Best player in 50 years to pull on a Rovers shirt

[Draytonian III]

Are you sure Benaldo that Diouf is the best player to pull on a Rovers shirt , now before you give me stream of abuse and accuse me of being Sam Hird,s dad, Mark Wilson,s brother,Lewis Guy,s uncle,Stan Brookes,s son etc ,think long and hard that a lot of people on here have long and very good memories about previous players. 50 years is a long,long time,so be very careful

[benaldo]

Yes I do. But don't take my word for it.

African player of the year twice.
Played in the premiership for years.
Named in Pele's top 100 greatest living footballers.
Represented his country numerous times.


I can't off the top of my head think of a single Rovers player who can match that lot. No disrespect to any Rovers player living or dead (including Sam Hird).

[Lewis Guys Dentist]

Stats say hes one of the best players to put on the Rovers shirt.
But opinion wise. Alot would disagree with you.
one of Pele's top 100 players. A opinion.

[dickos1]

And its Benaldos opinion that he is, all we've all got is opinions. There cant be facts about something like this. Its a crap arguement anyway, hes played 70 mins for us. In january we might all be agreeing with Benny

[benaldo]

Well, you can't base opinions on just 73 minutes of football (as someone already mentioned somewhere else on here)....

All I'm saying is that on paper, and taking into account he's still only 30, he's by far the best player to have put on a Rovers shirt. And like I said don't take my opinion, take Pele's, or the judges that selected him for African player of the year twice, or his countrys selectors, or the Liverpool scouts, etc etc etc

And if you need any current proof, watch the pass to Billy here -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8X7vQr7iGo

Class, if ever there was. And that's from a guy who hasn't played football for 5 months! If it's a sign of things to come, then in a couple of games no-one will be woryying about his credentials on here will they!?

[Donnybob]

I'd take Alick Jeffrey at the same age over the saliva doner...

[dickos1]

Dont think Alick Jeffrey at 30 years of age would of been much good to us to be honest

[Draytonian III]

Of course a forum is about opinions,everyone to their own,all I said that people have long memories about previous players that have worn a Rovers shirt

[silent majority]

Alick Jeffrey

Tony Coleman

I had the pleasure of seeing all of them, so my opinion is based on what I've seen.

[Padge_DRFC]

Its a shame this forum is not facebook where you can remove someone from your feed who just writes crap all day. If you are basing something on what someone has done in the past, pretty sure Neil Sullivans up there then.

[charledrfc]

Peter Doherty

Clarrie Jordan

[Filo]

Its a shame this forum is not facebook where you can remove someone from your feed who just writes crap all day. If you are basing something on what someone has done in the past, pretty sure Neil Sullivans up there then.

I don`t think Sulli was African player of the year, but, then again I could be wrong, after all Idi Amin was king of Scotland, who would have thought that?

[wilts rover]

just think, either
a)none of these players are fit to lace EHD boots
b) benaldo talks b*****ks
the choice dear reader is yours.....

Peter Doherty – sold for a near British transfer record, won Championship with Man City (their top scorer, 30 goals that season) FA Cup with Derby, scored in final, 423 career appearances, 205 goals (that nearly 1 every two games if my maths is right) and famously player manager for us in the previous best ever period in our history

\"Peter Doherty was surely the genius among geniuses. Possessor of the most baffling body swerve in football, able to perform all the tricks with the ball, owning a shot like the kick of a mule, and, with all this, having such tremendous enthusiasm for the game that he would work like a horse for ninety minutes. That was pipe-smoking Peter Doherty, the Irish redhead who, I am convinced, had enough football skill to stroll through a game smoking that pipe-and still make the other twenty-one players appear second-raters. But of course Peter never strolled through anything. His energy had to be seen to be appreciated.\" [

Billy Bremner – won Championship twice, FA Cup once, Fairs Cup, League Cup, captain of his national team at a World Cup - in both the English and Scottish Football Hall of Fame, has a statue erected to him outside some ground somewhere, included in the Football League 100 legends

Steve Nichol, 5 Championships, 3 F A Cups, European Cup, Footballer of the Year, 1989, scored 36 goals for Liverpool (which is more than Diouf has in British football!)

Harry Gregg – most expensive goalkeeper in the world when transferred from us, best goalkeeper of the tournament 1958 World Cup, 10 years at Man U, 2 Championships, 1 FA Cup

Tony Woodcock, PFA Young Player of the Year, 1 Championship, 1 European Cup, 16 goals in 42 appearances for England

[RoversAlias]

He's got a point though. Sully played as a first choice Premier League for over a decade, and has also \"played numerous times for his country\".

