(Marty Says) Ashton is 30 Years Behind The Times

Dean Ashton seems to me like a player who would have been better off playing in the sixties or seventies, times when a fag at half time and a pint or three was the norm after match. I'm not suggesting that Deano is a chain smoking alcoholic, but that he is suited to a time when sportsmen were not such athletic specimens.

Players these days are very highly tuned and not every body is capable of maintaining these levels of fitness without constantly breaking down. In the old days a cartilage operation could signal the end of a career, but at the same time it was commonplace for players to play every match in a season, whereas now it is a feat worthy of mention in end of season dispatches.

Less highly tuned bodies, although not capable of the athletic feats of today's players, were more capable of dealing with the week in, week out physical demands. Let's not forget that in those days football was also a contact sport.

The thing that strikes me about Deano's physical state is how "tight" he is. There is very little flexibility for a young man and although he is obviously technically gifted, he can't run and he can't jump. He has missed three seasons now and I doubt that he will ever make a sustained impression for us, so if we were offered anything over ten million I would take it.

Do you agree? £10 million a good price for Beano or not?