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Premiership Player Draft - Picks Only
Comments
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Gary Neville
An essential part of both of Man Utds great teams and the man chosen to take over as captain from Keane, Gary Neville is the greatest right back in Premiership history. An intelligent player who is really solid at the back he is one of only 8 players to make over 500 appearances for United and is 8th on the all time capped list for England with 85 caps. He held his position at right back in the most dominant team in the Premiership consistently for 12 years (until injury ruled him out). He has won so many honours that there's no point of listing them here and is one of the most consistent players in Premiership history. Solid as a rock
As much as I hate drafting a team of ****, to get two guys who are pretty much unchallenged as the best in their position is too hard to pass up. Also, barring maybe one other player, I think the drop off in quality in right backs will be the biggest so I'd rather get it out of the way now0 -
Round 2 Pick 8
760 Senior Games
289 Goals
51 England Caps
11 England Goals
3 Premier League titles
1 FA Cup
1 Champions League
1 Intercontinental Cup
I present to you Teddy Sheringham
Im amazed that people have over-looked this genius until this far. I would have thought a must have for any team looking for an outlet for an out and out striker alongside him. Criminally under-rated until he made his big move to Man United and finally got the recognition and medals that his talent deserved. Formed a lethal partnership at international level with Alan Shearer but it was at Man United where he will be most remembered.
Totally changed the way strikers were seen in the premiership IMO. Totally different to anything that had come before him, the intelligence he showed on the pitch had never been seen and rarely seen since.
Thats why its my pleasure to have him as a striker on my team.0 -
Not many players would have managed to survive the transition made from "Boring Boring Arsenal" of the early to mid 90's to the free flowing attack minded team under Arsene Wenger.
One of the least likely candidates would have been Tony Adams, yet despite addiction problems off the pitch, Adams shrugged off his "donkey" label to make that impressive leap.
Always reliable, never wasted a ball and very little got past him.
The captain of my team.0 -
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I went for flair with my last pick, but I believe it's time to start building a strong back-bone to my team. To that end, I've picked Jaap Stam.
I pondered over this pick for a while, wondering if I should pick a player who only had three seasons in the Premiership - but I don't think it's necessarily the longevity of a player's spell that's important, but how they did in that time; and there's no doubting that in those three seasons Stam was a rock and an integral part of a successful United defence. The honours he won in that regretfully short period of time were three Premierships, an FA Cup, Intercontinental Cup and Champion's League.
Arriving from PSV in 1998, Stam quickly became a fan-favourite and played a vital role in helping United to secure the Treble. In that season, and the following, he was voted the best player in the Champion's League.
His departure was surrounded in controversy, with speculation that revelations in his autobiography angered SAF, while the United manager himself said the offer from Lazio was simply too good to turn down. Whatever the truth, there's no doubt that in his peak he was a monster.
Ps, hope Boardsies can forgive the fact he made his professional debut for FC Zwolle
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Yikes! As luck would have it, my next pick was going to be a defensive heavyweight - until Adams and Stam were swallowed up just before me!
Instead, I give you: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
One of the all-time greatest strikers in the Premiership. He had great power, strength, pace and a real eye for goal. Despite being something of a journey-man, with largely forgettable spells as Charlton and Middlesboro, he still managed 128 Premier League goals, putting him comfortably in the top-ten all time scorers in the competition.
He started off in England at Leeds, where he scored 23 goals in his debut season, and finished top scorer with 21 in his next season. This phenomenal introduction to English football eventually earned him a big money move to Chelsea (via Spain!), where he immediately regained his crown as top scorer in the league, with 23 goals. Oh, and he did the same again the following season too.
When it comes down to it, there aren't many strikers who can claim a record like Jimmy-Floyd. 20 goal-a-season strikers are gold-dust, and yet he did it year-in, year-out, and in inferior teams to many other lauded strikers.
Some stats from his prime:
Leeds 97/98: 33 games 16 goals
Leeds 98/99: 36 games 18 goals
Chelsea 00/01: 35 games 23 goals
Chelsea 01/02: 35 games 23 goals0 -
Every team needs a leader on and off the pitch and in my book there were none better than Gary Speed
Over 800 club appearances with over 100 goals
Captain of three of his four top flight clubs
Captain of Wales
Sure there were flashier players available but I want my team built around a solid foundation in the middle of the park and Speed epitomises that for me. Add to that the fact that he could play too and pop up with a vital goal when you really needed it.
