FourFourTwo magazine here. We need your help! ...

[scriptman]

The following was posted on DonnyMad..

Hello,
FourFourTwo magazine here. We need your help!

We're now working on our April issue, which is a Football League special.

Within it, we are to display a 'Perfect XI' for every Football League club
(ie. a dream team of the best players to ever represent that club).

As such, we're looking for a match-going supporter from each team who knows
the club's history to give us their views as part of the decision process.

The 72 fans who help us out will each get their name in the magazine
alongside their respective team.

What formation would you pick? Which 11 players? And which manager? Clearly
the formation has to be workable - you can't pick five forwards, for
example!

If you'd be interested in helping us out, and you think you could
objectively pick a team + manager based on the club's history (and not just
over the last decade!), we'd love to hear from you.

Please email: charlie.ghagan@haymarket.com (there's no need to send a team
quite yet though)

Thanks!
FourFourTwo

...just wondered if any of you chaps fancied a shot at this.

[Ldr]

Well guys I got to do this, part of the brief they came back with was to consult on a few things with other so here is the first draft of the team with reasoning. I would like your feedback please. (Vivarovers, would you be so kind to proof read when finished please)

GK Harry Gregg, What would this guy be worth today? Transferred to Man Utd for a world record fee at the time for a goalkeeper, which would put him in the £30 Million bracket today. The measure of the man has to be his actions in risking his life to rescue others at Munich though, legend, both as player and man.

RB Billy Russell, A typical 80’s full back in many ways, not the tallest player around but always had the opposition winger in his pocket though.

CB Fred Emery, As with Tom Keetley below, Fred has faded into the mists of time; any player who plays over 400 games can’t be that bad though!!

CB Charlie Williams, Voted the clubs all time cult hero on a BBC poll. T’owd flower was never fancy but, in his own words, could stop the ones that were! More remembered for his second career in entertainment than his football career though. Mind you, morale in the dressing room would always be good!

LB Glynn Snodin, Would have preferred to play him further forward permanently but he would raid enough from here. Maybe over shadowed by his brother but a consummate professional and who can forget that hammer of a left foot?

RW James Coppinger, The only current player that merits inclusion in this XI. The most mercurial player I have seen in the red and white. When he is on song he is unplayable, his hat trick in the playoff semi final against Southend was sublime.

CM Ian Snodin, One of my all time personal favourites with the rovers. Ran the midfield in the early 80’s. In my opinion the complete midfielder, came as no surprise when he left for higher things. Should have played for England but hampered by injuries.

CM Neil Redfearn, Only one season with the rovers but based on the fact that he was practically carried the team that season he merits inclusion. 14 goals from midfield is nothing when you are Frank Lampard playing in Chelsea’s team but when you were playing in our team of the mid 80’s it was a miracle!

LW Bert Tindall, Way before my time of watching the rovers but many of the older generation have spoken in glowing terms of him. One that Peter Doherty took with him to Bristol in 1958 when he left and he wasn't a bad judge of player was he?

CF Tom Keetley, You may be pushing it to find anyone who saw him play now but 180 goals makes Tom the clubs all time top scorer which is impressive enough but to do this at an average of around 20 goals a season beggars the question of how much would he be worth these days if Andy Carroll is ‘worth’ £35 million?

CF Alick Jeffrey, I would have been crucified if ‘King Alick’ had not made this selection by all Donny fans, and that includes the chairman! Would have possibly gone on the be remembered as England’s greatest player if injury had not intervened. Came back years later and still was among the goals, club president until his death, all time legend.

Manager Peter Doherty, Very torn here between Sean O’Driscoll, Billy Bremner and Peter Doherty. Have opted for Peter on the basis that he kept us in the old second division for the longest in our history so far, and after he left we dropped like a stone into the 4th division in successive seasons.

[BobG]

I like that selection very much LDR.

You can always make a case for this player or that player to be included - there's plenty I could suggest right now - but your selection is a good side, with good players and a good sense of history. Congratulations!

Cheers

BobG

PS The tragic Nicholson at CB?!!

[Ldr]

Mr Nicholson is a good shout Bob, I think he merits serious consideration, to replace Charlie?

[BobG]

I never saw Charlie so on the basis of performance I'd not be able to make a judgement. But on the basis of Nicho being a damn good player I'd go for him since it would avoid the chance of the choice being influenced by any second career.

Cheers

BobG

[Dutch Uncle]

Brilliant selection Ldr

Two minor typos - it is Bert Tindill (not Tindall) and Tom Keetley scored his goals in 6 seasons i.e. averaging 30 + cup goals per year, not 20+

Only suggested alternatives from my personal point of view might be Harold Wilcockson for Billy Russell, and possibly one of Green, Stock or Wellens instead of Redfearn, slightly playing off longevity against quality

Still happy with your selection though

[Ldr]

BobG / Dutch Uncle Thanks very much. Dont know too much about Wilcockson though, can you elaborate?

[BobG]

Harold came from, I think, Rotherham along with Clish and Rabjohn in that deal for Watson. He was a very fine full back. Cultured, elegant. Not quick but had enough vision and awareness to compensate. He wasn't as exciting as Billy Russell - didn't do those bombing runs down the wing that Billy did for example - but he was probably a better player. He later went to Wednesday for a bit but ended up coming back.

