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Premiership Player Draft - Picks Only
Comments
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Seeing as it's been 24 hours and the two ahead of me have not picked I'm going ahead.
Richard Dunne
It takes an extremely special and consistent player of the year four times in a row but that's exactly what Richard Dunne has done since the 2003/04 season. For 3 and a half years he was without a doubt Man City's best player, a veritable rock at the back, referring both to his solidness and lack of pace. Fierce in the air, great positioning and very skillful for a defender, I think he'd be the perfect partner for King given the options at this stage
x
---Neville
King----Dunne
x
Wise
x
--Ronaldo
Okocha
Cole
x
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With this pick I was a little unsure as to who to go for. I believe that some of the players I want will still be available in later rounds, so I've gone for someone who may not be.
This guy is one of the most consistent performers in the premier league since he joined Coventry 10 years ago for a bargain £200,000 from Feyenoord. The following season he was sold for £4.5m to Aston Villa and went on to play 131 games for the Villains. After falling out with the Villa manager he joined Middlesborough for £5m where he was one of their most influential players for the next 6 years.
A tough tackling no-nonsense centre midfielder who can also play at centre-half if required, with himself and Nicky Butt marshalling the middle of the pitch for me I'm confident that no team will walk right through us.
My next pick is George Boateng
Team so far:
Reina
xxx Carragher xxx xxx
Beckham Butt Boateng xxx
Cole Heskey0 -
He may have been coming towards the end of his illustrious career by the time the premiership was invented but his return to England with Sheffield Wednesday after a spell with Marseille was one which added a little bit of class to the leagues early years.
Its still a wonder as to why the hell Graham Taylor never picked him for England during his 4 year stint in the premiership.
The first real bit of class in my team.
Chris Waddle
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To get a member of the 2004 Arsenal 'Invincibles' team at this stage of the draft is good value I think. Although his influence in the team had began to wane towards the end of that season, Sylvain Wiltord was a very decent player in his time with Arsenal. He's fondly remembered most for his winning goal at Old Trafford (as much as it pains me to reflect on as a United fan) that clinched Arsenal's 01/02 Premiership title. Earlier this year, a poll on Arsenal's website listed Wiltord as 33rd in the top 50 Arsenal players ever.
Forgive the shoddy quality of this video, but admire some of the class about his goals:
Team so far:
James
Berg
Stam
xxx
xxx
Wiltord
xxx
Giggs
Poyet
Berbatov
xxx
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Tomas Rosicky
There are few top class wingers remaining, and even fewer left-wingers, so the time is right for me to pick up this Czech gem! As well as filling in the left side of my midfield, he'll offer a lot through the centre too. He has done well during his time at Arsenal, and the only real black mark against him is his fragility, which thankfully isn't a concern for the purpose of this draft. An attacking trio of Le Tissier, Juninho and Rosicky should have most defenses worried!
Team so far:
x
x---LeBoeuf
x----X
-McAllister-Mascherano
Le Tissier-Juninho-Rosicky
Hasselbaink0 -
My next pick is Olaf Mellberg
Owner of the coolest beard in football, the proverbial Rock at the heart of your defence Mellberg was an almost ever present fixture in the Villa defence for 7 seasons. Playing 231 PL games Mellberg was Villa captain until he resigned the postion after the 2006 World Cup. Played out of position during his final year at the club Mellberg didnt reach the heights of performance of previous years but still put in a solid shift at right back. A class act on the pitch and off too he gave every away Villa fan a jersey with his name and number after his final game for the club. A true legend and a class addition to my team
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I need a striker up front who is able to hold the ball up and lay it off for Di Canio, Gudjohnsen and Scholes. I feel that Viduka is perfect for this. He's strong, has good feet and when he's on top form, many defenders say that he's unplayable.
His 59 goals in 4 seasons for Leeds shows that he also has the ability to score himself.0 -
Need to back up my central defence, and i had banked on Olaf still being available, but I think I have come up with a good replacement for him.
Sylvan Distin.
Captained Manchester City, vice captain at Pompey so obvious leadership qualities. Fast as any centre back around, strong too and tough in the tackle. He has his faults, but his pace and strength will get him out of most situations and coupled with the pace and strength of Kolo at the back, no team will out muscle or out pace my centre backs.
And now for some hoimoeroticism....
