The Michael Wood Column

Friday 20 June, 2003

The time for Dean Windass is back

Back at the start of September, 2001 I said that The time for Dean Windass has passed. Jim Jeffeires had a City side thrashing the likes of Barnsley 4-0 and Benito Carbone was tearing into the first division. At the time, I said, Jefferies needed to reward the likes of Eoin Jess who had jumped onto the sinking ship, not the likes of Dean Windass who abandoned it.

The ship sunk of course regardless of the actions of Mr Jess who managed to show a truer and more clear definition of the desertion metaphor used above. Dean Windass won hearts in the Premiership if not the mind of Steve MacLaren who offered him to Sheffield United. Dean Windass didn't turn up for the play off final against Wolves but then again, neither did the rest of the Blades.

Windass is 34 now, he is getting old now but you do not lose the characteristics that made you the player Dean Widnass was. The chip from the half way like against Liverpool on the final day of the 1999-2000 Premiership season was not born of youth, but impudence. The only thing to stop Dean Windass carrying on doing that is his legs with will have slowed pushing him downwards from the Premiership level he played at.

We played there too but the idea that we should switch £8k a week Windass for £40k Carbone pushed us to the bottom. We are building this club back up. As the great Lester Bangs said "You meet them all on your way back to the middle."

Dean Windass is a good player for Bradford City right now. He will show the team of kids what a work ethic and the former brick layer who turned out for North Ferriby United on a weekend who became a Premiership footballer he shows the boundless opportunities that effort affords.

Should he sign he will stand at the front of the new faces photo that always graces the Telegraph and Argus in a sea of faces like Robert Wolleaston and Luke Cornwall and be instantly recognisable not only as the man who's two goals at Bury in 1999 did as much as any to give us promotion but as a reminder of the kind of Bradford City we want to be.

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