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well, am now at the landmark of 10,000 posts which shows a) how long GTFC have been disappointing and frustrating me , but b) also what a sad barsteward I am by having far too much time on my hands!
anyway to mark the occasion I though I'd select the eleven town players who I've most enjoyed watching. I think a common thread through my selection is that they were generally a step or 2 above in class from what we had at the time

GK) DAVE BEASANT - had the pleasure of seeing him twice during the loan period. Such a good keeper, but great organiser and i'd never heard such a positive, vocal goalie. Easily the best town keeper I've seen in 45+ years of watching Gy

RB) BRIAN LAWS - Laws was a damn good RB and I still smile about him dumping Dave Gilbert into the advertising hoardings by the lower Findus. Apart from that what really gets him in was the pace and quality of the football we played under him. It was absolutely brilliant at times and a step up from even the best of Buckley imho

LB) CONOR TOWNSEND - possibly not the best left back we've had, but he was just such a breath of fresh air when he arrived and put most of the others to shame. Just a stand out figure in a shiite side and was the only one worth watching.pretty good free kicks as well. I wish he'd come back....

CH) ANDY TODD - again it was his organisational abilities which steadied us during a very rocky period.Hard as nails but a good footballer and leader too.

CH) PAUL FUTCHER - just so classy, he made the game look easy. Always a pleasure to see his calm, unhurried ability to break up an attack and then stride forward with the ball

DM) STACEY COLDICOTT - think you had to be an away fan to fully appreciate Stacey, the ultimate unsung hero. I loved to see him sitting in front of the back 4, little headers and tackles, always disrupting things, winning second balls and then calm safe passes to try and relieve the incessant pressure.(Ipswich and WBA were particular stand outs) We were never as good when he wasn't in the team

CM) IVANO BONETTI - inevitably! Simply the best player I've ever seen in a Town shirt and the only player who was worth the admission fee on his own.The whole story was brilliant (even the bad bits!) - 3000 for a reserve game ffs. After 10 minutes at Charlton we were wowed, the WBA goal, Birmingham City ending up having 3 players trying to mark him and still coming away with the ball, turning the excellent Mark Bowen inside out at Norwich were all brilliant memories. happy days 8)

RM) BOBBY CUMMING - my first Town hero. Norman Hunter and Boxing Day! nuff said

LM) JOHN OSTER - just remember a skinny little local kid tantalising and tormenting defences. You just knew we weren't going to be able to enjoy him for very long

CF) JACK LESTER - the one player I really enjoyed watching develop, having seen one of his very first games. The ability to win free kicks and penalties was years ahead of what we've now become used to and always made us snigger with delight when he conned yet another ref

CF) OMAR BOGLE - again he just stood out as head and shoulders above any centre forward we'd had for years. A joy to watch with his pace and skill frightening those lumbering non league centre halves. Apart from the Wembley goals, the 2 he got at Crawley were pretty good

Subs - Alan Pouton, Peter Handyside, George Santos, Nathan Pond, Paul Wilkinson, Justin Whittle and Ashley Sestanovich

I'd add.... Kevin Drinkell, Kev Moore, Trevor Whymark and Chris Nicholl to that list.

Well done on 10,000 posts Forza.... That's some commitment!

Congrats on the 10k Forza - did you consider Garry Birtles in there? Was a huge favourite of mine making a big impression on a young fan.

Gotta be room for Lump in that list!

Quoted from WesternMariner

Congrats on the 10k Forza - did you consider Garry Birtles in there? Was a huge favourite of mine making a big impression on a young fan.

doh! i knew there would be ones i missed!

ps fao grim rob - out of interest how many 10,000+ posters are there? just trying to see just how sad i am.......

What about Joe Waters ?

Congrats on 10,000 Forza - based on Bobby C being your first Town hero, the one that I would have expected to see would have been Super Clive.

super clive , joe,lump, michael reddy, kev moore ,paul groves and trevor whymark all great players, but they just didn't get me 'purring'
;)

Quoted from forza ivano

doh! i knew there would be ones i missed!

ps fao grim rob - out of interest how many 10,000+ posters are there? just trying to see just how sad i am.......

you are not in the top 10 mate ......but not too far off ....you can check by going to extensive statistics

congrats on the 10k

The one I wouldn't have anywhere near my all time team would be Jack Lester.

Never rated him at all when he was here. Although he went on to have a half-decent career, the only thing he was good at (in my opinion of course), was conning referees out of penalties.

I've just noticed I joined over 10 years ago! (April 2008!)