My captain0 -
Denis Irwin
What a fine servant to United Irwin was. He was something of an invisible man in his ten years at United, but that's merely a testament to his amazing reliability – he never seemed to make mistakes or miss a game or get injured or complain to the ref. He was a dependable workhorse of the highest order and a very talented full-back with it.
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I want goals from my midfield, and Frank Lampard is going to provide them
There are players I would have prefered in my midfield, but they have been taken already!
However, he is a man that just plays so consistently. The amount of goals he gets is incredable, and the amount of games he plays is also incredable.
A worthy pick i reckon.0 -
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With Shearer already gone, I've chosen the other half of one of the most prolific partnerships the Premierships has seen.
Les Ferdinand is a member of the 100 Premiership goals club and was an absolute legend at every club he played for.
His best spell was probably at Newcastle where he banged in 41 goals in just 68 games, and came within a whisker of a league title in 1996.
He also averaged pretty much a goal every two games for QPR and had decent spells at Leicester and Spurs amongst others, and scored the league's 10,000th goal in 2001.
Deserved far more of an international career than the 17 games and 5 goals he got. Ferdinand goes in the team because his ability to score goals with his feet and head and would be good enough to spearhead any attack. A great player.0 -
I need a dominant midfielder and putting club allegiances aside I have gone for Paul Ince.
During the first three years of the premiership, Ince was the main player in the utd midfield . I think he was the best box to box midfielder in the league until Keane came thru.0 -
This former MAN U striker was born in Tobago on November 3, 1971. He plays for Trinidad and Tobago national football team. In his short career in MAN U he led the club to its three successive Premiership title, F.A. Cup and UEFA Champions league. Yorke scored 47 goals for MAN U. Before joining Sunderland he played for Sydney F.C
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"Rio has matured into his role at the club and has shown, when needed, what a great captain and leader he can be." - Sir Alex Ferguson
I went for class in my first round pick when I selected Dennis Bergkamp, and I had class in mind again as I turned my attention towards my defence. My pick for this round is none other than the great...Rio Ferdinand!
Quite frankly I'm astonished that Ferdinand has lasted this long and I was crossing my fingers that he would make it until my turn. For me when you talk about the top 5 Premiership defenders you have to include this man. He has consistently been one of the great defenders, not just in England but in the world.
A member of the 2002 PFA Team of the Year with Leeds, he has gone on on to make the team a further three times with Manchester United in 2005, 2007 and most recently in 2008. He was almost an ever-present in the United team that won the title last season making 35 league appearances as the side conceded just 22 goals. He also played a massive contribution in helping United win the European Cup, a feat which has seen him make this year's FIFPro World XI.
Ferdinand has shown plenty of character to come back from his ban for missing a drug test (an excessive ban in my view), and having read his book it seems that he had a lot of enemies within the FA who sought to make an example out of him. His response to this has been to become an integral part in the England side and he's used his ability to put those troubled days behind him.
Rio Ferdinand has everything you'd want in a defender. Intelligence, heart, pace, drive, tenacity and a cool head. He is a true leader and someone I can rely upon to keep things in check at the back. Here's a good video showcasing his talents...
His CV already makes for an impressive read with three Premiership titles, a European Cup medal, three FA Cup medals as well as a League Cup medal, and he is still determined to win more. I'm very pleased to have someone like Rio marshalling my team at the back.0 -
I got the pm to let me know it was my pick, basically I spent ages checking the picks up and down to make sure this man had not been picked already.
I'm amazed that he has come this far down the draft. Claude Makelele is the engine for my team. He has been magnificent throughout his career, he stops attacks and then sets up his own team. I couldn't have a better player at the base of my midfield.
Makelele stopped the best teams in the world from getting forward and set up attacks for his own team, a magnificent tackler and passer he oozed class in the most difficult and toughest job in football.
2 English Premier League titles, 2 La Liga titles, 1 Champions League and 1 French Ligue 1 title are a fitting tribute along with many other cup successes for a player who played the holding role better than anyone I have ever seen in the Premier League. He was crucial to Chelsea's success throughout his time in the Premier League as he was in La Liga with Real Madrid.
