luton Town to Win! Vote A Draw! A Draw! Vote Previous article by Mad Hatter Luton Town And That White Elephant Fear Discussion