YOUR XI, for no particular footballing reasons

**S�C** · 04/04/2005, 6:33 PM

Donno has thins been done before but pick 11 players that you always liked, for what ever strange reasons, they dont have to be the most gifted players ever, for me;

GK- Packie Bonner- His booming goal kicks, making funny faces and that peno save

RB- Denis Irwin- Cork man who was pure quality all through his career, never moaned or acted the prima donna.

CB- Baresi- fantastic and loyal player, always looked like he was homeless

CB- Blanc- much the same as Baresi, he used to drag France through games at times

LB- Maldini- no explanation needed

RM- Boban- tough chap, stood up to Serb Police thugs, making him a hero in Croatia, great championship manager signing

CM- Dave Barry- could have played at a much higher level but didnt want to or need to, succeeded at the top level in Ireland at two sports

CM- George O'Callaghan- best player currently in Ireland, by a distance, Port Vale once turned down a big money bid from Arsenal for him thinking they'd get more, new manager ment no Georgie and they released him on a free two year later. Vale's loss was City's gain. Class really shun through in European games.

LM- Le Tisser- so lazy yet so talented, couldnt be arsed leaving the Saints, scored the last goal at the Dell

FC- Roberto Baggio- What a player, never got the credit he deserved, served so many clubs so well. Was always a Forentina fan so he refused to take a peno against them while playing for Juve

FC- Mark Hughes- tough fella who was also fantastic with flicks, volleys and tricks

**Kerry Blue** · 04/04/2005, 7:46 PM

1. Thomas Ravelli: Those wild staring eyes
2. Nobby Stiles: The famous tooth-less 'smile' as he celebrated England's World Cup win in 1966
3. Paolo Maldini: Head and shoulders above any left back I have ever seen
4. Norman Whiteside: Beating Pel�'s record for being the youngest player ever to play in the World Cup
5. Kevin Moran: Those famous gashes to his head
6. Fernando Hierro: Being Spain's top goalscorer as a defender (until Raul) and for trying to relieve Niall Quinn of his shirt in Suwon.
7. Ian Marshall: The permed mullet
8. Ray Houghton: Stuttgart '88 and Meadowlands '94
9. Pel�: Because he was the best
10. Diego Maradona: The 'Hand of God' goal against England and then teasing Peter Shilton about it
11. Fabrizio Ravanelli: The 'shirt-over-the-head' goal celebration

**gustavo** · 04/04/2005, 8:55 PM

gk shay given great goalie seems like a nice guy

cb paolo maldini class act all the way

cb paul mcgrath see above

cb wes charles total legend for us in 98 - 99.seemed to be man of the match for every game he played in for us for about 6 months.
l
m lee sharpe my first favourite player in 90-91 was great for manchester united , never the same after the injury he got in 91 - 92

rm andrei kanchelskis after giggs i liked kanchelskis

cm steve birks sligo rovers hard man of the late 90s total legend and total nutter on the pitch

cm dragan stojkovic purely for the 1990 world cup

cf padraig moran great goalscorer ( well thats stretching it a bit ) but he did score for us regulary toward the mid to late 90s

cf robbie keane best ever irish striker full stop still only 24.. been following his career since august 1997.

cf eric cantona can see his limitations now , but at the time was a total legend for me .

**Thunderblaster** · 04/04/2005, 9:30 PM

GK: Packie Bonner. His performance in Euro'88 sums it up.
RB: Joe Lawless. He's absolutely flawless.
CB: Franco Baresi. Pure class on the ball and won every tackle.
CB: Paul McGrath. Majestic and dominant.
LB: Paolo Maldidni. Class act.
RM: David Cameron. Better passer and crosser of the ball than Goldenballs.
CM: Ronnie Whelan. That scissors kick against the USSR.
CM: Kenny Dalglish. Braveheart with flair. Scot and Scouse.
LM: Luke Byrne. Plenty of style and arrogance. Unlucky with injuries.
CF: Ian Rush. A goal machine. Great player.
CF: Johnny Jordan. As lethal as an assassin.

Manager: Jim Cameron. Great tactician. Better than Fabio Capello.

**ciaran76** · 05/04/2005, 8:30 AM

I'd play a 3-5-2 system. I am only basing this on players i have actually seen play.

1. Neville Southall
2.Cafu (RB/RM)
3.Maldini (CB)
4.Baresi (CB)
5.McGrath (CB)
6.Zidane (CM)
7.R.Gullit (CM)
8.Roy Keane (CM)
9.Van Basten (CF)
10.Maradona (CF)
11.Figo (LM) I know he can't defend !

**Colm55** · 05/04/2005, 9:58 AM

GK- Peter Schmeichel - who's better ?

RB - Denis Irwin - I was and still am a right full, this chap was and still is my idol.

