A team of great players that were past it for Utd

[shorehamview]

I'm glad to see Kingston Blade has the list topped by one of the greatest goal scorers the game has ever seen, a player whose goals for Liverpool still look good no matter how many times you watch the knackered old video, and yet was less use and less mobile than a roll of lino when he put on a Blades shirt.

But what of the modern player?
The one who has scored for fun when not in a United shirt, but didn't do a deal for us?
The biggest disappointment of the last ten years?


Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Billy Sharp.

 

[sitwell]

Paul McGrath only made 12 appearances for the Blades, why does it seem like a lot more? He was old, knackered, struggling with alcoholism but still one of the best readers of the game I've ever seen.

Young Latters bought me his autobiography a bit back and what an eye opener. Well worth a read, and he even admits to playing in the top flight whilst completely kettled.....and getting man of the match. Bit of a freak of nature, but like I said, one hell of a footballer.


Trouble is with these biographies they are so full of shit ,Tony Adams reckoned he was MOM whilst pissed up on live TV at the Lane ,it never happened. Besides if your bladdered how would you remember so much ? I can't remember last weekend never mind 10 or 20 years ago. Take them with a pinch of salt.

 

[happyhippy]

I simply cannot believe that anyone would include Gordon Cowans in this team! He ran that midfield like I've never seen a Blade do before or since. Equally McGrath wouldn't be there for me, though he is slightly borderline as his knees had really finished/ he was sat on the banks of the Shannon with a lot of Guinness. He wasn't past it in terms of ability, just physically.

Phil Thompson has to be in there, and I wonder if we're the only side Rush never scored for? Rush, Withe and Thompson were truly shocking for United.

 

[happyhippy]

Gary Ablett

Mervyn Day

Adrian Heath

John McAlle

Trevor Ross

Terry Phelan

Ablett and Day for certain. Though I never saw Ablett 'play' for United, and I only saw half of Day's United performance at Wimbledon as we got stuck on the motorway. It was the better half, as we were 3-0 down at half-time anyway.

 

[silverfox]

I simply cannot believe that anyone would include Gordon Cowans in this team! He ran that midfield like I've never seen a Blade do before or since. Equally McGrath wouldn't be there for me, though he is slightly borderline as his knees had really finished/ he was sat on the banks of the Shannon with a lot of Guinness. He wasn't past it in terms of ability, just physically.

Phil Thompson has to be in there, and I wonder if we're the only side Rush never scored for? Rush, Withe and Thompson were truly shocking for United.

Agree with all of that.

Cowans was class when he played for us. Anyone saying otherwise can't have been there.

 

[happyhippy]

how about don hutchison? he was good before and after us, but i dont remember many good games while with us..

I can, but he did flatter to deceive at times, I'll agree. I remember him mishitting an indirect free-kick in the area (dodgy passback) which was passed to him against Luton at the away end. Smashed it into the top corner, he did. He meant to curl it into the bottom corner. Well, so he said.

 

[shorehamview]

Don Hutchison played in Dane Whitehouse's testimonial. If memory serves me correctly, and it might not, he was awesome that afternoon. He was also pretty good for us - Kendall signed him from us shortly after he'd gone to Everton. Nowhere near bad enough to be in the Cacky XI.

 

[happyhippy]

Don Hutchison played in Dane Whitehouse's testimonial. If memory serves me correctly, and it might not, he was awesome that afternoon. He was also pretty good for us - Kendall signed him from us shortly after he'd gone to Everton. Nowhere near bad enough to be in the Cacky XI.

That testimonial was a truly great day! We'd been at Bolton the day before to watch us concede a 9758452154785444698525412525th minute equaliser, but managed to push away the hangover to watch the 12-11 'thriller'. St Neil scored a belter, and real 'Roy Of The Rovers' stuff as Dane got the matchball with his hat-trick goal, and the 'winner' after John Greaves (kitman) was 'fouled' in the box.

Great day out.

 

[sitwell]

We would have gone up but for his injury against Palace on Kendall bad shirt day.

 

[Bath Blade]

Nigel Spackman had a good career but was dreadful for us.

 

[Guesty]

Agree with all of that.

Cowans was class when he played for us. Anyone saying otherwise can't have been there.

Yes he was, but he was still well past his best, wasn't he?

It depends on the criteria. If we're including class acts who played for us at the tail end of their career, then McCall, McGrath and McGrath have to be there. If the thread starter is after huge disappointments, then it's more Rush, Thompson and Johnstone.