Dutch will remember for sure where he came from

BobG

[Dutch Uncle]

Spot on Bob

That famous deal with Rotherham (Tommy Docherty I think was their manager at the time) entailed two promising youngsters (Graham Watson and Dennis Leigh) going to Rotherham and in return we received about 10K and three seasoned professionals - Wilcockson, Clish and Rabjohn, valued at about 100K. They formed the backbone of our 1968-69 champions team - and to add insult to Rotherham, Watson came back within about 18 months (on a free I think) and we eventually sold Harold Wilcockson to the Wendies, I think in exchange for Archie Irvine and Ian Branfoot (again valued at ca 100K), before Harold came back again later in his career (again I think on a free). We were pretty good at innovative wheeling and dealing in those days      

[Highland Rover]

Could Peter Doherty be considered as a player ?

or was his best behind him when he came to Rovers ?

[Wokingviking]

If loan players were allowed you'd have to have Tony Woodcock in there surely?

Have to disagree with the Snodins comment - Glyn was a better player for my liking (and the pro's that played with them both tend to say the same apparently) but he probably stayed at Rovers too long for his own good.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Can't argue with most of Ldr's team.

Other than to say that Jimmy O'Connor is by a long way the best right back I've seen in my near-40 years watching. Billy Russell was a good lad in a decent team, but O'Connor is on a different plane.

EDIT:

Subs:
Neil Sullivan - for his Wembley performance alone. He was a rock in the last 20 minutes when we might have crumbled and looked every inch the accomplished top-level player that he was.

Rufus Brevett - Pushes Glynn close at left back - probably a better defender but not so devastating going forwards

Darren Moore - by some way the best CH I've ever seen for us

Brian Stock - As skillful a passer as Ian Snodin but without the ruthless streak.

Ian Miller - The last of the great old fashioned touchline hugger.

Peter Kitchen - Nuff said

Billy Sharp - If he carries on for another couple of seasons the way he's played for most of the last 18 months, he'll be as good as any finisher we've ever had.

[Ldr]

Windy was very close BST and my dad is not happy that I havn't included Johnny Mooney, Kitch and big Bren!

[LongbridgeMGRover]

a nice selection indeed.

i wonder how this might be answered in a few years time, as we are currently in our 'golden age',and as this is the highest we have been, in an increasingly more technically demanding game, our best ever 11 is probably with us right now!!!except i'd want Greeny, Wellens and Mills back.

how would the partnership of Peter Kitchen and Brendan O'Callaghan really fare these days? could they ever have held their own at this level?? they are my heroes from the early 70s.

one who did for a time was Mike Elwiss, who went to the then mighty Preston.

and what about Tony Coleman who went on to score at Wembley for Man City [if memory serves me correctly]??

another great must surely be Albert Broadbent, you would not find him wearing gloves, snood and lycra undergarments!!!

and as for our best manager, perhaps Lawrie McMenemy, with Maurice Setters as assistant coach, or again more likely the present combo.

if we went off the field, dream owner is surely Ken Richardson or was that a nightmare?

[BobG]

If we're talking simply talent as a criteria, then Terry Curran has to be right in the mix. Daft as a brush, but one helluva player. Didn't he get badly injured after he went to Forest and Cloughie?

Mike Elwiss was another who was destroyed by injury. He'd left Preston for the 'Team of the Eighties' under Terry Venables. He was a good player. His Dad was a regular at BV for aeons - but I haven't seen him around for quite a long time now. Anyone else seen him in the last few years?

BobG

[Wokingviking]

BobG wrote:

If we're talking simply talent as a criteria, then Terry Curran has to be right in the mix. Daft as a brush, but one helluva player. Didn't he get badly injured after he went to Forest and Cloughie?

Mike Elwiss was another who was destroyed by injury. He'd left Preston for the 'Team of the Eighties' under Terry Venables. He was a good player. His Dad was a regular at BV for aeons - but I haven't seen him around for quite a long time now. Anyone else seen him in the last few years?

BobG

I believe Mike Elwiss married one of the Preston director's daughters so might be back in that area, but not sure about his dad - didn't he work at Harvesters in his time?

Wasn't TC bombed out by Cloughie?... thereby missing out on European Cup glory, and went down to the 3rd Div with Wednesday before playing at the highest level again with the likes of Derby, Everton and Saints.  He had loads of clubs and it seems like no manager could ever properly handle him (including Cloughie?).  For all TC's mercurial talent, I thought Ian Miller was a better traditional winger - the sight of him skipping down the wing skinning defenders remains one of the most beautiful sights I can recall in football.

[Ldr]

Any more suggestions or comments before I send this in?

[kybone]

I've only been going to the rovers for about 10 years but the best player i've seen in that time has got to be Michael McIndoe! I always knew on my way to a game that i was certain to be entertained. We were always sure to have chances even if we didn't score and it was all about McIndoe for a for that few seasons. His goal against Arsenal alone surely puts him in contention! others i would suggest are maybe Green for the way he came up through the leagues with us and remained one of the clubs best players along the way, and Steve Foster as he was the rock that our sound defence was built around until he was hounded out by Dave Penny. Maybe Tim Ryan? Loved him. I suppose you have to account for the level that the team was playing at.

[MrFrost]

No Colin Douglas?

[Ldr]

Coppinger selection has aged well 😁

[Chris Black come back]

Very good selection by ldr. I would propose Syd Bycroft perhaps, as CB. I would also be minded to swap out Neil Redfearn for either Brian Stock or squeeze in Doherty himself to midfield somehow.