If the selectors get confused when watching our matches over the next few months then he might still be in with a shout of African Player of the Year as well!

[not on facebook]

the major problem with what people think about diouf that first smacks
you in the face is all the shite that the player himself has brought
upon himself.

if you had a daughter and she walked up yer garden path hand in hand with diouf
you soon kick the pratt back down.

but that dont take away his talent on the pitch.

i was thinking other day when doiuf played alongside sharp other nite,after all what
billy sharp had gone throu with loss of his son that just maybe after the game doiuf sat
back and had a good long hard think about his actions over the yers

and maybe just maybe diouf as woke up and smelt the coffee,to which rovers
will heap in bounds in next 3months.

time will tell.

[Alickismyhero]

There is one way out on his own....

...KING ALICK

If things had worked out better with the Busby babes he would have been one of the best in the world. I suppose its only us geriatrics who can vouch for that.

[Berkshire Rover]

I've always thought that comparisons across generations are pointless, the ability of Clarrie Jordan or Alick Jeffrey to deal with the game in the context of the game in their day is beyond question, but tcould they have coped with much better pitches, a featherlight ball, a more athletic game, similarly could any of today's stars including El Hadji Diouf cope with a wet through laced up Casey ball on mud baths etc.

In the Coal Hole tonight we talked about the excitement generated a couple of years ago about the possibility of signing a 35? Year old Dean Windass!

What I'm interested in is the here and now, I wasn't there on Tuesday but anybody who has taken 20% of the man of the match vote ff Billy I suspect is a reasonable player!

I said before the game on Tuesday that I'll judge any player who dons he rd and white hoops on the basis of what he does for us and I stand by that!

[benaldo]

Forgot to add

2002 world cup  - elected to the all star team

2003 League cup winner with Liverpool (was that at wembley?)

69 international caps and 21 goals

[streatham dave]

Yeah nearly a 1 in 3 strike rate at international level that's some going.

[Spike]

I have to say Alick Jeffrey.  Wasn't it Sir Matt Busby himself that said if we had signed Alick we would have had no need for George Best.  Sir Matt wasn't the only one with praises for him.  

The only other that I think could come close could be Harry Gregg.

[AbsolutDRFC]

Alick Jeffrey

Tony Coleman

I had the pleasure of seeing all of them, so my opinion is based on what I've seen.

You're not that old Martin!!

By the way, did you hear the Summerbee interview about Balotelli not being as bigger nutter as Coleman? Class....

[AbsolutDRFC]

just think, either
a)none of these players are fit to lace EHD boots
b) benaldo talks b*****ks
the choice dear reader is yours.....

Peter Doherty – sold for a near British transfer record, won Championship with Man City (their top scorer, 30 goals that season) FA Cup with Derby, scored in final, 423 career appearances, 205 goals (that nearly 1 every two games if my maths is right) and famously player manager for us in the previous best ever period in our history

\"Peter Doherty was surely the genius among geniuses. Possessor of the most baffling body swerve in football, able to perform all the tricks with the ball, owning a shot like the kick of a mule, and, with all this, having such tremendous enthusiasm for the game that he would work like a horse for ninety minutes. That was pipe-smoking Peter Doherty, the Irish redhead who, I am convinced, had enough football skill to stroll through a game smoking that pipe-and still make the other twenty-one players appear second-raters. But of course Peter never strolled through anything. His energy had to be seen to be appreciated.\" [

Billy Bremner – won Championship twice, FA Cup once, Fairs Cup, League Cup, captain of his national team at a World Cup - in both the English and Scottish Football Hall of Fame, has a statue erected to him outside some ground somewhere, included in the Football League 100 legends

Steve Nichol, 5 Championships, 3 F A Cups, European Cup, Footballer of the Year, 1989, scored 36 goals for Liverpool (which is more than Diouf has in British football!)

Harry Gregg – most expensive goalkeeper in the world when transferred from us, best goalkeeper of the tournament 1958 World Cup, 10 years at Man U, 2 Championships, 1 FA Cup

Tony Woodcock, PFA Young Player of the Year, 1 Championship, 1 European Cup, 16 goals in 42 appearances for England

Good shouts here Wilts, but I guess this falls into 2 categories....

a) Best player in 50 years to perform in a Rovers shirt

Alick Jeffrey
Michael McIndoe
William Sharp
Peter Doherty
Harry Gregg

versus

b) Best player (full stop) to pull on a Rovers shirt (despite not being at their peak)


Option b) has to be Paul Gascoigne

But you can argue Diouf, Nev Southall, Shez, King Billy, etc; who have all \"been\" exceptional players in their time. Unfortunately we didn't have them at their peak.

