Stan Collymore - had every attribute required. Gazza - sounds silly as a genius but I don’t think he achieved anything like his potential due to numerous factors. Joe Cole - is a great shout. Theo Walcott - Croatia (a) at times, dire at times.
Diego Poyet is a brilliant example. That 18 odd games towards the end of the 13-14 season he was absolutely incredible week in week out, swear he got statbank MOTM in about half of them and I was convinced he would go onto be a 20-30m player no doubt. How he crashed and burned quite so spectacularly I will never know. Roland and West Ham United at their finest there.
He played football on terrible pitches and got lumps kicked out of him yet still stood out. Would have been great to see him play womanise in the modern era.
Yeah another vote for Gazza. He could do it all. Even after the injury he showed what he could do at Lazio and later at Euro 96 but his capability was far far more and imo would have become a world ‘Great’
In 1986, Maradona captained his country in the World Cup, during which he won the "Golden Ball" as the best player in the tournament, scored "the best goal of the century" and won the World Cup Final, then went mack to Napoli and captained them to the Serie A title.
For that season alone, starting with the WC in '86, I think you've put him in the wrong list.
Surely though he therefore should have achieved even more. He was without a doubt great, one of the best of all-time, but did he actually get the most from his ability.
Look at the consistency of Ronaldo and Messi. Season after season they have been fantastic. Maradonna had some amazing seasons, and moments, I'm not arguing that. But his off field activities meant he never achieved everything he could have in his career.
I am not sure how old you are, but you have to understand that Maradona played in era completely alien to the modern player.
He grew up playing in Argentina, moved to Barca and then onto Napoli, when the tackle from behind was completely legal, and subsequently spent many hours on his back, as another huge centre half or full back ploughed into him from behind at full pace.
Compare that to the modern day 'greats' who can turn goalwards in the knowledge, that defenders cannot go near them.
If you watch the highlights of the 86 WC again (not just the England game), you will see a truly great player at the peak of his powers.
Whatever you think of him personally, it is simply ludicrous to suggest that he wasn't an all time great.
I’m not sure about that. The only thing Le Tiss failed to do was move club, through choice.
Everytime I saw LeTissier play for Southampton, he played well. What shocked me is that Hoddle, a player who was criminally not used enough by England managers didn't build the England team around him when he was a manager. I always felt there was too much pressure on Le Tissier to perform for England when he should have been given a run.
I think one of the big problems with the England side, definitely in the past, was that the established players carried too much power. It made it harder to introduce elements that were available but were lacking in the side. No player should be undroppable.
Another example was Darren Bent. Whilst not the flair player Le Tissier was, he had a lot of pace and this was a weakness of many international sides. When he was with us, we played to his strengths and he was the top English striker but when he did get his England chance the team did not play to his strengths at all. It was like, you need to show us which is a ridiculous approach and players like Lampard and Gerrard would have got a right bollocking for it if I was the manager.
Lisbie fulfilled his potential, had a long and good career. He hit some heights with us, mostly against Liverpool nearly 20 years ago
Mortimer, on his day was a player I couldn't believe played for us. Proper footballer
Hargreaves is a great shout too, guy was castigated for being the player he was yet that game against Portugal he was everywhere and even pulling stepovers out of the locker in the late second half
Drogba, if he fancied it was the perfect modern day centre forward pretty much unplayable
Collymore as someone else said, had everything. Pace, strength good in the air and could side foot the ball harder than a lot of players could strike with their in step
Rommedhal is the one I'd like to punctuate this with. On his day, with everything in his favour we had no right to have him playing for us. Obviously pace was a headline of his but his fitness, stamina, close control and delivery was up there with the best in the world. Key point, this was on his day, definitely not every day. He could be the player who turns his back and hops over the ball when a full back steamed towards him with intent or he could be the Danish international, one of the stars of euro 2004 who skinned players like Gareth Barry, Ferrera at Chelsea, Ashley Cole and Gary Neville
Big fat Peter Garland. Don't know whether it was a penchants for beer, pies or both, but if he was a modern day footballer with the tough fitness regimes, think he would of played higher.
Comments
Carlton Cole
Non Charlton:
Stan Collymore - had every attribute required.
Gazza - sounds silly as a genius but I don’t think he achieved anything like his potential due to numerous factors.
Joe Cole - is a great shout.
Theo Walcott - Croatia (a) at times, dire at times.
England - 2006 WC in Germany
Portugal V England
Owen Hargreaves - immense
Instead of going on to play for Europe's top clubs he ended up at Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton.
Such a shame for everyone as a Gazza in full flow was a joy to watch.
Have to agree with Lisbie.
From a different era Robin Friday
PL wasn't his level, but if we had just plodded around the Championship instead of getting promoted, Lisbie would have scored a lot of goals for us
Scott Minto. Top quality LB with us, 200 odd games at a young age, but his career never really reached the heights I thought it would.
Jonjo Shelvey, again his career has been a bit bitty, failing at Liverpool, pushed out of Swansea.
He grew up playing in Argentina, moved to Barca and then onto Napoli, when the tackle from behind was completely legal, and subsequently spent many hours on his back, as another huge centre half or full back ploughed into him from behind at full pace.
Compare that to the modern day 'greats' who can turn goalwards in the knowledge, that defenders cannot go near them.
If you watch the highlights of the 86 WC again (not just the England game), you will see a truly great player at the peak of his powers.
Whatever you think of him personally, it is simply ludicrous to suggest that he wasn't an all time great.
I think one of the big problems with the England side, definitely in the past, was that the established players carried too much power. It made it harder to introduce elements that were available but were lacking in the side. No player should be undroppable.
Another example was Darren Bent. Whilst not the flair player Le Tissier was, he had a lot of pace and this was a weakness of many international sides. When he was with us, we played to his strengths and he was the top English striker but when he did get his England chance the team did not play to his strengths at all. It was like, you need to show us which is a ridiculous approach and players like Lampard and Gerrard would have got a right bollocking for it if I was the manager.
Mortimer, on his day was a player I couldn't believe played for us. Proper footballer
Hargreaves is a great shout too, guy was castigated for being the player he was yet that game against Portugal he was everywhere and even pulling stepovers out of the locker in the late second half
Drogba, if he fancied it was the perfect modern day centre forward pretty much unplayable
Collymore as someone else said, had everything. Pace, strength good in the air and could side foot the ball harder than a lot of players could strike with their in step
Rommedhal is the one I'd like to punctuate this with. On his day, with everything in his favour we had no right to have him playing for us. Obviously pace was a headline of his but his fitness, stamina, close control and delivery was up there with the best in the world. Key point, this was on his day, definitely not every day. He could be the player who turns his back and hops over the ball when a full back steamed towards him with intent or he could be the Danish international, one of the stars of euro 2004 who skinned players like Gareth Barry, Ferrera at Chelsea, Ashley Cole and Gary Neville