He joined Chelsea in 2003 for 16.8 million. This was the end of a dominant period for Real Madrid in La Liga and some of the comments below show what kind of thoughts other players had of him.
On Makelele's sale and Beckhams purchase Zizou had this to say
'Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?'
Ferando Hierro the Real Madrid Captain during their golden years had the following to say recently,
'I think Claude has this kind of gift - he's been the best player in the team for years but people just don't notice him, don't notice what he does. But you ask anyone at Real Madrid during the years we were talking about and they will tell you he was the best player at Real. We all knew, the players all knew he was the most important. The loss of Makélélé was the beginning of the end for Los Galacticos... You can see that it was also the beginning of a new dawn for Chelsea. He was the base, the key and I think he is the same to Chelsea now.'
Patrick Viera also praised Claude,
"He knows just where to be to stop the danger. In my opinion, he is vital."
Frank Lampard had this to say
"but when I heard Zidane say that I was interested to know what he meant. In the last five years, I've found out. He's an absolute dream to play with, especially if you're an attacking midfield player. He's one of the greatest midfield players in the world, he has been for a long time, and all of us players know exactly why."
A great article from the Independent on Claude [EMAIL="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/doing-a-makelele--so-good-they-named-it-after-him-437647.html"]here[/EMAIL]
I am delighted to get Claude Makelele and this sets my team up beautifully at this early stage.0 -
Round 2, Pick No 22.
Steve McManaman. Footballer, model, cartoon character, Nicole Kidman lookie-likey.
At his best, he was as good if not better than Giggs in my opinion. He is 2nd in the premierships all-time assists per game played - just behind Beckham. He is Liverpool's all-time leading goal-maker. He was also named on the Premier League's team of the year four years in a row between 94 and 98. He may have played in Liverpool teams of varying quality, but he was an almost constant threat, and both Owen and Fowler have a lot to thank him for regarding their goal tallies.
He went on to even better things at Madrid and played an integral role in their two Champions League wins and is probably the most succesful British player to have played overseas.
Although his England career was not what it should have been, he shone at Euro 96' and was named by none other than Pele as the tournament's top player.
He also had a penchant for the spectacular goal:
A tremendous player. He'd easily make my all-time premiership XI. Comfortable on the right, but perhaps best in a free role, Shaggy will tremendous addition to my side.0 -
Round 2 Pick 23
Freddie Ljungberg, 241 Premiership Apps, 48 goals. 2 League titles, 3 FA Cups
Well what can be said about Freddie? An absolute Arsenal legend and one of my favorite players of all time. Scoring on his premiership debut against Man Utd was always going to make him a cult hero, but it is for his unbelievable goal-scoring form during the 2001-02 double winning season for which he will be best remembered.
Hardworking, reliable, versatile, excellent on the ball and with a great eye for goal, Ljungberg was an extremely intelligent footballer who always seemed to pop up in the right place at the right time. His versatility meant was played all across the midfield, or as a second striker in the Bergkamp role, and he always performed at 100 per cent, doing what ever job was asked of him to a very high standard. A integral part of the unbeaten Arsenal team of 03/04, he was a fantastic servant to the club until persistent injuries led to his leaving. Also immortalised in one of the catchiest football chants ever sung in the Premiership:D A great player, and a fantastic addition to my team at this early stage.
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My next Pick is the mighty Dion Dublin.
He was picked up by United in 1992 after some good displays with Cambridge United where he scored 52 goals in 152 games.
However his spell with United was unsucessful after he missed out on most of the 92/93 season after breaking his leg. When he finally recovered he was kept out of the team by the excellence of Eric Cantone and only bagged 2 goals in the 12 appearances he made.
His move to Coventry in 1994 reinvigorated his career and he scored 61 goals for them in 145 appearances.
During his first season he equalled the Coventry City record for most goals in a top division season with 23 goals in all competitions and he was joint top scorer in the Premier League that season.
In 1998 he moved from Coventry to Aston Villa and in only his second game scored a hat-trick against Southampton.
In December 1999, during his second season at Villa he suffered a broken neck during a game against Sheffield Wednesday. The operation forced him to have a plate put into his neck to hold several vertebrae together.
