Left wing

[broadsword]

Thought he went to Wolves?

Doesn't he run a bar in Wolves home end, called Waggy's?

[FourLaneBlue]

Sellars had the chance to make it with us but apparently had a falling out with Kenny.

He went to Leeds the season after they won the championship and then onto Newcastle.He didn't really do that well at either club-he also slagged us off too many times.He won't get my vote.

Sellars did not do so well at Newcastle? First time I've ever heard that slant put on his time there!

[Exiled in Toronto]

Thought he went to Wolves?

Doesn't he run a bar in Wolves home end, called Waggy's?

He came to us from Wolves where he spent most of his career - including a European final - and I have no doubt he would walk into their all-time team.

Jim Smith signed him for next to nothing as Wolves clearly thought he was shot, but that proved to be far from true. He alone kept us from dropping back down to the third in our first season up. He could dribble at least as well as Duffer, but he wasn't really a get to the bye-line and cross it kind of winger. More often than not he would release John Bailey to do that.

His forte was to get the ball on the left wing just inside his own half. Then, seemingly without even looking, he would unleash a 60-70 yard crossfield pass over their left back which had so much backspin on it that it would almost stop dead for the onrushing Kevin Hird to latch onto. His god-like status at the time was cemented by his opening goal in the historic 3-2 Boxing Day victory at the Turd.

The arrival of Jim Iley as manager spelt the end, both for Waggy and for Iley, when he sold him to Blackpool and replaced him with the European cup winning but usless John Aston. After Iley was sacked, the caretaker manager John Pickering brought Waggy back, but as 92-er reported earlier, Waggy was injured after 2 games and never appeared again.

Only Speedie has achieved a similar level of fan favouritism in such a short period with the club.

But despite all that, I will be going with the herd and voting for Duffer, although I have to say that I think some of the portrails of him in this thread suffer from the usual Short Term Memory Syndrome. The world class tag only applied to the latter days of his Ewood stay.

In the several seasons before Souness arrived, Duffer was more often than not an enigmatic, slightly overweight, hunch-shouldered, rather folorn figure out on the left touchline, who would mostly just play the ball back to Stig. He was completely ineffectual in our relegation team and the first season in Div 1. Where was the Dickov-like stampede for his services when we went down? I think Souness's greatest achievement as a manager of players was the reinvention of Duffer.

Another factor which slightly taints the Irish wizard for me was his national and global exposure as a diver i.e. a cheat. The penalty he won for Ireland in the World Cup was clearly a dive; but for me the worst one was at the Hawthorns in West Brom's first season up. They were a crap team, but he still felt he needed to dive, and was clearly exposed on TV as doing so. Also his trademark cutting across the defender after coming inside, which won him many free kicks, was usually a tumble at the slightest of contacts. But hey, he was our diver, so that's OK.

Please spare me the torrent of abuse for not slavishly worshipping young Damien - I'm still voting for him as the best left winger - but I think he is a tier below the true greats like Shearer, Crompton etc.

[Hughesy]

What exactly did Damien Duff do for us? He was injured alot. The best thing about him was the 17million we recieved.

Jason Wilcox

[bellamy11]

What exactly did Damien Duff do for us?

Score goals? Create them? Terrorise defences? Give us something to look forward to? Be worth the price of admission alone?

[bazza]

Brotherston, Sellars, Wilcox, Duff - we've not done bad have we? and that's just in my time.

And before them were Wagstaffe, Harrison, McLeod and Langton.

That's another four in my lifetime.

[waggy]

as my name dictates every football fan loves a winger,waggy was one on his own,he also has his name in history s being the 1st footballer to get the red card.

sellars was also a very good player,i can still visualise him scooting down the wing,crossing the ball for hendry in a 3-3 draw v bournemouth.

noel noel he is the king off ewood park,was a fantastic player who died to young,then again they say only the good die young.

wilcox was a particular favourite off mine,the 1st game i saw him play he beat his man with ease,and crossed into the darwen end terrace,this continued all the game.under dagliesh he became more composed and laid on many off sherers goals.

duff all we need is duff,from the youth team to the irish national side this man was worth watching.i even watch chelski on tv because off this guy,he is so unpredictable,never runs in a straight line,he turns on a tanner and he is class.eit says it all in his above post,he may have been drawn into oblivion when he was always dropped under parkes,but the guy bounced back.if there was ever a rover worth paying money to watch this is him.i expect him to win by a landslide so waggy gets my vote

[Blue blood]

It has to be Duff. As the others mentioned such as Wilcox and Sellar's were good but Duff is arguably the best left winger in the Prem, and is one of the top players in the Prem, let alone for Blackburn. Pires, Giggs - I'd rather have Duff any day.

The arguments for Duff have been put forward so I won't repeat them but just state a couple of things that clinch it for me. Duff playing as a right winger vs Leciester under Hodgeson in the 5-3 victory - as I recall he terrorized them that day. His goal against Ipswich was awesome, most of his goals were pretty spectacular, but that one was a cracker even for him. Nothing special about the finish but the fact that he started when he was half way in the opposition half with the ball about to go out for a throw with several defenders around him. No one in the ground was expecting anything yet 30 seconds later the balls in the back of the net, another super goal from Duff. And that to me is why he's so good, from next to nothing a scrapy incident near the touchline, Duff managed to get a goal for Rovers with his running, skill and a bit of magic. Duff, like all truely class players, had the ability to make something from nothing that bit of magic which made you realise you're watching a football genius.