My team would be fimiliar to yours except I'd have to have Steve kabba, Michael reddy, Disley and Coyne on my teamsheet somewhere... I'm slightly too young to remember the likes of Cummings though

Well....suprised at Omar being included amongst some genuine proven quality in there .....

and also at some of the Jack Lester unappreciation....in my mind Jack only "conned" the centre halves into making rash challenges ....which he duly fell over...i never had him as a diver or a conman just very slippery and adept at drawing a foul.

Quoted from Les Brechin

The one I wouldn't have anywhere near my all time team would be Jack Lester.

Never rated him at all when he was here. Although he went on to have a half-decent career, the only thing he was good at (in my opinion of course), was conning referees out of penalties.

I understand your logic.I agree we've had better forwards but what I'm getting at is the enjoyment i got from seeing him in his first games as a callow youth, develop steadily into a clever, skilful good player. Thought Daryl Clare would follow the same path but it wasn't to be

Fao moosey included b ogle because he was a breath of fresh air , the best we've had for years. I used to look forward to going to watch him and that's a very rare thing. Used to love watching livvo but that was more for comedy value!

Livvo, when his back was not playing up(admit it was not easy to predict), but when he was sound, quality player and GTFC 100%.

What a great post, the eleven you've most enjoyed watching rather than the best eleven, adds a completely different dynamic to it I think.

Based on the enjoyment factor I would go with the following:

GK: Steve Mildenhall.  For me he set the benchmark of what a goalkeeper should be.  Commanding, dominant, vocal, strong and decent distribution.  There might be a breath of fresh air element with here after a few years of utter junk between the sticks.  I've enjoyed McKeown's reflex saves and also the way Henderson came in at such a young age and showed such authority.  Aidan Davison was of a similar style but Mildenhall edges it as a lot of our attacks came through his powerful and low punts forward or quick throws.

RB: Peter Bore.  No doubt will surprise a few people and I'm in no way suggesting he's a patch on Macca.  But for that 09/10 season there was large parts where he was the highlight.  Our only player with attacking intent with his long runs from defence into attack, usually came to nothing but he gave entertainment which is what this eleven is about.

LB: Connor Townsend.  One of the most stand-out players I've seen in comparison to the level he was playing at.  Both spells he was simply awesome.  Every time he got the ball I was expecting something to happen, often it did.  It was against a poor side but the way him and Jamie Green tore Stockport apart in the 7-0 game is probably the best I've ever seen two Town players link up all game, that's including the Gary Childs/Tony Rees/Neil Woods back heel combos.

CB: Paul Futcher.  Simply gorgeous on the ball, I could have watched Futch all day, every day.  He was that good.  The only regret is that we didn't see him when he was younger and with a yard of pace, that said I don't recall him ever getting done for legs.  His battles with John Aldridge were worth the entry fee alone.

CB: Justin Whittle.  Similar to Mildenhall in that he benefits from coming into a position where we struggled for a few years but I just loved watching The Sarge play. Always had a smile on his face and just a genuinely hard (but fair) bloke.  It would have done my head in if he was on the opposing team but the way he used to  guide the ball out for a goal-kick from about 40 yards out was ace.

RW: John Oster.  Best player I've seen for Town, ever.  A pure magician on the ball, the first spell of his loan return he was unplayable at times. I dare say he more or less kept us in with a chance of avoiding relegation on his own that season.  The point he went back to Sunderland we just collapsed and never recovered.

LW: Dave Gilbert.  If you looked at him you would never think he was a footballer.  Tiny, probably carrying a bit too much timber, absolutely no pace but bloody hell you couldn't get the ball off him.  His trick was that dropped shoulder and the drag inside and everyone knew it was coming, even the defenders but they still couldn't do anything about it.  Thunderbolt of a shot and I loved his approach to taking free-kicks, no faffing about with whipping it in or bending it round.  Just hammer it!

CM: Georges Santos.  Played most of his games for us at centre-back but he's in my midfield. Proper beast of a player in a side that seemed quite weak otherwise.  Could head the ball further than most people can kick it.  I think more than anything I just liked the way he conducted himself, he oozed self-confidence in what he did despite the fact he wasn't that great a player.

CM: Wayne Burnett.  Everything he did was effortless.  He never looked to be trying or at times even moving but he had such an air of authority about him on the ball.  Good in the air, capable of going long or short, chipped in with goals, great vision.  Just lacked a bit of pace, which is probably why we had him.

ST: Steve Livingstone.  A real alternative to the tippy-tappy approach favoured by Alan Buckley.  Nothing quite like seeing him come on as a sub and just batter a defence into submission, classic examples of Leicester in the cup 1997 and Tranmere in the league 1999 (?) when he more or less killed their 'keeper.

