Mendonca and Steve Jones 97/8 instrumental in the run to the playoffs. SJ’s part in that success has been overshadowed by Mark Bright’s higher profile. I had my longest run of consecutive games home and away to the end of 97/8 and recall Mendonca/Jones as the strike pairing for most. What SJ lacked in pace and finesse he covered with sheer bloody effort and could rely on SCM being in the right place at the right time to finish. Notable was the away game at Swindon in foul windy conditions SJ chased half the length of the pitch to score
It was mainly Mendonca Leaburn and then Mendonca Bright that season .
I think it was those three that Curbs had rotating around, sometimes with Euell playing behind the other two. I seem to remember that being the most effective group of attacking players in the top flight (but memory might be playing tricks on me).
For my money...... Leary & Firmani although names frequently linked did not really play together for long. Both athletic who glided around the field and were a joy to the eye. Whereas Summers and Hales were chargers, and with the ball at their feet and bearing down on goal were highly exciting. Leary found in Summers an outlet for his creativity and Hales found in Flanagan a partner of substance.
By accounts Leary & Firmani were firm friends and Leary roomed with Summers. The relationship between Hales and Flanagan had a more competitive edge !
For my money...... Leary & Firmani although names frequently linked did not really play together for long. Both athletic who glided around the field and were a joy to the eye. Whereas Summers and Hales were chargers, and with the ball at their feet and bearing down on goal were highly exciting. Leary found in Summers an outlet for his creativity and Hales found in Flanagan a partner of substance.
By accounts Leary & Firmani were firm friends and Leary roomed with Summers. The relationship between Hales and Flanagan had a more competitive edge !
I think Stuart and Eddie came over from South Africa at the same time, and had a very good understanding on the pitch, and I remember reading, Stuart was very upset when Johnny Summers died
For my money...... Leary & Firmani although names frequently linked did not really play together for long. Both athletic who glided around the field and were a joy to the eye. Whereas Summers and Hales were chargers, and with the ball at their feet and bearing down on goal were highly exciting. Leary found in Summers an outlet for his creativity and Hales found in Flanagan a partner of substance.
By accounts Leary & Firmani were firm friends and Leary roomed with Summers. The relationship between Hales and Flanagan had a more competitive edge !
I think Stuart and Eddie came over from South Africa at the same time, and had a very good understanding on the pitch, and I remember reading, Stuart was very upset when Johnny Summers died
For my money...... Leary & Firmani although names frequently linked did not really play together for long. Both athletic who glided around the field and were a joy to the eye. Whereas Summers and Hales were chargers, and with the ball at their feet and bearing down on goal were highly exciting. Leary found in Summers an outlet for his creativity and Hales found in Flanagan a partner of substance.
By accounts Leary & Firmani were firm friends and Leary roomed with Summers. The relationship between Hales and Flanagan had a more competitive edge !
I think Stuart and Eddie came over from South Africa at the same time, and had a very good understanding on the pitch, and I remember reading, Stuart was very upset when Johnny Summers died
For my money...... Leary & Firmani although names frequently linked did not really play together for long. Both athletic who glided around the field and were a joy to the eye. Whereas Summers and Hales were chargers, and with the ball at their feet and bearing down on goal were highly exciting. Leary found in Summers an outlet for his creativity and Hales found in Flanagan a partner of substance.
By accounts Leary & Firmani were firm friends and Leary roomed with Summers. The relationship between Hales and Flanagan had a more competitive edge !
I think Stuart and Eddie came over from South Africa at the same time, and had a very good understanding on the pitch, and I remember reading, Stuart was very upset when Johnny Summers died
For my money...... Leary & Firmani although names frequently linked did not really play together for long. Both athletic who glided around the field and were a joy to the eye. Whereas Summers and Hales were chargers, and with the ball at their feet and bearing down on goal were highly exciting. Leary found in Summers an outlet for his creativity and Hales found in Flanagan a partner of substance.
By accounts Leary & Firmani were firm friends and Leary roomed with Summers. The relationship between Hales and Flanagan had a more competitive edge !
I think Stuart and Eddie came over from South Africa at the same time, and had a very good understanding on the pitch, and I remember reading, Stuart was very upset when Johnny Summers died
I'm only old enough to remember the BWP/Yann partnership, but I really rate KAG/Taylor. Good blend of speed and strength between the two and both know where the net is. Could see us doing surprisingly well this year with Lee's shrewd signings and that pairing up top.
It's a great question. Because, although it might not seem like it these days, we have actually had some good strikers and some good partnerships up front. It's really interesting to see who people think might be considered the best. Mendonca, Daren Bent, Kermorgant, Wright-Phillips, Hunt, Bartlett and other all deserve to be thought of as amongst the best. But, of course, Killer and Flash was the best pairing, even though some of the others might have been considered "better" players.
As an aside, I think Mendonca was the best finisher. Hales was the best striker. Daren Bent was the most dangerous player linking up with attacking midfielders. So, for me, if you had Derek Hales, Daren Bent and Clive Mendonca at their peak, it would be very hard to know who to leave out.
But the best pairing we were ever able to field regularly was the subtle, silky and clever skills of Mike Flanagan and the out and out, in your face, blistering-paced, determined finisher of Derek Hales. No question.
I think anyone who saw Leary and Firmani together would disagree with you.
