John Burridge [1989 - 1991]
| Born | Workington | 3 / 12 / 1951 | |
| Arrived | Southampton | 9 / 1989 | £25,000 |
| Debut | Ipswich A | 7/10/89 | |
| Departed | Hibernians | 8 / 1991 | Free |
| App - Gls | 80 / 0 | 0 |
It is an oft quoted truism that goalkeepers are a couple of studs short of a football boot; in John Burridge's case the whole lot are missing. "Budgie" (a nickname he disliked because it implied he was a nutcase) was famous for the number of clubs he played for, his fitness and contortionist warm-ups and for wearing his goalkeeping gloves in bed.
Self-styled hard-man Burridge would beg to disagree with accepted opinion; "silliness" he once observed, was "spending all night in the pub or losing a weeks wages on the horses - not taking a ball to bed like I do."
"For 33 years I was the hardest trainer in British football. People can take the micky out of me, call me a crackpot, but in eating rice and fruit and having self-hypnosis tapes on the bus I was ahead of my time. That sort of thing's everywhere now, but they call it sports psychology."
When Jim Smith bought him from Southampton Reserves in September 1989 he was already thirty seven, but the Bald Eagle plunged him into United's promotion challenge.
Played in every game of 1990/91 up until mid April but once Ossie had taken over his days were numbered and he migrated to Scotland before the start of the following campaign.
Jim Smith described him as "as honest a professional as they come"; however whilst he was player-manager at Blyth Spartans he was convicted and fined for dealing in counterfeit leisure wear.
The prosecution's case was aided significantly by video pictures of the Blyth players wearing some of the aforesaid merchandise before an FA Cup game against Blackpool.