[den]

Time to vote in the last of the midfielders.

[Roaming Rover]

Duff for me. The lad had the lot. Skill, workrate, crossing and could finish.

Wilcox is one of my all time favourite Rovers players and Sellers is and always will be a legend, but Duff was something special.

Glad to see its neck and neck in the poll

[Alan75]

I've had the privalage to have seen them all since the 70's

Noel was brilliant, but we were in the lower leagues.

Waggy was good in the opposition half with pin point crosses, but he was in his latter years and Bailey did a lot of the spade work.

Sellers was another brilliant player but again it was during our lower league days.

Wilcox was a workhorse who could swing in a good cross, but he never really excited me like Duff.

Duff proved himself both in the first and premier, continually improving in his later years at Ewood he had everything, workrate ability to beat his man, dribbling crossing and the ability to get you on your feet, every time he had the ball.

The memories of him heading down in full flight towards the BBE, usually in the second half of a game will remain with me for ever.

Duff for me is the ultimate, someone who can play football and entertain.

[tchocky]

Gee, I wonder who will win this

[roversWASmylife]

What exactly did Damien Duff do for us?

Score goals? Create them? Terrorise defences? Give us something to look forward to? Be worth the price of admission alone?

Hughesy, how can you justify that?

Duff was one of the best players to play for Rovers. When we finished sixth, Duff probably with Friedel was our two best players in that season and the reason why we managed to achieve sixth place.

[mhead]

Just voted for a WORLD CLASS player and we saw his progress from the Youth team.Sorry Jason its not you!

[Eddie]

Voted for Duff. Only two on that list that I have actually seen live in person were Wilcox and Duff, and there was no doubt for me that Duff was the better player.

[jim mk2]

Voted for Wilcox.

Quality man.

Those who voted for the Chelsea badge-kisser should hang their heads in shame.

[bellamy11]

Voted for Wilcox.

Quality man.

Those who voted for the Chelsea badge-kisser should hang their heads in shame.

May I be the first to ask that nobody takes the bait?

[neekoy]

Looks like the spotted faced brigade have spoken eh jim!!!

Voted DUFF

Edited December 2, 2004 by neekoy

[soupdragon]

No competition in my book (nor many others by the look of it). Duff is one of the two genuinely world-class players I've seen at Ewood (Friedel has been superb but not truly world-class). Damien on the other hand is a magician, not only with tremendous ball control and dribbling ability, but with a tremendous awareness of what is going on around him and when to play the simple ball. Still remember his first game (4-2 defeat against Leicester last game of the season) and even I (being the great talent spotter that I am) thought the little shuffler had something special about him.

Scottie was one of my heroes but for all his class, he was never likely to get in the England squad no matter what some blue-eyed fans might think - I remember him playing for the U21s (and thinking "wow - a Rovers player with the three lions on his shirt!) but don't recall any real discussion (outside deepest East Lancs) of his chances for the full squad. But, at Ewood at the time, he was a breath of fresh air and an excellent get out when we were under pressure.

Jason - made the most of his modicum of talent. Listened to Ray Harford, worked hard for the team, did the simple things well and benefitted from playing crosses into the best centre forward of our team.

But Damien is head and shoulders over anyone else - I feel honoured to have seen him develop into a world-class while he was at Ewood, and still enjoy watching him play for Chelski.

[Jan]

Duffer by a country mile.

Only saw him and Jason, both quality, but Duffer is, as has been said before, one of only 2 world-class players we've had.

As for the £17million. I don't think there'd be many that would have taken that by choice. Except, unfortunately, those who were in power at the time. Still ranks as one of the two worst pieces of business we've done in recent time (the other being NOT giving Henning the extra year on his contract and wasting 3 times what he'd have cost in wages on the lardy Italian).

[samtheozzy]

I voted for the older players (ie not from the 90s) for the other positions but I simply cannot go past Duff. For me he is clearly our best ever left winger. There are certainly other wingers who have been underrated or performed a great service to the club but honestly, if you put them next to Duff there is little question about who is the better player.

[Brownie]

As for the £17million. I don't think there'd be many that would have taken that by choice. Except, unfortunately, those who were in power at the time. Still ranks as one of the two worst pieces of business we've done in recent time

Tris, do you want to handle this ?

I'm losing the will to live on this one.

[broadsword]

Just leave her to it, Brownie.

Believe me, it ain't worth it, you only get abuse in return!

[Hughesy]

What exactly did Damien Duff do for us?

Score goals? Create them? Terrorise defences? Give us something to look forward to? Be worth the price of admission alone?

What did he win with the club?

[Hughesy]

What exactly did Damien Duff do for us?

Score goals? Create them? Terrorise defences? Give us something to look forward to? Be worth the price of admission alone?

Hughesy, how can you justify that?

Duff was one of the best players to play for Rovers. When we finished sixth, Duff probably with Friedel was our two best players in that season and the reason why we managed to achieve sixth place.

With Wilcox on the left did we not finish 2nd and Win the league??