[Archived] Greatest Ever UK XI

[joey_big_nose]

The beeb website has an article on this. Feel free to click through.

Link

Just wondering who people would go for from the period after they started watching the game. It all gets a bit stupid when people are sticking down players they have never seen play beyond videos on youtube. I know some folks on here have been around for quite a while so hopefully will be able to consider the great scottish players of the 60s, 70s and 80s, as well as the Best, Jennings and John Charles.

For me 1990 is when I started watching which coincides with when all the home nations bar England seem to have stopped producing any quality players (why is that Majiball?). Anyhoo, on that basis:-

-------------------Shilton

Neville----Adams----Hendry----A Cole

------------Robson---Gerrard

-----Bale---Gascoingne---Giggs

------------------Shearer

Hmmm... pretty strong team. Although to be perfectly honest the only non English player who definately deserves to be in is Giggs. Bale I've stuck in there because he is clearly going to be outstanding though lacking in pedigree. Hendry is a bit of a sympathy vote. Ferdinand, Terry etc are all as good as much as I hat them. Gerrard in terms of raw talent deserves a place as he has been truely exceptional for Liverpool - but then people will argue he has done very little internationally which is a fair point. Feel dirty for putting Neville and A Cole in but to be honest they are the best full back the UK has produced in the last 22 years by quite a distance...

Shilton, Shearer, Gascoigne, Giggs are the four truly brilliant British players of the period in my opinion. Rooney arguably up there as well. The rest it is a matter of opinion.

[Ferrit]

Bale? Really?

He's shown fantastic potential, but to say he's the best ever? He could certainly get there, but I wouldn't have him in there at this moment in time, he hasn't done enough. Beckham would be more deserving in my eyes.

Hard to leave Lineker out as well in my eyes, albeit slightly older in terms of his earlier playing days than 1990. Drop Gerrard, push Gazza back and slot Lineker in up front with big Al.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Scholes and Owen at their peak maybe?

[roverandout]

mine would be

seaman

ash cole

adams

terry

neville

giggs

scholes

gazza

beckham

shearer

le tissier

[joey_big_nose]

Bale? Really?

Well it's just my opinion but of all the British players out there today he is the one who is going to be a true 'worldy'. I think he will put Rooney in the shade in time.

[Ferrit]

Well it's just my opinion but of all the British players out there today he is the one who is going to be a true 'worldy'. I think he will put Rooney in the shade in time.

You could well be right, not disagreeing at all, but "going to be a worldy" shouldn't overwrite what others have achieved already surely?

As you say, your opinion and fair play but I don't think he's deserving of being in an all time XI as he hasn't done it "yet"

[Mike E]

Started watching in 2000, so can't offer much in terms of originality:

---------------------D.Seaman

G.Neville----J.Terry----S.Campbell----Ash.Cole

---------------------Roy.Keane

------------S.Gerrard-----P.Scholes

--D.Beckham--------------------------D.Duff

----------------------A.Shearer

Does Duff count? If not, I'll go for the unoriginal R.Giggs :/

[Ferrit]

Started watching in 2000, so can't offer much in terms of originality:

---------------------D.Seaman

G.Neville----J.Terry----S.Campbell----Ash.Cole

---------------------Roy.Keane

------------S.Gerrard-----P.Scholes

--D.Beckham--------------------------D.Duff

----------------------A.Shearer

Does Duff count? If not, I'll go for the unoriginal R.Giggs :/

Keane doesn't either, ROI

[Salgado Is A Hero]

"When all the home nations bar England seem to have stopped producing any quality players"....and then you include Giggs and Bale.

What have England even done with these "quality players?"........Most of them play well for their clubs but not really for the national side (in major tournaments). With the possible exceptions of players like Gascoigne, Beckham and Ashley Cole.

[he6rt6gr6m]

BALE?!

PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! THAT IS HILARIOUS!!

[den]

BALE?!

PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! THAT IS HILARIOUS!!

Rubbish full back.

[Amo]

Nigel Martyn was better than Seaman.

[jim mk2]

1. Gordon Banks

2 Sir Keith Newton

3. Terry Cooper

4. Billy Wright

5. Mike England

6. Duncan Edwards

7. Bryan Douglas

8. George Best

9 Tommy Lawton.

10. Denis Law

11 Tom Finney

That lot would run rings round any modern-day team.