He made his return to the Villa first season in April 2000 and capped it by putting Villa through to their first ever FA Cup Final by scoring a penalty.
He ultimately went on to play for Leicster in the Championship, Celtic (with whom he won the SPL and Scottish League Cup), before returning to Norwich in 2006.
He is a member of the 100 Premier Leage Goals Club with a total of 111 goals.
He Last match was for Norwich against Sheffield Wednesday on the 4th May 2008. This match brought in 36,208 fans, the record attendance for a Championship game that season. He was applauded off the pitch by both sets of fans, both teams and by referee Mark Clattenburg.
Without a doubt one of the all time greats.
A class act with a nose for goal. The Epitomy of a Number 9. A man who's four England Caps does not reflect the man.
(And sure if I'm under the cosh I can always throw in at Centre Back to mix things up
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Round 3
Pick 1
Marc Overmars
No time for much of a story, cut and paste.
He is best known as a right-footed left-winger, although he is able to use both his feet with equal precision and power. Known for his speed, Overmars' nicknames included "the Roadrunner" or simply "meep-meep."
100 games for Arsenal with 25 goals and countless assists.
Just watch this video.
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Jürgen Klinsmann
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%BCrgen_Klinsmann
On of the best players to have played in the premiership simple as. While a player who may of gone under the radar for another round or so I feel with Overmars being stolen in the last pick before mine that I had to act now to get the man I wanted.
With Pires Supplying the ammunition Klinsmann would deliver.0 -
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Petr Cech
I would have liked to go for some more attacking options but with not being able to pick again for quite a while I went for the most reliable goalkeeper available. Cech holds the record for most clean sheets in a season and most minutes played without conceeding at over 1000. Not only is he a good shot stopper but he is reliable under pressure and strikes an imposing figure to all attacking players.Now some might say he is a little accident prone the last while but the injuries seem to be behind him but even if he wasnt the pre scrum cap Cech was just immense to say the least and well worthy of a 3rd round pick.0 -
Round 3 Pick 4
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily, in my opinion one of the most dangerous strikers in the world, capable of absolute magic. He is a fantastic target man, can hold up the ball brilliantly, has a bit of skill about him and is a natural finisher in front of goal.
He was shown as one of the world best during the 2006/2007 season, he won the premier league golden boot award, scoring 20 goals in 37 Premier League matches. In total that season he amassed 33 goals in 60 games, including some of the most important goals for chelsea that season. A fabulous return for any player it must be said.
The reason I am picking him is because he is one of those players who doesn't need A1 supply of the ball to score goals (not that he doesn't get that at Chelsea), he is a match winning and game changing player a fabulous athlete and a handfull for any defence
There has been doubt about his attitude, some even claiming Chelsea are better without him, to me this is nonsensical talk, it has been shown time and time again that Chelsea are more of an attacking force with their best striker fit and playing.
It speaks volumes that Arsene Wenger has spoken out to defend Drogba when he said
"Drogba is a bit under the spotlight at the moment for obvious reasons, but overall I like his attitude, basically, he is not an unfair player, basically."
That was in relation to comments that he dives, but in fairness who doesn't and I'm quite happy having players who are sometimes a bit too competitive, it drives the team on.
Drogba has also captained his national side and been named African player of the year.
A top class player who i'm glad to name as my third round pick.
In conclusion, check this Sh!teee out. (great backround track)
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To keep building my superstar defense of solid british talent, I reluctantly pick Ashley Cole,who rather upsettingly is the best left back in the world. Why is he the best left back in the world?? cos I couldnt reallythink of anyone who is well ahead of him, and he's definately the best in the Premiership (evra being a close 2nd). He's won alot with both chelsea and arsenal and most importantly his wife is a little cracker!
Honours so far for the young lad:
Arsenal
Winner:
FA Premier League: 2001/02, 2003/04
FA Cup: 2002, 2003, 2005
FA Community Shield: 2002, 2004
Runner-up:
UEFA Champions League: 2006
FA Cup: 2001
FA Community Shield: 2003, 2005
Chelsea
Winner:
FA Cup: 2007
League Cup: 2007
Runner-up:
UEFA Champions League: 2008
FA Community Shield: 20070 -
Another Man City manager for me, Sparky Hughes, another hard working player, did it for United till Cole was signed, went to Chelsea from United in 95 everyone figured he was past it but was a key player for them alongside Zola for another few years.