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My team at the moment is full of pace and strength so I've decided to compliment that with some guile and creativity. Taking his place in midfield is Eyal Berkovic.
The little Israeli is one of my favourite players to have played in the Premiership. Known as Ha-Kossem ("The Magician"), in his homeland, Berkovic was a consistantly great performer at all the clubs he played for.
He started out at Southampton and bagged two goals in the memorable 6-3 victory over Manchester United (pictured above). After a season at The Dell he moved to West Ham where he became friends with the fans as well as John Hartson's boot. 10 goals in 65 games as well as countless assists secured a move to Celtic for a fee of £5.75 million. Two years later he fell out of favour with Martin O'Neill and was back in the Prem with Blackburn.
A short spell there was followed by a move to Manchester City and it's there that I saw what an unbelievable talent he truly was. Himself and Ali Benarbia destroyed teams in a 3-5-2 formation, and probably his finest hour in a blue shirt came when we beat United 3-1 in the last ever derby at Maine Road. Eyal was on fire that day as he fed the Goat with one particularly stunning pass.
Voted our Player of the Year for 2002/03.
Later enjoyed a spell at Portsmouth where he helped them avoid relegation but he is being picked for his performances at Southampton, West Ham and City.
He also scored my favourite ever City goal (though that was in the FA Cup) -
I see his role in my team as being the player to thread balls through to use the pace and power of Collymore, while also bringing my wingers into play. With Dacourt mopping up behing him he will essentially have a free role to drift around the middle of the park and get his foot on the ball whenever possible.
Team -
Seaman
xxxx
Carvalho
Southgate
xxxx
Dacourt
xxxx
Berkovic
xxxx
Collymore
Ferdinand
(Depending on what wingers are available I may push Berkovic out wide as there are a huge amount of centre mids left)0 -
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I have gone back to my full backs for this pick and I have selected Silviniho.
A great left back to play alongside Keown, He was only here 2 years before a combination of ashley cole and Passport problems saw him leave. He was one of the best attacking full backs I have seen and will cause teams no end of problems when coming forward.
Also a very solid defender as he had to be to come after Winterburn and keep the fans onside.
He moved on to become a fan favourite at Celta vigo and then went on to Barca.
Here is his late late winner against chelsea
x
Cantona
Merson----Ince
x
Solano
Silviniho----x
Keown
x
Martyn0 -
"He'll be a top goalscorer." - Sir Alex Ferguson speaking in 2003.
"I like him. He is a very good young player." - Jose Mourinho
"Jermain Defoe will pose a threat." - Rafa Benitez
As I've said in previous rounds my aim throughout the draft has been to mould a team that just oozes class and as I feel it's time to select my strike partner for Dennis Bergkamp, I can think of no better or classier striker available to fill the role than...Jermain Defoe!
When I think of Jermain Defoe I think of one word - predator. I've always been a fan of Defoe's and felt he was one of the more underrated strikers of the Premier League. If you take a look at his record in the Premiership since his time at West Ham in 1999, his strike rate is frightening. I've always felt the main problem Defoe had was that he was never trusted with a first-team spot at previous clubs despite an incredibly impressive goalscoring record.
For instance at West Ham he notched up 29 goals in 93 League games. That's impressive in itself but bear in mind that he was a substitute for 31 of those 93 games. Of course he was a young man at that time so you could make a defence for West Ham on those grounds but similarly, if you look at his time at Spurs, he notched up 43 goals in 139 League appearances. Again, a very impressive strike rate but even moreso when you discover he was a substitute for 51 of those games!
When you look at his time at Portsmouth since joining them in January you can see how a good run in the first-team benefits him. For Pompey he's played 26 league games and scored 15 goals. Already this season he has got 7 goals.
Simply put Jermain Defoe, as Harry Redknapp once famously said, is a goal machine. He is a classy striker with great finesse and the ability to score a wide range of goals. It's not hard to see why Spurs fans miss him so much, why they gave him a great reception at the Pompey vs Spurs game earlier this season and why they want him back at White Hart Lane. At international level too he continues to impress having scored - yep you guessed it as a sub - in England's 5-1 win over Kazakhstan in their qualifier. Here's a decent vid showcasing his talents...
