Greatest ever English player?

Moore? Robson? Gascoigne? Charlton? Linekar? Banks? Beckham? Matthews? Keegan?

The nod usually goes to Moore, I guess he was the epitome of the mans man...but would only be going on reputation rather than footage as he was before my time.

Think history tends to overlook Bryan Robson, but he was a phenomenon in the 80s, teak tough and battled back from a couple of broken legs at a time when that was still potentially a career ender.

wally79

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Moore? Robson? Gascoigne? Charlton? Linekar? Banks? Beckham? Matthews? Keegan?

The nod usually goes to Moore, I guess he was the epitome of the mans man...but would only be going on reputation rather than footage as he was before my time.

Think history tends to overlook Bryan Robson, but he was a phenomenon in the 80s, teak tough and battled back from a couple of broken legs at a time when that was still potentially a career ender.

Dixie Dean

Harry Palmr

Jimmy Greaves - hard to believe of course if you only ever saw him on ITV on a Saturday afternoon but a strikers striker when you needed to have Ironclad legs to survive the ordeal of tackles by Johnny Giles, Norman Hunter et al and the pitches were absolutely terrible. Left, (sometimes) right or head - it didn't mater.

the evidence for the case

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=docY5CRWqGc

eagle eye

It's hard to talk about players that came before your time and in my time watching the game(mid-70's onwards) the best England international has to be Peter Shilton the goalkeeper.

I've been thinking about this for quite a while and I just can't get past him. Some great outfield ones too and for me Lineker would stand out at International level. Bryan Robson was a great one too.

Richard Hillman

Gary Lineker for his level of clutchness. Shearer and Owen were fairly clutch but Lineker out-did them.

Note: My decision making is entirely down to International football

Mantis Toboggan

Bobby Charlton

scudzilla

Cantona

That_Guy

Alan Pard......

Nah, I won't go there.

To be honest, most of who people have mentioned are waaaay before my time so I couldn't honestly say.

I'll just go for the biased option and say Alan Shearer. Goalscoring record speaks for itself really.

Paul Scholes and that is all

Mr.Nice Guy

I would have thought Charlton, although Charlton himself has said Duncan Edwards was the best he'd ever seen. I'm uncomfortable though going for historical cases which would be based primarily on Youtube clips.

Of the ones I've seen in my lifetime I think their best player was a talent they squandered: Paul Scholes.

I'd have Shearer up there in terms of the best English footballer at club level and just about the finest striker they produced in my era (and better than Linekar)...just not sure about his record at international level where Linekar did so well. I guess he did have 1996.

Greaves was by all accounts right up there too, but maybe like Shearer seemed to miss out at international level, mostly on account of missing out on 66.

mansize

Gazza for sheer talent

DoctaDee

I've always felt short changed by Gazza in much the same manner as Best. They were fantastic players head and shoulders above those around them but for too short a time. Gazza and to a lesser extent Le Tissier were the best players I've seen but Shearer for his impact over the years he played would get my vote

Dirty Dingus McGee

I wonder if Matt Le Tissier had played with a bigger club how good would he have become.He's one of Xavi's favourite players

He was joy to watch , lazy as **** but a pure genius.

mansize

Shearer was so bland though

jimmii

On his day Gazza but obviously lots had a better career overall. My first Wembley game was vs Turkey in 92 England won 4-0 and he ripped them apart he would just pick up the ball and run through them time after time.

emo72

no love for stevie g? almost dragging an average team up to the the summit? but always falling just short. except that one time in istanbul, when he rang up the pope at half time and jesus said "yes".

or that other time in wembley, when he spent 90 minutes running around in torment with dross, and he said "lord must i always suffer?" and god spoke to him (via the holy ghost of course) "lad, be not afraid, just put yer blessed right foot through it and i will send it home". i swear thats what happened.

Gavlor

Dixie Dean.

60 league goals in one season back when men were men and women were also men.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rb33hAc41Lo

jimmii

emo72 wrote: »

no love for stevie g? almost dragging an average team up to the the summit? but always falling just short. except that one time in istanbul, when he rang up the pope at half time and jesus said "yes".

Ah come on now. Most people probably wouldn't even have him as the best English midfielder during his career let alone the best overall of all time. World class? Without a doubt. Best English player of all time? Not even close.

mansize

emo72 wrote: »

no love for stevie g? almost dragging an average team up to the the summit? but always falling just short. except that one time in istanbul, when he rang up the pope at half time and jesus said "yes".

or that other time in wembley, when he spent 90 minutes running around in torment with dross, and he said "lord must i always suffer?" and god spoke to him (via the holy ghost of course) "lad, be not afraid, just put yer blessed right foot through it and i will send it home". i swear thats what happened.

What summit?? England werent great with him as captain.

Beckham wasn't bad for England

emo72

jimmii wrote: »

Ah come on now. Most people probably wouldn't even have him as the best English midfielder during his career let alone the best overall of all time.

but the miracles:pac: he was a man for divine intervention.

jimmii

mansize wrote: »

What summit?? England werent great with him as captain.

