Right wing

[Alex Rover]

It will have to be this Douglas chap I guess.

That Pele chap (whoever he was) wasn't a bad player either.

Pele? Don't they make jeans? I saw Windy Miller in a nice pair once .

[Hasta]

Don't get me wrong here I thought Ripley made an outstanding contribution in his time at Ewood and was a good wing player. However to say that he was the best would surely not reflect well on the history of Blackburn Rovers. Yes Ripley could put a very good ball across but I always found his biggest problem that he was a bit of a one trick pony. Run up to the full back, knock it past him on the outside and either muscle through or whip a cross in. He never turned the defender inside out and very rarely cut inside. Now unlike other people who rely on the same trick like Gillespie or Gronkjaer he was very good at it but lacked the diversity of a Ronaldo or Duff to make him great.

The best I've seen? Probably.

The best ever? Surely not.

I want to vote Douggie but need more convincing. Come on Seniors make your case )

Edited October 15, 2004 by Hasta

[jim mk2]

I want to vote Douggie but need more convincing. Come on Seniors make your case )

If you knew your history of Blackburn Rovers, the club you are supposed to support, you would not write that.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Douglas to walk it,his name is still revered even in my generation,how many players can claim to have scored against Brazil?

Ripley comes second for me..the way he used to beat his man so consistently and then his pin point crosses to the head of Shearer brought only one painful conclusion for the opposition!.

I have not seen a winger to match his ability since he left the club.

[frosty]

There can only be one winner-

                                                Stuart Ripley

There speaks the voice of experience.

To anyone who does not vote for Bryan Douglas, the greatest player to wear a blue and white shirt, I hereby give warning that I shall personally come round to their hovel and stand on their heads.

Sorry, I weren't around in those days! Never seen Douglas play, but as far back as I can remember Ripley was an excellent winger.

[chris]

well I should say Bryan Douglas as he's a great player, helps my Dad and Aunt out with their Blackburn Family Tree (boring!!) and my Dad beat up his brother at School, but I have not seen enough of him

Sooooo the winner is Ripley, just brilliant to watch, kind of my replacement for Chris Waddle, in that they were both winger that love making defenders look useless, and consistently.

Just wish we had a player like Ripley in todays squad, that would put some bums in seats

[American]

I do appreciate the first hand recollections of some of the older members on this board. Al puts forward lots of good cases about the best players of the past, especially.

I won't say any more on the topic, though I am tempted after reading that last post.

[den]

I want to vote Douggie but need more convincing. Come on Seniors make your case    )

If you knew your history of Blackburn Rovers, the club you are supposed to support, you would not write that.

Jim, you're an intelligent guy. Just explain your reasons. The younger folks on here only have the word of such as yourself, to go off. If you don't tell them why you think Douglas was better than Rippley, they might never know.

[Hasta]

I want to vote Douggie but need more convincing. Come on Seniors make your case    )

If you knew your history of Blackburn Rovers, the club you are supposed to support, you would not write that.

Sorry jim, did the 'Seniors' jibe rub you up the wrong way.

[92er]

Noel Brotherston was not confined to the left wing until Saxton bought Miller who could play only one position.When I went to the (late) Brotherston's testimonial I was struck by how confined a role Noel had had to play after Miller arrived.He must have overlapped, on the time scale, with Waggie but Waggie was released,I think, by Jim Iley and therefore must have left before we were relegated to the 3rd again. I suspect that from then until Miller arrived Brotherston was given some leeway as to where he played.

I don't think right wing was Duggie's best position.It is where he played for England and where he played for the Rovers till approx Christmas 1959 when Roy Vernon was bought by Everton-I presume Johnny Carey had joined them by then.

However,it was as an inside-left that we got to Wembley and had the wonderful 1963/4 season.He was the creative force behind the team and was brilliant.

Jim- although as a youngster I thought BD was wonderful,I feel that Ronnie Clayton had skills that were more transferrable from one era to another and I suspect he is the best player I have ever seen for the Rovers.

[ABBEY]

There can only be one winner-

                                                Stuart Ripley

There speaks the voice of experience.