I find it interesting that Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov, who kept Defoe from a good run in the Spurs team, are struggling at present in the Premiership and battling to keep their places, yet Defoe - who is enjoying a run in the first team with Pompey - is once again banging in the goals and worrying defences. I mean no disprespect to those great forwards by making that point as I'm sure they will come good eventually, but I think it shows the old adage to be true, "form is temporary but class is permanent".
I think my strike partnership of Bergkamp just off Defoe, with able support (hopefully) from my central midfielders and the wings, will prove more than a handful for the other teams left in the draft.
My team thus far:
Defoe
Bergkamp
X
Petit
Carrick
Robben
X
Ferdinand--X
X
Van Der Sar
Pick 1: Dennis Bergkamp (FW)
Pick 2: Rio Ferdinand (CB)
Pick 3 Arjen Robben (LM/RM)
Pick 4: Manu Petit (CM)
Pick 5: Michael Carrick (CM)
Pick 6: Edwin Van Der Sar (GK)
Pick 7: Jermain Defoe (FW)0 -
Whew, I thought he might go in this round before it got to me. To complete the spine of my team I take a box to box midfielder, a brilliant passer, a great tackler and eye for goal and add to that a great leader on the pitch as well.
I give you Andrew David Townsend.
Andy Townsend played for Chelsea, Norwich and Southampton among other teams before that. He did not take football seriously until he finished college and made his way up from Welling United to Weymouth where he was spotted by Lawrie McMenemy who was then manager of Southampton. Townsend made his debut for them against Aston Villa, the team he was to win his only silverware with. He moved on to Norwich from Southampton and was shortlisted for the PFA player of the year award in the year that Mark Hughes won it. It was during this time that he decided to play for the Republic of Ireland. He would go on to Captain the Republic after Mick McCarthy. He kept Roy Keane out of the first team for Ireland due to his brilliant displays.
His performances for Ireland and Norwich upped his profile and he moved to Chelsea for 1.2 million pounds in July 1990. He continued on an upward curve and Ron Atkinson signed him for Aston Villa in July 1993 for 2.1 million, which was one of the biggest transfer at the time. He became a huge hit at Villa and won the league cup in his first season with a victory over Manchester United. He went on to Captain Villa in their 1996 triumph in the same competition in 1996. He played 135 times for Aston Villa before moving on to Middlesboro in 1997 at 32 years of age and helping them secure promotion to the the Premier League. He played for them throughout the next season as they finished mid table and maintained their premiership status. Age eventually took its toll and Andy could not command a first team place at boro and so moved on to West Brom Albion where he only made 17 appearances before a recurring knee problem forced him into retirment.
Andy Townsend was a magnificent midfielder, he had so much energy about him, he never shirked a tackle, he could score great goals and he could cut open a defense with his passing. I was always a huge fan of the man and loved to watch him play for Ireland. I am deligted to have him in my team. I do admit I forgot about him up to about a week and a half ago. I was sweating for the last couple of days in case someone else got him before me.
Unfortunately there is no youtube of Andy's best moments.
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My 7th pick is one of the best full-backs to have graced the premier league, and also one of the most under-rated: Rob Jones.
I've had him in mind for right back since this thing was announced, so i'm delighted to have got him. Nicknamed Trigger after the Only Fools & Horses Character, Jones was a great all round left back. Very solid defensively and he contributed greatly to Liverpool's attacking adventures of the time, often employed by Roy Evans as a Wing-back (left or Right).
Sadly, his career was all but over by 1996, when he was just 25 - he played just a bit part in the years to follow. Made just 8 appearances for England, but i reckon he could have given Neville a run for his money had he been allowed to reach his peak.
He made more than 200 appearances for Liverpool, and i'm hoping he and McManaman will dish up the same delights for me on the Right Flank as they so often did for Liverpool in the early 90s.
Team:
Jones
X
X
X
McManaman---Hamann
Gravesen
Duff
Keane
Henry
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ROUND 7 - PICK 168Lee Carsley
I've decided my team really needs a bit of a kick up the arse defensively. I have the wings cover but the spine of the team ain't great.
My thought with this pick is that I need someone who doesn't mind spending the game shielding the defence and picking up anyone in the gap between midfield and defence. I figured Lee Carsley does this better than anybody else left.
He's played for Coventry, Blackburn and Everton all in the Premiership, and I fully expect to see him back next year with Birmingham.