ST: David Neilsen.   Yeah he proved himself to be a greedy sod and his head dropped massively when it became apparent he wasn't going to be getting the money he wanted from us.  But when he first arrived he was electric.  The game he came off the bench (Huddersfield I think) he was a complete breath of fresh air and then the next game (QPR??) he was up top with Livvo and Bradley Allen just behind them.  It was poetry in motion.  A battering ram, sheer pace and then a little bit of know-how playing them in.  I seem to remember he wanted £6k a week which we refused and then a few months later we paid £13k+ for a bang average centre-back.  Odd.

some good choices in there diehard.
another one i'd forgotten but comes into the reckoning would be Steve Kabba - very similar to Neilson in the spark he brought up front

Quoted from forza ivano

I understand your logic.I agree we've had better forwards but what I'm getting at is the enjoyment i got from seeing him in his first games as a callow youth, develop steadily into a clever, skilful good player. Thought Daryl Clare would follow the same path but it wasn't to be

Fao moosey included b ogle because he was a breath of fresh air , the best we've had for years. I used to look forward to going to watch him and that's a very rare thing. Used to love watching livvo but that was more for comedy value!

Bogle frustrated the life out of me personally....appreciated his goals but never a consistent performer which drives me crackers...the Omar hands on head, mini sulk and lack of positional discipline as he dropped deeper and deeper to get the ball were as much a feature as flashes of excitement.
Next season will be a big one for him, wherever he is, as he hasn't hit the expected/predicted heights as yet.

GK Danny Coyne..made the job look so simple. Stand out game in a draw at Preston where his performance earned him 10/10 in the Sunday papers.
RB John McDermott...not just for his excellent defending but also the occasional goal..Bradford away in the cup in 99 springs to mind.
LB Dean Crombie. Another who made defending look easy.
CB Paul Futcher. Calmness personified.."You'll never beat Paul Futcher"
CB Chris Nicholl another super cool defender in my favourite season (83/84).
RM Although the truest definition of a right winger. Stuart Brace. When you are 11 and at your second ever Town game and the right winger gets the ball just inside his own half and 10 seconds later it's being walked into the opponents net it tends to stick with you.
CM Alan Pouton..you never knew what he was going to do..ridiculous step overs 100% tackling goals in the right end and a penchant for the occasional own goal.
CM Trevor Whymark class!
LM Michael Boulding..another with incredible, exciting pace..especially in his first spell.
ST Matt Tees. Best header of a ball I've had the pleasure of seeing. Best penalty getter (Lester eat your heart out) and so many important goals.
ST Kev Drinkell. Had everything...remember him pushing a Town player out of the way in front of the Pontoon to get to a ball. Two seconds later its in the net.
I've been blessed over the last 50 years... 8)

No Dave Gilbert? most skillfull left winger I’ve ever seen play for town created loads of goals plus awesome free kick.

Beasant
Townsend
Todd
Oster
Donovan
Pouton
Connell
Hearn
Nielsen
Reddy
Lump

Sub: Abdul

Obviously they're playing a formation from 1922.

Nigel Batch

John McDermott
Kev Moore (much missed)
Mark Lever
Tony Gallimore

Stuart Brace
Joe Waters
Paul Groves
Bob Cumming

Tony Rees
Trev Whymark

Some of these are picked for their skill, some for their ability to entertain and some for their whole-hearted approach and Whymark quite simply for being the most technically gifted footballer I've seen in a Town shirt.

Top thread forza. Made me think of the good times.

For my team:

GK: Beasant. Similar to Forza, although not here for long I saw him a couple of times and the guy was a class above. A good goalkeeper will be a good shot stopper, command his area but just as importantly be in control of defence, organising them, communicating with them and giving them confidence. An organised and confident defence means that the keeper will ultimately have less to do because less gets through to him. Beasant was heads and shoulders above any other keeper I have seen play for Town, and as an ex keeper (of a poor standard), he did everything I would expect a top quality keeper to do.

RB: No brainier for me, got to be Macca. Always willing to get forward, a terrier at the back. Rarely got beaten in the air which is remarkable considering his height. The thing is when you saw Macca’s name on the team sheet there was a calmness about both the team and the crowd. If he was out injured (thankfully not often) it was almost a ‘sh it we’re in trouble today’ and he was ‘only’ a right back.

LB: Most difficult choice of all for me. Had a good think and kept coming back to the same name when considering all the options. Paul Agnew. Just so solid. Hard working, gave 100% every game, and you just felt like that side of the pitch was in control if he was playing. Sure we have had better attacking full backs, but he still loved to try and get forward. Not spectacular but just enjoyed watching him play knowing that those in front of him had the freedom to get on with their jobs further up the pitch.

CB: Futch. Pure quality as both a player and a man. Watching him beat much quicker players to the ball time after time and watching the opposition striker getting more and frustrated was a joy to watch. Just an absolute genius of a defender.