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Right so I had to check the list and posts a couple of times to make sure he wasn't already picked, but it seems he hasn't been.
My first two picks ensured that I would get goals and plenty of them, Beckham & Cole are a proven combination who will deliver time and again for any team. My third pick therefore needs to do a similar job but at the other end. After all, there's no point scoring 3 every week if you concede 4.
In the last 10 years of the premier league (bar one injury racked season) this guy has been Mr. Consistency, averaging over 35 league games a season. That he has done that at one of the top clubs in the world is a testament to his ability and attitude. The fact that he spent the first 5 years of that playing at both right and left back and making both positions his own in turn, before claiming his current centre half position and holding it for 5 years gives me a flexibility in my defence that could prove vital in the final shake-up.
Along with Gerrard he has been the driving force behind Liverpool over the last decade and even though they've yet to win the premier league it hasn't been for lack of ability on his part. He holds the record for European appearances for Liverpool (108 to date) and is in their top 10 appearance list of all time with over 500 games played so far. Still only 30 and with his peak years as a centre half maybe only approaching now, it would be hard for anybody to criticise his inclusion in any premier league selection.
As a diehard United fan it kills me to say it, but he has been one of the most consistent and impressive performers in the league over the last 10 years, and for this reason I pick Jamie Carragher.
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Along with Jamie Carragher this guy has been Mr. Consistent for nearly 10 years now. Signed for just £2.6m by Gerard Houllier, 300 games later i present Sami Hyypia
Captained Liverpool along with Fowler and Redknapp to our treble in 2001. When asked to, he stood down to make way for Gerrard to take over the captaincy. That shows the true character of the man, he got on with his game despite being stripped of the captaincy through no fault of his own. An absolute rock in the centre of any defence and a great base to start off my backline. Has won everything possible with Liverpool bar the big one but maybe this year he will be able to complete his collection and get his testimonial next summer.0 -
Considering I have Ronaldo on team, I think it's essential I get somebody who can compliment him brilliantly, switch wings,is creative with bags of flair and a player who pops up to score the odd crucial goal. No real choice then
Joe Cole
The man that Mourinho revitalised is perhaps unlucky that the position of Number 10 doesn't exist outside of Italy. He has all the ability for it, creative, good shot, hard worker and he's quick. He was an absolute failure in his first year but once Robben got injured he never looked back, evolving into our best player last year (and fan's player of the year). The idea of Cole and Ronaldo on the wings would strike fear into any team and i think they would work excellently together. It also allows me to play the new 4-5-1/4-3-3 system without having to make my case that he'd adapt and it means I can feel genuinely happy about my team seeing as he's one of my favourite players. Also a leader, he was a captain for West Ham0 -
I've decided to stay away from Arsenal for the pick, and headed right across the City to Chelsea.
In the early 90's Chelsea gathered some success under managers like Vialli, before the megabucks days of Abramovic.
At this time they wer a joy to watch and as a full bac myself, one of the players i used to keep an eye on was Dan Petrescu
An attacking full back, good crosser of the ball, and chipped in with his fair share of goals Petrescu won the FA cup, The League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup in a 5 year spell with the club.
Another player who played with a smile on his face.0 -
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Once I thought of my next pick so early on in the round, I didn't think I'd get him. Delighted to secure David James and fill the goalkeeping position, which I think may become hard to do in later rounds.
James has always been a bit of an enigma, but there's no doubting that he's produced the form of his career in recent seasons. Many say that goalkeepers enter their prime once they reach 30, and with James it's absolutely true. Sure, he's prone to the odd gaff, but show me a top class 'keeper who isn't?
Last year, James surpassed the record held by David Seaman and claimed his 142nd Premiership clean sheet, while also claiming back his place as England's number 1.
There's one James save in particular that stands out for me. It was when he was with Man City, and produced a wonder-save to deny Lampard and help City come away from Stamford Bridge with a point:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpRgOKL3M6g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgjGpk_k_vk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7myb3Q3dYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb9oiSeB8ao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXlHS5v-NEAAdvertisement