He's made 250 Premier League appearances in total.0 -
ROUND 8 - PICK 169Lucas Neill
In my opinion Neill represents good value at this stage of the draw. He is a very versatile player and, along with Carsley, will add a combativeness in my team.
He has played with both Blackburn Rovers and West Ham in the Premiership, notching up 200 appearances.
Johan Neeskens, who went on to become Frank Rijkards assistant manager said Neil could easily play for any of the top teams. In 2006 there was rumours that both Chelsea and Barcelona were interested in signing him. Liverpool were the only team to put a bid on the table however and it was rejected in favour of a move to West Ham where he is now captain.
He is also captain of the Socceroo's
Now I leave you with this somewhat haunting picture....
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I'm at work so i won't go into too much detail. My 8th pick is Stephane Henchoz.
Great in a poor Blackburn side, and wonderful alongside Sami Hyypia at Liverpool, forming the 2/5 of the meanest back 5 in the land. He was one of the best tacklers i've seen and has over 200 premier league appearances to his name. Never got the same credit that Sami did, but i think he's a wonderful player.
X
Jones
Henchoz
X
X
McManaman
Hamann
Gravesen
Duff
Henry
Keane
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There have been a lot of right backs picked already but to me the best one has not been picked until now. For my next pick I select Roland Nilsson. Nilsson played for Sheffield Wednesday from 1989 until he returned home to helsingborg in 1994. He spent a couple of years there before returning to the premier league to play with Coventry City in 1997 where he stayed for two years before returning home to helsingborg again. I consider him the Denis Irwin of the right side as he never made mistakes. He had power and pace and could charge right up the wing and deliver a cross also. At the back he was superb and received rave reviews and many man of the match awards which is rare for a full back.
Roland is also the second most capped player in Swedish history playing for his country 116 times over a 14 year period.
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"Without question the best natural defender this club has had for years." - Sir Alex Ferguson
I regard this pick as quite possibly the most significant I'll make in the draft due to the timing of it, the wait I have for my next pick and as it involves what I perceive to be the final 'major' area of my team. For that reason I've decided to go tactical and opt for a defender who can play in not one but two positions at the back. Gents I give to you the very classy and very solid man himself...Sir Wesley Brown!
I must say I'm surprised Brown has been overlooked by so many people. He made the PFA Team of the Year for 2001 as a centre-back and was no doubt close to making this year's team in 2008 as a right-back as he was in terrific form for United. To my mind that makes him outstanding value at this late stage of the game.
Brown was thrust into the United team in the 1998-99 season where United managed the treble. He showed himself that season to be one of England's brightest talents. Unfortunately, following that season he did in his cruciate and missed the entire campaign. He showed great resolve however to bounce back from that disappointment and he produced fine displays for United for several seasons, earning plaudits from his peers and from his manager in spite of a good few niggling injuries.
I think it's fair to say Brown really matured and came on a lot last season. Playing 36 of United's 38 League games as a right-back he was a key fixture in United's League and Champions League winning defence which conceded just 22 goals. He also produced an immense performance against Barcelona filling in at centre-back for the absent Vidic where he and Rio Ferdinand (also in my team) kept Messi and co. at bay. Here's a good vid highlighting just what Brown brings to the table...
At present Brown is out injured having had an exploratory ankle operation in news Fergie described as "really disappointing". His aim is to return in 3 or 4 weeks. No doubt Brown will have stiff competition for a place with Neville and young Rafael vying for places, but with a contract up to 2012 it's clear Brown is very much in Ferguson's plans.
Brown is one of the classiest defenders available and fits in well with my team which is aimed around that very word, 'class'. I'm confident that wherever I choose to play him - a decision I won't yet make as I'll see how the rest of the draft goes - I'm confident he will do a great job for me.
Dealing with these two won't be an easy task for any team...
My team thus far:
Defoe
Bergkamp
X
Petit
Carrick
Robben
X
Ferdinand----Brown
X
Van Der Sar
Pick 1: Dennis Bergkamp (FW)
Pick 2: Rio Ferdinand (CB)
Pick 3 Arjen Robben (LM/RM)
Pick 4: Manu Petit (CM)
Pick 5: Michael Carrick (CM)
Pick 6: Edwin Van Der Sar (GK)
Pick 7: Jermain Defoe (FW)
Pick 8: Wes Brown (CB/RB)0 -
I think we are nearly at the stage where a lot of similar standard players are out there to be taken but I will finish off my midfield with a Premiership winner and a man who made over 400 premiership appearances : Tim Sherwood
Became a mainstay of the Blackburn side that finished 2nd to utd in '94 season before winning it the following year. Should have won some England caps then but was overlooked for years.