To anyone who does not vote for Bryan Douglas, the greatest player to wear a blue and white shirt, I hereby give warning that I shall personally come round to their hovel and stand on their heads.

thats me decided DONISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

BRING IT ON JIMBO

[bazza]

Bryan Douglas. Very much like Duff in a way. The ball seemed tied to his boot laces.

Regularly tricked his way to the by-line and layed it on a plate for someone. An England regular. He once leapt above the tall Spanish (I think) defence to head home a cross.

When playing later at inside left , against WBA at Ewood, attacking the Darwen end, he started on a mazey run from the left touchline just inside the WBA half. He jinked his way to the penalty area and with the WBA defence standing off expecting him to do his usual pass to someone else to score, he beat two more players and smashed the ball past the stunned Albion keeper; a real gem.

Incidentally this was at the time when the second half of a top league match was broadcast on radio. It was always kept secret but that day someone made a gaff and stated it would be Rovers v West Brom. I heard the gaff at lunch time and so took a portable transistor radio with me and listened whilst standing on the Blackburn End.

The commentator was in raptures about Duggy's goal.

[92er]

Roy Isherwood played for us in the late 50's before going to Ipswich, where he won the championship with Ramsey.

[92er]

Jock Simpson signed in 1911 for a record transfer fee of £1,800 and his signing was seen as quite a coup.He was a direct winger who also scored goals.167 apperances, 23 goals, 2 championship medals.Quite a player.

[bazza]

In my 53 years of watching Rovers, Douglas was the best.

2nd was Mike Ferguson. When Accrington Stanley folded and went out of the league (1961?) Ferguson came to Ewood. He was a lot taller than Douglas, looked round-shouldered; almost hunched; got the ball at his feet and seemed ever so slow as he shuffled along. All this was deceiving because his ball control was superb. The opposition couldn't get it off him.

He always seemed to have a stormer against Aston Villa. During a 4-0 win at Villa Park....(all this is in my head....no consultation of books...so I may not get it quite right..)

I wasn't there but the reports say Fergie waltzed round 7 Villa players, including the goalkeeper, and walked the ball into an empty net. He was a joy to watch.

3rd was Stuart Ripley. I liked Rippers.A greedy player. If the defence wanted a rest they gave it to him. He would play his own game with the opposition of "Come and get the ball off me if you can". He scored Rovers first Premier League goal v Palace. I think it was a header.

BUT, he kicked the ball up too many opposition backsides when trying to cross.

Wilcox produced more Shearer goals than Ripley.

Edited October 15, 2004 by den

[bazza]

Roy Isherwood played for us in the late 50's before going to Ipswich, where he won the championship with Ramsey.

I remember Roy Isherwood. I thought he played as an inside forward or as it's called nowadays "attacking centre midfield". He was pretty good but not brilliant.

I didn't know he was in Ramsey's title-winning side.

[Ninjathunder]

I like my head the shape it is. Bryan Douglas.

[steven]

Bryan Douglas from a purely footballing quality point of view (no contest)

OR

Windy Miller from a comedy 'tash point of view

[jim mk2]

2nd was Mike Ferguson.

He always seemed to have a stormer against Aston Villa. During a 4-0 win at Villa Park....(all this is in my head....no consultation of books...so I may not get it quite right..)

I wasn't there but the reports say Fergie waltzed round 7 Villa players, including the goalkeeper, and walked the ball into an empty net. He was a joy to watch.

I remember that goal. Some Villa friends of mine remember it too.

In many ways Fergie was more of an Ewood hero than Duggie. Fergie had a temper, though; he was sent off for knocking out Trevor Hockey against Coventry in 1967. That 2-1 defeat cost us promotion back to the old first division.

In an ideal team, Fergie would play right wing and Duggie, as has been mentioned, at inside left.

The trouble is the oiks struggle with the concept of inside left.

Ripley is not good enough to lick either of their boots.

[philipl]

I have been trying to find the statistics for Bryan Douglas' career with Rovers to do a comparison with Ripley.