 

[happyhippy]

Yes he was, but he was still well past his best, wasn't he?

It depends on the criteria. If we're including class acts who played for us at the tail end of their career, then McCall, McGrath and McGrath have to be there. If the thread starter is after huge disappointments, then it's more Rush, Thompson and Johnstone.

Sheesh, I know Paul had problems, but I didn't realise schizophrenia was one

If it's a case of "not as good as they were", then we'd have a dozen sides we could cobble together between us, probably. I read it more as "they just shouldn't have been on a pitch". Cowans, McGrath and McCall could still cut it. I will agree that despite still having the ability, McGrath finished himself off with us.

Thank ferk he wasn't about when Sornob was in charge ......

 

[Guesty]

Sheesh, I know Paul had problems, but I didn't realise schizophrenia was one

If it's a case of "not as good as they were", then we'd have a dozen sides we could cobble together between us, probably. I read it more as "they just shouldn't have been on a pitch". Cowans, McGrath and McCall could still cut it. I will agree that despite still having the ability, McGrath finished himself off with us.

Thank ferk he wasn't about when Sornob was in charge ......

Obviously I was think of Andy Goram...

In my defence the text wasn't appearing on the screen as I typed it, only a few seconds later. I meant to say McCall, McGrath and Cowans.

 

[happyhippy]

Nice get out

 

[Highbury_Blade]

This is stretching the boundary of 'great' to well past breaking point, but what about Gary Flitcroft?

 

[happyhippy]

This is stretching the boundary of 'great' to well past breaking point, but what about Gary Flitcroft?

I'd forgotten about him. Terrible.

 

[Sirius]

Ablett and Day for certain. Though I never saw Ablett 'play' for United, and I only saw half of Day's United performance at Wimbledon as we got stuck on the motorway. It was the better half, as we were 3-0 down at half-time anyway.

Clive Mendonca also gets a place on the didn't achieve list. Cowans was a star

 

[happyhippy]

Clive Mendonca also gets a place on the didn't achieve list. Cowans was a star

"Half Man Half Donkey" was alright. Better than a load of others!

 

[essex blade]

jimmy johnstone

 

[tenerife blade]

I think we ought to have Neville Southall in goal instead of Andy Goram.

 

[Sean the Blade]

Southall or Goram, I don't think matters Tenerife, you'd struggle to get a credit card between either of the fat f**kers and the sticks, never mind a football!

 

[happyhippy]

Did Southall play for us?

 

[Guesty]

No, which makes choosing Goram a deal easier...

 

[happyhippy]

No, which makes choosing Goram a deal easier...

Just checking.

 

[Basing Blade]

I started the thread thinking of a team who were considered great players but not for us. They were past it and crud when they played for us - so Mcgrath need not apply, but Jimmy Johnstone and Ian Rush can.

Loving the responses though. Cheers.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

OK, from what we've got on the thread and working from the premise of brilliant career but total bobbins for the Blades:-

1. Goram
2. Parker
3. Houston
4. Thompson
5. Bruce
6. Rioch
7. Johnstone
8. Mortimer
9. Rush
10. Withe
11. Peters

Subs

Day
Ablett
Heath
McNaught
Flitcroft

Count the caps, tot up the medals and then remember how truly awful they were in a Blades shirt.

 

[Muttley]

John Ryan came with a great reputation in the early 80's......as did ahem,.....Pedro Verde.

 

[Revolution]

SouthEssexBlade: If the criteria for selection is being awful in a Blades shirt, three players have been unfairly included in that side.

It is nonsense to include Bruce Rioch in that team. He played very well and almost saved us from relegation in 1979. Indeed, one of the reasons we went down was that we could not extend his loan spell.

Same goes for Dennis Mortimer. The only time United played well in 1984-5 after our bright start was when he was in the side.

And I can't understand how anyone who saw McNaught play for us thinks he did a bad job. He was the best of the "Dad's Army" signings by miles.

And my memories of Gary Ablett are not bad ones. Check out our defensive record when he was in the side. And there was annoyance when he chose to go elsewhere after the end of the season rather than stay with us.

 

[Basing Blade]

Terry Curran?? Maybe not. He did score against the Owls for us, so possibly, a technical emission on that count.

 

[super_pig]

>If we are talking about great players that underperformed for the Blades you cannot include McGrath, Cowans, McCall in the list
amen mate.. i'm totally with fiery on this.. mcgrath was so good it used to make me laugh