I'd respect their views. But then I would argue that anyone old enough to have been able fully to appreciate a central striking pairing that finished 63 years ago, may not be the most reliable witness in 2018.
And then, as I picked my teeth up off the floor, I would humbly suggest that Hales and Flanagan were the better striking partnership and, in fact, were the only pair who each scored more than 100 goals for Charlton.
Now listen here young man, at least I have still got my own teeth, how long have you had false ones? I loved watching Hales and Flanagan play, and Derek one of the greatest characters who has ever played for us. I may be wrong but I thought Leary and Summers both scored over a hundred goals for us
I wrote my post, very confident I was right. I then hit "Post Comment" and thought, maybe I ought to check whether Johnny Summers did, in fact, score more than 100 goals for Charlton. So I was very relieved to see that, in his 171 games for Charlton from 1956 to 1961 he failed to score more than 100. By one!
He scored a 104 goals for Charlton the 171 games and 100 goals is league games, he also scored for goals in the FA cup, you never stated just league games
How about Johnny Summers and John 'Buck' Ryan who scored all the goals in the 7-6 Huddersfield win?
It's a great question. Because, although it might not seem like it these days, we have actually had some good strikers and some good partnerships up front. It's really interesting to see who people think might be considered the best. Mendonca, Daren Bent, Kermorgant, Wright-Phillips, Hunt, Bartlett and other all deserve to be thought of as amongst the best. But, of course, Killer and Flash was the best pairing, even though some of the others might have been considered "better" players.
As an aside, I think Mendonca was the best finisher. Hales was the best striker. Daren Bent was the most dangerous player linking up with attacking midfielders. So, for me, if you had Derek Hales, Daren Bent and Clive Mendonca at their peak, it would be very hard to know who to leave out.
But the best pairing we were ever able to field regularly was the subtle, silky and clever skills of Mike Flanagan and the out and out, in your face, blistering-paced, determined finisher of Derek Hales. No question.
I think anyone who saw Leary and Firmani together would disagree with you.
I'd respect their views. But then I would argue that anyone old enough to have been able fully to appreciate a central striking pairing that finished 63 years ago, may not be the most reliable witness in 2018.
And then, as I picked my teeth up off the floor, I would humbly suggest that Hales and Flanagan were the better striking partnership and, in fact, were the only pair who each scored more than 100 goals for Charlton.
Now listen here young man, at least I have still got my own teeth, how long have you had false ones? I loved watching Hales and Flanagan play, and Derek one of the greatest characters who has ever played for us. I may be wrong but I thought Leary and Summers both scored over a hundred goals for us
I wrote my post, very confident I was right. I then hit "Post Comment" and thought, maybe I ought to check whether Johnny Summers did, in fact, score more than 100 goals for Charlton. So I was very relieved to see that, in his 171 games for Charlton from 1956 to 1961 he failed to score more than 100. By one!
He scored a 104 goals for Charlton the 171 games and 100 goals is league games, he also scored for goals in the FA cup, you never stated just league games
How about Johnny Summers and John 'Buck' Ryan who scored all the goals in the 7-6 Huddersfield win?
I'm surprised more never mentioned that game. 65 thousand attended.
I guess sentiment will always cloud reality. As a kid Treacy/Tees were the golden partnership from68/69 Being older in the mid 70's Flanagan/ Hales will always take some beating But Super Clive/ SteveJones got us to the promised land andIf I could only live one game again it would be the Wembley hatrick by Super Clive - you will never see a better hatrick than that
Hales and Flanagan, Hales and Horsfield before that. But we should also take into account the level in which they were playing, which was in the old second and third divisions. In terms of the top level, I would have to say Hunt and Mendonca, although it was sadly far too brief. The one partnership that I think could have been prolific, would have been Darren Bent/Kevin Lisbie. The pace of those two could have ripped apart the best defences in the land, and what Lisbie lacked in his finishing prowess, would have been made up for in spades with the goals his pace and creativity created for Bent. Unfortunately due to his many injuries, Lisbie rarely got to play alongside Bent.
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Jones did have pace
I think it was those three that Curbs had rotating around, sometimes with Euell playing behind the other two. I seem to remember that being the most effective group of attacking players in the top flight (but memory might be playing tricks on me).
I'd got back a year earlier and say Bright and Mendonca.
Yann and BWP is up there in recent years.
What about JJ and Bartlett as another outsider? Obviously not our greatest but a good combo at the time.
Leary & Firmani although names frequently linked did not really play together for long. Both athletic who glided around the field and were a joy to the eye. Whereas Summers and Hales were chargers, and with the ball at their feet and bearing down on goal were highly exciting. Leary found in Summers an outlet for his creativity and Hales found in Flanagan a partner of substance.
By accounts Leary & Firmani were firm friends and Leary roomed with Summers. The relationship between Hales and Flanagan had a more competitive edge !
If memory serves Melrose got about seventeen that season, and I think Crooks chipped in with some vital goals near the end as well.
65 thousand attended.
As a kid Treacy/Tees were the golden partnership from68/69
Being older in the mid 70's Flanagan/ Hales will always take some beating
But Super Clive/ SteveJones got us to the promised land andIf I could only live one game again it would be the Wembley hatrick by Super Clive - you will never see a better hatrick than that
Paddy and Killer.
How many of Killers goals must have been set up by Paddy Powell.?