CB - Paul McGrath - Brick Wall

CB - Steve Bruce - Superb during Man Utds dominance during early nineties to 1996/7

LB - Paulo Maldini - Still kicking the **** out of strikers

RM - Andrei Kanchelskis - fastest right winger i ever saw

CM - Roy Keane - Complete Midfielder

ACM - Stiochkov (spell??) - Players like this come around very rarely

LM - Zidane - slightly out of position but could not leave him out

FR - Denis Bergkamp - That goal Vrs Argentina 1998.... Close control and accuracy is still second to none

FR - John Aldridge - pounced on anything in the 18 yard box

And finally Franz Beckenbaur's managerial skills

**tiktok** · 05/04/2005, 10:02 AM

Just based on players I like, don't think the team would actually win anything

1. Stephen O'Brien - EL legend

2. Denis Irwin - never really got the credit he deserved
3. Paolo Maldini - for Loyalty to his club, and for being class
4. Deccie Daly - for hoofing it like nobody else in the world
5. Kevin Moran - for professionally fouling Peter Reid in '85, and risking his cup medal to win a trophy for the club

6. Pep Guardiola - Barca legend
7. Eric Cantona - Le Roi
8. Kelvin O'Flanagan - world's best penalty taker �nd champion burger eater
11. Zico - I still remember the first time I saw a football curve AROUND a wall, amazed

9. Ian Wright - great time for anyone who loves the game for the sake of it
10. Liam Coyle - for being class, pure and simple

**Risteard** · 05/04/2005, 10:19 AM

GK Steve Ogrizovic

RB Deccie Daly
LB Julian Dicks
CB Neil Ruddock
CB Vinny Jones

RM Gary McAllister
LM John Wark
CM Gheorghe Hagi
CM David Batty

CF Tony Cottee
CF Lee Chapman

**patsh** · 05/04/2005, 11:39 AM

Mine are not really in their right positions, but had to shift them around to get them in.

Can't decideon the GK: Joe O'Grady or Sepp Maier - they were BIG men when I was a boy and I was fascinated by them

Denis Irwin - An actual real role model for people
Chris Hughton - I really like this man, and have great respect for him
Paul McGrath - Gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling when he played!
Paolo Maldini - If I was a woman, I'd want to have endless sex with this guy!

John Lawson - I wanted to be him when I grew up!
Socrates - Even my mother loved him!
Franz Beckenbauer - Pure class
Rivelhino - He was the one that stood out for me in 1970

Kevin Doyle - I think this young lad is so special
Maradonna - for the greatest goal EVER scored

**OwlsFan** · 05/04/2005, 1:03 PM

Bonner: (pre-back pass rule: Bonner saves! Bonner saves!)
Tony Dunne and
Shay Brennan (Man U - my first recollection of Irish players doing well abroad)
Mick Lyons (Everton and Wednesday - put his head where others wouldn't put their foot)
Franz Beckenbauer (ultimate footballing centre half)
Frank O'Neill (Shamrock Rovers - best ever LOI player)
John Giles (again one of my first Irish soccer heroes)
John Sheridan (Wednesday's Irish international of the 1990s)
Gerd Muller (short ars*d striker supreme)
Eusebio (Portuguese artisan)
Pele (The star of that great team of the 1970 Finals)

**stojkovic** · 05/04/2005, 4:11 PM

David Seaman
Dan Petrescu
Andreas Brehme
Ronald Koeman
Ray Houghton
Luis Figo
Andreas Moller
Ronaldinho
Marco van Basten
Diego Maradona
Jan Age Fjortoft

Now theres a team for ya.

What do ALL of these players have in common ?

**stojkovic** · 05/04/2005, 4:13 PM

Originally Posted by gustavo

gk shay given great goalie seems like a nice guy
cb paolo maldini class act all the way
cb paul mcgrath see above
cb wes charles total legend for us in 98 - 99.seemed to be man of the match for every game he played in for us for about 6 months.
m lee sharpe my first favourite player in 90-91 was great for manchester united , never the same after the injury he got in 91 - 92
rm andrei kanchelskis after giggs i liked kanchelskis
cm steve birks sligo rovers hard man of the late 90s total legend and total nutter on the pitch
cm dragan stojkovic purely for the 1990 world cup
cf padraig moran great goalscorer ( well thats stretching it a bit ) but he did score for us regulary toward the mid to late 90s
cf robbie keane best ever irish striker full stop still only 24.. been following his career since august 1997.
cf eric cantona can see his limitations now , but at the time was a total legend for me .

You're wellcome.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 05/04/2005, 5:34 PM

Well seeing as I have an unlimited transfer budget and a time machine ( like everyone else) here goes.

GK: Dino Zoff.....One of the best ever . Once went over 1,000 minutes of international football without conceding a goal. He would also be captain as he skippered Italy to their 1982 World Cup triumph.

RB: Eric Gerets: The Belgian right-back one of the best defenders ever to come from a Benelux country.