[BuckyRover]

"When all the home nations bar England seem to have stopped producing any quality players"....and then you include Giggs and Bale.

What have England even done with these "quality players?"........Most of them play well for their clubs but not really for the national side (in major tournaments). With the possible exceptions of players like Gascoigne, Beckham and Ashley Cole.

To be fair, they don't play well at international level but Netherlands/Portugal haven't either and van Persie / Ronaldo are still world class.

Gerrard, Rooney, Ferdinand, Scholes, Beckham etc have all won the champions league and that is a pretty big competition.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Agree with that altho I would possibly argue that most Netherlands/Portugal players play well whereas most England players do not.

Completely agree with the 2nd part altho I would always admit players like Lampard and Gerrard produce great performances in the Champions League with a key reason for that being, in my opinion, these players (with the exception of Beckham) care more about their clubs than the national team.

If u were to ask John Terry, would u rather win the Euro's or Champions League with Chelsea? Or Gerrard, the Euro's or Premier League with Liverpool? I would probably bet money on them both saying the 2nd one.

There are a variety of reasons for this but the fact that a club or country debate even exists in England goes a long way to explaining it.

Not that every fan cares more about their club than their country but in the majority of other countries it isn't even an issue.

[neekoy]

This was very funny

Wayne Hennesey

Mark delaney - Danny Gabbidon -James Collins - Neil Taylor

Craig Bellamy - Aaron Ramsey - Simon Davies - Gareth Bale

Earnshaw - John hartson

[DP]

A nice distraction

Started watching 1984

Simple effective 4-4-2 with the right blend of quality and passion

Southall

Parker

Adams

Hanson

Pearce

Beckham

Souness

Gazza

Giggs

Beardsley

Shearer

shame to leave out Dalglish, Rush, Hughes, Scholes and Lineker

That midfield would steamroll anyone

[Mattyblue]

Banks

Sansom

Moore

Blanchflower

Pearce

Gascoigne

Souness

Best

Finney

Dalglish

Shearer

[joey_big_nose]

Hmm... It does seem a bit stupid I left out Scholes. Hmm. Would drop Gerrard for him i think as Scholes actually had quite a few good games for England.

[Mike E]

Keane doesn't either, ROI

Bah, buggery! Gotta be Flitcroft then

[Cocker]

I have read the page a few times now and can't see that any of you have put Sherwood in

He was better than Zidane for crying out loud

[Mike E]

I have read the page a few times now and can't see that any of you have put Sherwood in

He was better than Zidane for crying out loud

While I was too young to appreciate this at the time, just think we could've had Zidane and Roy Keane in our midfield at one point.....whoa!

[joey_big_nose]

"When all the home nations bar England seem to have stopped producing any quality players"....and then you include Giggs and Bale.

Giggs is clearly was a brilliant world class player who is up there as one of the best the islands have ever produced. I included Bale adn Hendry basically to make the side a bit more cosmopolitan. To be honest Hendry doesn't deserve to be in there, and Bale as other have pointed out is all potential at the moment.

Both my folks are Scots, and I would also love Wales and NI to have compeitive teams, but since 1990 giggs is the only truly excellent player to come out of those countries. Bellamy deserves a mention as we all know, and Darren Fletcher is a very decent player, but hardly in the same league as the Shearer's/Gascoignes/Scholes/Gerrard etc.)

[K-Hod]

Seaman,

G Neville, S. Campbell Terry A.Cole

Beckham Scholes Gascoigne Giggs

Shearer Owen

So basically, England with Giggs on the left....

[Salgado Is A Hero]

But quite a few non-England players play much better than their countries than they do for their clubs.

Players like Podolski, Robinho, Klose etc. For British players, McFadden is an unbelievable player for Scotland.

I know Scotland haven't qualified for a major tournament since 1998 so it's hard to judge their players' performances on the international stage but a lot of them consistently play better than certain England players do even tho they aren't as good at club level......i'm basing this on mostly on their performances against quality oppostion eg France and Spain etc

Don't really know what my main point is to be fair.......England have produced the pick of the players over the last 20 years but in a 23 man British squad I would definitely have quite a few Scottish and Welsh players