The youngsters need to be aware that most of Bryan Douglas' career with the Rovers was spent in what is now the Premiership but that both he and Clayton were established England regulars BEFORE Rovers won promotion.

In broad terms, Douglas played over 500 Rovers games compared with Ripley's 200.

Douglas scored more than twice as many goals as Ripley did.

Douglas won 35 England caps and scored 7 England goals (I think) to Ripley's 2 caps and no goals.

Don't get me wrong, Super Stu was a fabulous player but those statistics are but the beginning of the story.

Imagine a vote between Ripley and Duff, who would win?

This is a vote between Ripley and a player who was better than Duff and consistently kept that standard for a dozen seasons.

Does this help?

[Manchester Blue]

There can only be one winner-

                                                Stuart Ripley

There speaks the voice of experience.

To anyone who does not vote for Bryan Douglas, the greatest player to wear a blue and white shirt, I hereby give warning that I shall personally come round to their hovel and stand on their heads.

That confirms my vote for Ripley then.

[tonyoz]

Duggie has got to be in the team somewhere...........although i wont complain if it isnt right wing. i must admit that i was surprised at the strength of feeling expressed by the mike england supporters in the last vote.........but for Duggie there can be no argument. he was and is a blackburn legend. somebody said that the ball was tied to his bootlaces..........thats how i would sum it up too.

i still remember the thrill of collecting his autograph at the players entrance on nutall street..........ah yes....happy days.

i would just like to put a word in for a man who was my number one hero for several years. Mike Ferguson.....im pleased that someone else on an earlier post mentioned him. To me he was like duffer would become........he even had the hunched knackered look!

He would turn an opposition fullback inside out......then come back and do it again just for the fun of it.

Im sure im not imagining this but does anyone else remember a filthy day way way back in the 60's........ewood was totally water-logged and we were playing bury i think.

rovers got a penalty (remember them?) and fergie was the man to take it.......but the goalmouth looked like a lake!

Up ran fergie and PASSED the ball to duggie who crashed it into the net...........2-1 win to rovers..........

great stuff.

duggie was playing inside forward then......but i dont know how you'll handle that den.........

i would love to vote for fergie......but i could never hold my head up if i didnt vote for duggie.

oh yes.......and just in case you think i am lost in the past...........a recent hero was stuart ripley.........i loved his commitment and attitude and he always came across as a modest and thoroughly decent bloke. in any other circumstances stuart would be the first on the teamsheet.....but hey.......we are talking legend here..........and didnt you oldies get a buzz out of seeing clayton and douglas sat next to each other at the worthington cup final..............even here in oz it brought a lump to my throat. Those guys lived and breathed Blackburn Rovers......what a pity we will never see their like again. Come on guys....do your duty!

[dave birch]

tears to my eyes, tony, tears to my eyes

[Tango]

Stuart Ripley was one of my favourite ever Blackburn Rovers player's, probably because I feel the best part of football is to see wingers turning a full back inside out before delivering the perfect cross for the striker to nod home (Arsenal's quick counter-attacking is beginnning to win me over though) and Ripley did just that, often in tandem with Wilcox.

The day we beat Sheffield Wednesday 7-2, Ripley was sheer class, setting up chances left, right and centre, an absolute marvel to watch.

However, we're talking Blackburn Greats and, much as I highly regarded Ripley, I've read and heard too much about Douglas to vote for anyone else. He gets my vote.

[den]

duggie was playing inside forward then......but i dont know how you'll handle that den.........

In one of the earlier discussions, I suggested we pick a side to play in a 3-5-2 formation, simply because of that problem. It was a formation that would have covered the modern day player and the players from yesteryear. The inside forwards such as Dobing, Vernon etc wont really have a chance in this poll, but there you go. No-one spoke out in favour of that, so we have gone 4-4-2.

So really, Douglas is either going to be selected to play right wing in this team, or nowhere. If he were to fail at R.W. - could he be nominated at central midfield? Well, yes he could, BUT it would be much more difficult to make out a case for his inclusion in a two man midfield.