Beckham wasn't bad for England

Beckham vs Greece was one of the best performances I've ever seen. I remember the next day papers had their ratings with him a 10 and the rest of the team 3 or 4 and that was fair!

emo72

mansize wrote: »

What summit?? England werent great with him as captain.

Beckham wasn't bad for England

this isnt about the national team i assume?

XR3i

rooney

Muahahaha

Reckon the historical consensus has to be Moore. But in my own time watching at international level I'd put it at Linekar, Shilton, Waddle. With a hat tip to Terry Butcher too just for being a double hard bastard.

England had some team in the late 80s to early 90's and a great manager in Bobby Robson at the helm. Its still incredible to think Ireland played them four times between 1988 to 1992 and we came away with a record of a 1-0 win and 3 1-1 draws. I'll never forget that night in Wembley where we went 1-0 down to a Lee Dixon goal in the 11th minute and then instead of lying down we laid siege to their goal and hit the woodwork twice before Quinner volleyed an equaliser past Seaman. We punched way above our weight in those four games against England.

Arghus

No idea really. I'd be spoofing if I said otherwise!

DoctaDee

jimmii wrote: »

On his day Gazza but obviously lots had a better career overall. My first Wembley game was vs Turkey in 92 England won 4-0 and he ripped them apart he would just pick up the ball and run through them time after time.

Aye he was the one player in recent times that English football could put on a mantle with Platini Zidane Hagi Xavi but as you say for all too short a time.

Quazzie

Deleted User wrote: »

Paul Scholes and that is all

Doesn't even make the top 10.

jimmii

DoctaDee wrote: »

Aye he was the one player in recent times that English football could put on a mantle with Platini Zidane Hagi Xavi but as you say for all too short a time.

Only players I've seen do what he did that day were Ronaldinho and Ronaldo if only he'd been able to keep things together.

mansize

jimmii wrote: »

Only players I've seen do what he did that day were Ronaldinho and Ronaldo if only he'd been able to keep things together.

Flawed genius

jimmii

mansize wrote: »

Flawed genius

I have my quirks but wouldn't say I was flawed. Thanks anyway!

mansize

jimmii wrote: »

I have my quirks but wouldn't say I was flawed. Thanks anyway!

Are you Gazza?

Can anyone who said Gerrard get off my thread?

I though I was stretching it by saying Beckham. But seriously, the elastic snapped with Gerrard. It's not the "who was good enough to lace Beckham and Scholes boots" thread.

mansize

Deleted User wrote: »

Can anyone who said Gerrard get off my thread?

I though I was stretching it by saying Beckham. But seriously, the elastic snapped with Gerrard. It's not the "who was good enough to lace Beckham and Scholes boots" thread.

Two captained England...

CSF

In my lifetime Shearer, by the sounds of it they had a lot of better players before I was old enough to care about football. Maybe time has enhanced some legacies though also, hard to say.

emo72

Deleted User wrote: »

Can anyone who said Gerrard get off my thread?

I though I was stretching it by saying Beckham. But seriously, the elastic snapped with Gerrard. It's not the "who was good enough to lace Beckham and Scholes boots" thread.

im going home:( and im not playing with you any more:cool: .....now give me back me ball:pac:

mansize

emo72 wrote: »

im going home:( and im not playing with you any more:cool: .....now give me back me ball:pac:

/bursts it

- there ya go

mansize

mansize wrote: »

Two captained England...

As did Gareth Barry and Scott Parker.

dfx-

Lineker probably. Best striker they had at the most recent period of 'success' i.e. successive World Cup semifinals.

jimmii

[Deleted User] wrote: »

As did Gareth Barry and Scott Parker.

Emile Heskey even wore the armband one time!

mansize

jimmii wrote: »

Emile Heskey even wore the armband one time!

Was it a game of keep the armband off Scholes?

jimmii

mansize wrote: »

Was it a game of keep the armband off Scholes?

Lol!

price690

Carlton Palmer.

Keegan was superb

mansize

mansize wrote: »

Shearer was so bland though

He was unbelievably gifted striker. Big occasion player. Was more of a power and precision type of player then an Henry/Cantona who had style and flamboyance. He made scoring look easy.

BorneTobyWilde

John Barnes was the spice to the meal.

Muahahaha

jimmii wrote: »

Emile Heskey even wore the armband one time!

As did John Fashau :eek:

price690 wrote: »

Carlton Palmer.

I remember he was called a world class midfielder by Graham Taylor and 'Charlton Plumber' by some other commentator

kupus

Stanley mathews must be up there somewhere

mansize

kupus wrote: »

Stanley mathews must be up there somewhere

Up where?

mansize

mansize wrote: »

Up where?

Amongst the greatest English players.

BBDBB

kupus wrote: »

Stanley mathews must be up there somewhere

Yes he would be, as would Tom Finney