WHO said: "I've had offers to play in lower leagues, but that is definitely not for me. There is no way I could do what Ian Rush and Peter Beardsley have done by dropping through the ranks.

"They are two of football's greats and should be remembered for what they are, what they achieved, not as journeymen still part of the football circus.

"Rushie should have gone out at the top, scoring great goals for Liverpool.

"Beardo loves the game but I think people should remember how you were at the top . . . I'm going out at the top with West Ham."

Ian Wright, of course, back in August 1999 in The Sun and prior to Nottingham Forest, Celtic and now Burnley.

As someone else once said: "In football, never say never."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.