After Blackburn he moved to Spurs and made almost 100 appearances before falling out with Hoddle and moving to Pompey where he helped win them promotion to the premiership.
x
Cantona
Merson----Ince----Sherwood----Solano
Silviniho----x
Keown
x
Martyn0 -
Apparently 12 hours are up so it's pick time. Delighted to announce the acquisition of Tricky Trev Sinclair. Report to follow tomorrow when I'm sober.
EDIT: It's getting tough to pick wingers so I've gone for a bit of versatility with Trevor Sinclair who could do a job on either the left or right.
Made his name at QPR in the mid 90s and played over 150 games for them before moving to West Ham where he was part of an excellent side.
Eventually moved on to us and was quite excellent during his spell a the club and became a real fans' favourite.
I think at this stage he's a solid pick and will do a great job on either side.
Even though it was scored in the FA Cup, no Trevor Sinclair tribute would be complete without this goal -
Team -
Seaman
xxxx
Carvalho
Southgate
xxxx
Dacourt
Sinclair
Berkovic
xxxxx
Collymore
Ferdinand
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Despite Xavi trying to screw me over by not informing me that it is my turn.... i'll make my pick now to keep things ticking along.
I want to add pace, strength, power, directness, a left foot and 'youth' (:D) to my team, so my next pick is....
Obafemi Martins.
As quick as any player that has graced the premiership, and has shown in his time that when in a team playing well he can be an absolute star, so in my team he should be a great addition and the pace and power down the left channel of the pitch. There may be better players around, but I think he will fit in well with my team and offer something a bit different.
Happy to add him to my squad.0 -
I spent the last few picks hoping that this guy wouldn't be picked. When playing he was absolutely a world class defender. There was often talk of bigger clubs being interested in him, like Juventus for an example, but injuries stopped it from ever happening.
He was a great leader and physically very strong. He was very good in the in the air.
Integral for Derby's short rise and of course for the great Croatia team of the 90s where he was one of the leaders. It is a shame that he had a lot of injury issues in his career and that his talent was not brought into one of the big teams.
With him and Bould, I have a very good centre back pairing.0 -
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Neil Sullivan
I need to sort out a keeper, and options are getting more and more limited. I'm delighted to be able to pick a keeper who was consistently rated with the best throughout most of the Premiership years. Sullivan was a hugely dependable keeper for the unfashionable crazy gang, before moving on to Spurs, and eventually Chelsea. He was also recognised at international level, where he made 28 caps for Scotland.
Despite playing for a host of clubs for more than a decade, he never won a medal. Who knows what would have happened if rumours linking him with a 5 million pound move to Man Utd to replace Peter Schmeichel had become true?
Sullivan
x
x---LeBoeuf
X
--McAllister-Mascherano
Le Tissier-Juninho-Rosisky
Hasselbaink0 -
I’m happy to complete my centre back pairing with Ugo Ehiogu, who enjoyed his best Premier League football with Aston Villa and Middlesbrough. He made over 300 appearances for Villa, including the victorious League Cup final in 1996, before joining Boro for £8 million in 2000. He resurrected a successful partnership with his former Villa colleague Gareth Southgate, and featured in another successful League Cup final, helping Boro to the trophy in 2004.
In his prime he won four England caps, perhaps unlucky not to win a few more. Ehiogu was unlucky with injuries towards the end of his Boro career, and he eventually moved to Leeds on loan, before going on to Rangers.
James
Berg
Stam
Ehiogu
xxx-
xxx
xxx
--Wiltord
Poyet
Giggs
Berbatov
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Want to finish off my back 4 with my eigth pick.
Wayne Bridge
Going with one of the best defensive left backs left to balance my defence.By all rights this man should have played far more games for us then 87 consistenly outperforming Asier and Ashley (bar the newest regime change) whenever given the chance. Great distribution, very very solid and consistent (played 113 premiership games in a row for Southampton, for who he was an everpresent).0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TH-Ky-Cgd8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FduHJf9L500
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmBXQ3E0PNs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlbgW_jaOn0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q0ANjqm0YY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6x0_7Go9AQ
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