Don't understand the jibes at Pearson and Gentle about trying to buy a winning team and not concentrating on our youth. Pearson is always banging on about how our youth development has been very poor in recent years and how he's put a lot of money into that with new facilities location for game days. Gentle has also given more games to more U20 players in their specialised positions this season then Agar did in 4 years. Liam Kent, Josh Bowden, Ben Crooks, Danny Nicklas, James Cunningham, Reece Lyne and Chris Green have all played this season, with the first 3 playing a good amount of games for their debut seasons.

What about the Hornes? They certainly looked the business in the early noughties. Didnt' Paul Cooke play half back for FC?

Which bit of "international class" were you struggling with?

IIRC Paul Cooke never represented his country at open-age and the only times Richard Horne did, he played on the wing.

IIRC he played for England just before the GB split.
I think it was for a 4 nations tournament they were trailing.

Cooke played for England in the Federation Shield in 2006. It was an England/GB reserve squad, in effect.

The tournament was held in England and France whilst Great Britain played in the Four Nations down under.

Thanks I knew it was a reserve England/GB squad (I wasn't being a pedant honestly Coddy as I thought you classed any level as playing for your country.)
I have this mental image of Cooke lining up a kick whilst in an England shirt.
It was in the HDM IIRC.

Interesting read: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18940236 [iA Fijian man who served in the British Army for 13 years is fighting to stay in the UK after being told he must leave the country by 9 August. Isimeli Baleiwai served in Afghanistan and Iraq, before leaving the Army in June. He is married to a UK national. But disciplinary action for a 2010 fight with a colleague means he is considered to have a criminal record. But on 28 June 2012, L/Cpl Baleiwai heard that he had been refused citizenship and would also be refused Indefinite Leave to Remain because he had what the UK Border Agency (UKBA) classed as a criminal conviction so was not of "good character".[/i

Interesting read: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18940236 [iA Fijian man who served in the British Army for 13 years is fighting to stay in the UK after being told he must leave the country by 9 August. Isimeli Baleiwai served in Afghanistan and Iraq, before leaving the Army in June. He is married to a UK national. But disciplinary action for a 2010 fight with a colleague means he is considered to have a criminal record. But on 28 June 2012, L/Cpl Baleiwai heard that he had been refused citizenship and would also be refused Indefinite Leave to Remain because he had what the UK Border Agency (UKBA) classed as a criminal conviction so was not of "good character".[/i

Horne played at 7 for GB in the 2005 Tri national. He was a million miles of being effective though.