[donnybez]

Barry Miller! Hands down :-D

[ditch_drfc]

Why is everyone shouting Benaldo down because he has an opinion that is positive on Diouf???

I don't agree with everything he says, but on this occasion i do. On paper Diouf is the best player to pull on a Rovers shirt. You can not deny what is written in black and white on paper!

Sometimes to me, it seems that all people ever do on here is post to be negative and to create and argument, probably because they have had a bad day. But what's the point?

We have Diouf now, we can't change it, like him or not, if he gets us the goals and assists then it's working! End of!

have your opinions by all means, but don't go shouting people down because they are positive about the team.

[bobjimwilly]

Why is everyone shouting Benaldo down because he has an opinion that is positive on Diouf???

I don't agree with everything he says, but on this occasion i do. On paper Diouf is the best player to pull on a Rovers shirt. You can not deny what is written in black and white on paper!

Sometimes to me, it seems that all people ever do on here is post to be negative and to create and argument, probably because they have had a bad day. But what's the point?

We have Diouf now, we can't change it, like him or not, if he gets us the goals and assists then it's working! End of!

have your opinions by all means, but don't go shouting people down because they are positive about the team.

Who is \"shouting down\" benaldo? I've just read all the previous posts and all anyone is doing is giving their opinion on who they think the best player in 50 years for The Rovers is, which is what the whole thread is about? Get a grip...

[silent majority]

Alick Jeffrey

Tony Coleman

I had the pleasure of seeing all of them, so my opinion is based on what I've seen.

You're not that old Martin!!

By the way, did you hear the Summerbee interview about Balotelli not being as bigger nutter as Coleman? Class....

Mark,
You're too kind!....just incorrect, I saw them both, admittedly Jeffrey was on his 2nd time around but he was still immense.

Yes, I heard that. What was also mentioned the other night was that up until Ya Ya Toure scored his first then the last goalscorer for Man City at any way tie in Europe was Tony Coleman.

[ditch_drfc]

Why is everyone shouting Benaldo down because he has an opinion that is positive on Diouf???

I don't agree with everything he says, but on this occasion i do. On paper Diouf is the best player to pull on a Rovers shirt. You can not deny what is written in black and white on paper!

Sometimes to me, it seems that all people ever do on here is post to be negative and to create and argument, probably because they have had a bad day. But what's the point?

We have Diouf now, we can't change it, like him or not, if he gets us the goals and assists then it's working! End of!

have your opinions by all means, but don't go shouting people down because they are positive about the team.

Who is \"shouting down\" benaldo? I've just read all the previous posts and all anyone is doing is giving their opinion on who they think the best player in 50 years for The Rovers is, which is what the whole thread is about? Get a grip...

\"Its a shame this forum is not facebook where you can remove someone from your feed who just writes crap all day. If you are basing something on what someone has done in the past, pretty sure Neil Sullivans up there then.\"

Obviously you didn't read all the posts correctly. . . \"get a grip\"

[wilts rover]

Why is everyone shouting Benaldo down because he has an opinion that is positive on Diouf???

I don't agree with everything he says, but on this occasion i do. On paper Diouf is the best player to pull on a Rovers shirt. You can not deny what is written in black and white on paper!

Sometimes to me, it seems that all people ever do on here is post to be negative and to create and argument, probably because they have had a bad day. But what's the point?

We have Diouf now, we can't change it, like him or not, if he gets us the goals and assists then it's working! End of!

have your opinions by all means, but don't go shouting people down because they are positive about the team.

I am not 'shouting down' benaldo at all, just pointing out that he is factually incorrect. Not 'in my opinion' but factually there are a number of players who have put on a Rovers shirt in the past 50 years who have as much as, if not more, of a claim to be the best player across their whole careers to do so - which was benaldo's argument. I am not saying that he is not one of the most skillfull players that we currently have, he is almost certainly the most skillfull in the current squad, but that wasn't the question.

[inSODwetrust]

In my lifetime, Greeny, Heffernan, Wellens or Sharp

[Berkshire Rover]

If the question is ( as I believe it to be) who has proved throughout their career to be the best player who at some point has worn a Rovers shirt, I find t difficult to argue against Diouf.

If the question is who has performed the best as a Rovers player in the last 50 years, given that we have only been in the  second tier for the last three and a bit seasons, I would think that Billy Sharp would take some beating, (I'm a bit biased as I'm a relative newcomer as I've only been going on a regular basis for 33 years.

If the question is which Rovers player has had the biggest impact on the club, there can only be one answer............

John Ryan!!!!!