Darren Huckerby ⭑ From A-Z since '92

This is part of my (eight year long, it'll fly by) attempt to write about every Leeds United player since 1992. For more about why I'm doing this, go back to Aapo Halme, and to read all the players so far, browse the archive here.

Darren Huckerby's football career was a long question about what an individual owes to their talent. From an early age, Huckerby had abilities that set him apart. He could dribble a ball, which is hard enough to teach, and he could run so fast while doing it that few defenders could catch him. That particular, hard to find skill meant coaches wanted him to play football for their team. But those same coaches also didn't think that skill on its own was enough.

That meant Huckerby was tremendously valuable, as a player who was almost unique. If a manager was looking for something a little bit different, they couldn't get much more different than Huckerby. But it made his life difficult, too, because he was always being asked to add more to his game, and because people were always yelling 'Run, Forrest!' at him. It wasn't enough to be able to do things other players could not. Life, for Darren Huckerby, was not like a box of chocolates. What you were getting from him was too obvious.

Some of the claims made on Huckerby's behalf, early in his career, were hype he could never live up to. In 1997, a 'computer survey' predicted Huckerby would 'one day break the world transfer record at more than double Alan Shearer's £15m'. In February 1998 his manager at Coventry City, Gordon Strachan, said his performance against Southampton was, "and I think this is the first time I've used this (phrase), a world-class performance by Darren Huckerby. It could have been Ronaldo out there — it really was phenomenal."

The Daily Mirror were echoing that theme, declaring that, 'Dion Dublin and Darren Huckerby provided living proof that England can still produce players of world class ability' in a game against Chelsea that had featured fourteen overseas players.

Huckerby had got to Coventry via Lincoln and Newcastle United, who bought him for £500,000 but couldn't find a use for him and sold him to Coventry for £1m. He was catapulted into stardom over Christmas 1997, when Manchester United visited Highfield Road and, after recovering from Noel Whelan's opener, were beaten 3-2 by Dion Dublin's penalty — won by Huckerby — and Huckerby's spectacular 88th minute solo goal. It was an extraordinary run, taking on three defenders, some more than once, with Noel Whelan coming closest to stopping him by leaping in a panic in and then out of his way.

"That was something special from Darren," said Strachan. "It seemed like there were three minutes on the clock when he set off on the run — and only one minute showing when the ball went into the net." It answered some of the critiques that were following Huckerby around. One of his managers from Lincoln, Keith Alexander, remembered he had, "Great pace but his finishing in training was diabolical." Sam Ellis, who gave him his debut, added, "Darren has worked very hard and I've noticed his touch on the ball has improved compared to his Lincoln days. But he should keep his feet on the ground. It's very easy to receive over-exposure, without having achieved an awful lot."