LB: Paolo Maldini: One of the best left-backs ever.

CB: Paul McGrath: The only defender from the Premiership(or it's previous version) in recent years who would have made it in Serie A.

CB: Giacinto Facchetti: The ultimate sweeper in the old Catenaccio system. He would mind the store while others went up for corners. But when he did attack grabbed the odd goal.

RM: Dragan Dzajic: Former Red Star and Yugoslavia international. Like watching a Brazilian

CM: Dragan Stojkovic: "Piksi" is now the President of the Serbia/Montenegro Football Federation but he was always in charge on the field, playmaker supreme.

CM: Claudio Gentile: Tough as old boots, but he could also play a bit, and every team needs an enforcer. They didn't come anymore Dirty Harry-like then the bould Claudio.

LM: Didier Six: There has to be a Frenchman in this team and this left-winger gets my vote.

CF: Gerd Muller: There had to be at least one German in the team. Gerdi's goals ratio of 68 goals from approx. 63 games clinches it for him.

CF: Eusebio: When Pele got injured in 1966, he was for a time the best player in the world. Born in Mozambique he represented Portugal and his club Benfica magnificently until he moved to the North American Soccer League in the 1970's.

SUBS: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Kenny Dalglish, Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer, Dejan Savicevic,Pavel Nedved , Bobby Moore.

thecorner · 06/04/2005, 7:31 AM

GK: nigel martyn
RB: rob jones
CB: kev moran
CB: deccie daly
LB: denis irwin
RM: john salako
CM: roy keane
CM: bryan robson
LM: steve coppell
CF: andy johnson
CF: cantona

**Risteard** · 06/04/2005, 9:04 AM

Originally Posted by stojkovic

David Seaman
Dan Petrescu
Andreas Brehme
Ronald Koeman
Ray Houghton
Luis Figo
Andreas Moller
Ronaldinho
Marco van Basten
Diego Maradona
Jan Age Fjortoft

Now theres a team for ya.

What do ALL of these players have in common ?

They all scored against David Seaman?

**stojkovic** · 06/04/2005, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by Risteard

They all scored against David Seaman?

Close enough, they all scored against England in big games and in most cases knocked them out. Seaman on the other hand - did it all by himself.

**Bluebeard** · 06/04/2005, 5:13 PM

Gk Lev Yashin - Europes best for a decade
RB Chris Hughton - Shades Irwin barely for me - unsung hero
LB Paolo Maldini - Who else is there, except maybe Terry Phelan
CB Alan Barry - Solid at the back for years for the Blues
CB Franz Beckenbauer - Not called the Kaiser for nothing
RM Sean Malee - always done the biz for me on CM4
LM Terry Phelan - Simply a legend. Always enjoyed watching Terry.
CM Michele Platini - Finest European midfielder ever - my hero as a youth
CM Paul Cashin - Best mid in the league in his heyday, dreamed of this as a midfield pairing at Kilcohan when younger
CF John Aldridge - Born goal scorer
CF Beppe Signiori - Italy's best striker in the last 15 years, chronically ignored

Special mention to Ronnie O'Brien, former world player of the year

thecorner · 06/04/2005, 9:40 PM

Originally Posted by Bluebeard

LM Terry Phelan - Simply a legend. Always enjoyed watching Terry.

somebodies been on the funny stuff...me thinks

**harry crumb** · 06/04/2005, 10:40 PM

Packie Bonner - joint best keeper in the world until Holland 1994
Maldini - Great player still
Paul McGrath - Great player even when he was almost a cripple
Cannavaro - Small centre defender but doesnt matter, hes top class
Baresi - Classy despite always looking like an old man, like Declan daly
Ruud Guillet - Great player 6"4 in height, same as Niall Quinn. U wouldnt think it.
Diego Maradona - worth 50 stickers in Italia '90
Roy Keane - Give barnes a phunt up the hole is hes lazy
John Barnes - I have a video of pool vs everton in FA cup ended 4-3 with a glorious barnes goal.
Signori - No backlift for penalties
Jean Piere Papin - Great goalscorer

**razor** · 07/04/2005, 8:20 AM

GK-Oliver Kahn - Super Keeper
RB-Deccie Daly - He's gonna getcha
CB-Neil (Razor) Ruddock - Legend, all round funny guy
CB-Dave O'Leary - Got the No5 on my 1st ever Ireland jersey cos of him.
LB-Paolo Maldini - One of the greatest defenders ever.
RM-Steve McManaman - Was the ball really glued to his boot?
CM-Dave Barry - Scorer of the greatest live goal I ever saw in real life
CM-Jan Molby - Could pass the ball through the eye of a needle
LM-John Barnes - One of the best.
CF-Ronaldo - The greatest striker of his generation.
CF-Kenny Dalglish - Made my childhood a happy place.

Manager - Bob Paisley.