WATCH: 'Time to stand up and be counted', Spike urges Linfield players
He joins Alfie Stewart in first of Football Show's Legends' Specials
Last updated 25th Jan 2018
One of Linfield’s all-time greats has issued a rallying cry to the current players – in a bid to resurrect the club’s fading title bid.
Glenn ‘Spike’ Ferguson says it’s time for them to finally “stand up and be counted” and play for the shirt.
Spike, who netted 175 times in 320 appearances for the Blues during a trophy-laden 11-year career at Windsor, was speaking on our latest Cool FM Facebook Football Show, in association with NIFL.
He said boss David Healy was working hard to put things right but that his players needed to respond fully.
“You see his (Healy) interviews and he gets upset,” he said.
“He's honest, he tells it how it is, and the players need to stand up and be counted now, and that's the bottom line.
“They're playing for Linfield, the biggest club in the country, at Windsor Park/”
Linfield currently sit fifth in the table – 18 points behind Crusaders.
Spike says if anyone can put it right, it’s Healy.
“He'll be disappointed, obviously, with the results at the minute, but there's nobody who works as hard as David and his backroom staff to put things right,” he added.
“Who am I to put my finger on it and say what's going wrong at the minute. They have the players, players of quality, but things just don't seem to be going right at the minute. But I'm sure they'll be working hard throughout the week in training to put it right because David is a grafter.”
Also guesting on this week’s show – the first of our Legends series – is Alfie Stewart, best known for his 10-year career with Portadown during the club’s golden era in the 90s.
Stewart, who is now a coach with Loughgall’s under 20s, said he was troubled by what has happened with his old club.
He said: “It's very disappointing. I've been down to watch them quite a few times over the last few years, and when you consider the great days we had there, it's just really disappointing.
“The club should not be in the predicament it's in - but there's nobody to blame, only the club themselves. But hopefully, hopefully they'll get out of it.”
Recalling the glory days including a memorable league title, Stewart said the effect on the entire community was incredible.
“Just the impact of it… I cannot portray, or paint a picture that would be clear enough,” he said. “I realised that the villages of Richhill, Laurelvale, those sort of places outside of Portadown, the impact the league title had on these areas was huge.”