thorne

I was thrilled when we signed Thorne after his loan spell. Next thing he is cropped and never played properly again. I wish him good luck at Oxford, he certainly needs it.

One of my very favourite players of recent times, maybe of all my years of watching Derby. In the last two or three years I have always entered the ground through turnstile 34 hoping that the player who wore that shirt would return. When he first played for us he had absolutely everything for a player at the base of the midfield - composure, class, range of passing, positioning. He also had leadership qualities and if he had been free of injuries who knows how far he could have gone in the game. Fans like to talk of players being “made of glass” but sometimes it’s just bad luck. The broken leg in particular was such a freak injury. I don’t know what his ceiling will be now, I just hope he can have a career and play regularly. It would be great if he gets the chance to play at Pride Park again. He would get a fantastic reception I’m sure. We are certainly much less gorgeous for his absence.

It is a huge pity that he was so injury prone. He was a terrific player when fit. I wish him all the best from now on and a good career with Oxford or any other team he may migrate to and then on to management.

I also remember when were in the transfer process, a couple of Wet Bum fans warned that he was made of glass (relatively speaking). And so it proved to be.

Thanks George for the playing example you set here at PP and good luck.

Thorne wore the number 22 shirt for Oxford on Saturday. He spent the whole match on the bench, a chap called Hanson came on in the 89th minute, and apparently didn't get injured by some freak accident.

Good luck George, who was loved by all the lady supporters and perhaps a few male ones.

In some freak accident would sound better than what I put.