CB: Not a choice I would expect many others to make but for me Andy Tilson. I remember watching him away to Southend on a Friday night when we won 2-0. Th most complete individual performance I have ever seen by a Town defender. Oozed class, fantastic temperament and read the game superbly. I honestly thought I had seen a performance by a future England international and that he would go on to much bigger things. He obviously went on to ‘bigger’ clubs, but never really made it any further. Not the first time I have been wrong but I thought he was great.

The midfield have a common theme as they all played together during the time that we played the best football I ever saw us play.

LM: Diddy Gilbert. Great shot, great crosser, looked like a barrel. Not quick but not slow, happy to put his foot in linked up with Rees et al superbly. Loved him.

CM: Shaun Cunnington. Blood and thunder. Box to box. Loved a tackle, loved a foul, loved to wind up his opponents. Somebody we have been crying out for in the last 10 years or so. Didn’t score many but chipped in. Another 100% guy and you knew that no one would get the better of him.

CM: Cockers. Cut him and he would bleed black and white, what more does a supporter of a club like ours look for. Not the most skilful, but gave more than 100% (although I accept that is not possible), similar to his midfield partner, box to box, and scored a fair few goals. The kind of player a fan could fall in love with.

RM: Well if I have the other 3 then I couldn’t miss out Gary Childs. Another one grabbed from obscurity and played above his station under the guidance of our best ever (imo, come on M.J. you have potential) manager, Sir Alan Buckley. I’m sure that AB said to this 4sum in midfield, ‘you 2 work hard and kick people and give it to them 2’. ‘You 2 little fellas on the wing, get the ball, run at your full back take him on and get a cross in or play a one two with the striker. If it doesn’t work keep doing it till it bloody does’. Remember him scoring absolute screamers at Huddersfield (Leeds Road) and Peterborough. Every time he got the ball he was going to try something. Didn’t always work but when it did it was bloody brilliant.

STR: Super Clive. He’s most natural goalscorer I have ever seen play for Town and I have seen wilko, Lund, drinks, Podge etc. Just had that instinct and apart from injuries would have had a more celebrated career than he had. Top guy to, doesn’t matter where he played, no one has a bad word about him.

STR: Garry Birtles. Again, just so classy, solid at the back, great hold up player when up front and scored great goals. Fantastic professional, and great example to any youngster who played with him. Also apparently loved a few beers. What’s not to like.

As we know, it’s all about opinions but if nothing else, it’s made me think about good times past. Let’s hope there are good times in the future.

UTFM

I'm quite surprised after all these posts that no one has mentioned Tony Ford.

He used to be an absolute joy to watch in his younger days.

Quoted from Les Brechin

I'm quite surprised after all these posts that no one has mentioned Tony Ford.

He used to be an absolute joy to watch in his younger days.

Just shows what riches we've had for Fordy to be missed out.

I haven't pitched in with an eleven because every time I think about it, someone comes up with another name and i think, 'ooh, that's a good shout' and I can't make my mind up.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Just shows what riches we've had for Fordy to be missed out.

I haven't pitched in with an eleven because every time I think about it, someone comes up with another name and i think, 'ooh, that's a good shout' and I can't make my mind up.

i found it best just to go with your immediate thought - if you have to think about them, then it suggests they haven't given you the joy or that never to be forgotten moment

GK - D. Coyne - just incredible shot stopping and reaction saves at a good level of football

LB - T. Gallimore - not as good a player as Croft but enjoyed seeing him do the same "feint to punt it down the line, but cut inside" trick on every right winger every week.
CB - P. Futcher - smooth operator. Play out from the back.
CB - A. Todd - as above.
RB - J. Crowe - Thought he was good for us and was disappointed we didn't keep hold of him. Exciting bombing forward at pace from full back and played everywhere for us I think.

LM - K. Black - classy player with a great left foot. Didn't have the pace that fans crave nowadays but great quality and brain - a real Buckley player.
CM - A. Pouton - just a crowd-pleaser.
CM - P. Bolland - Only for the one season but what a vital part of the 05-06 team. What a goal at Vale Park.
RM - J. Oster - his spell back on loan he was just class and probably as good in that spell (despite being in a relegated side) as any individual I've seen.

ST - B. Allen - formed great partnership with Boulding that kept us up one year, linked play brilliantly, really intelligent player. Also played as part of a front 3 to great effect with Livvo and D.Nielson when the Dane first arrived.
ST - M. Reddy - Just an exciting player to watch and but for injuries, could have played for us earlier when we were at a higher level.

As with the thread, not the best XI (no Croft/Burnett/Mendonca etc who would be in my best X!) but an alternate take and just some that I enjoyed watching.