Best n0. 15 since 1999

[Darren]

On the no. 14. the Chief had a fairly easy victory, leaving the dream squad thus:

1. Paddy Kenny
2. Matt Lowton
3. Wayne Quinn
4. Nick Montgomery
5. Chris Morgan
6. Phil Jagielka
7. Michael Brown
8. Stuart McCall
9. James Beattie
10. Paul Peschisolido
11. Steve Kabba.
12. Alan Quinn
13. Simon Tracey
14. Wayne Allison

On the no.13 run off for the nightmare squad, there was quite a spread of votes, but Kristian Rodgers on the basis of his one League Cup appearance was the clear winner , leaving that squad thus

1. Steve Simonsen
2. Daryl Westlake
3. Gary Flitcroft
4. Danny Higginbotham
5. Rob Kozluk
6. Nyron Nosworthy
7. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing
8. Anthony Stokes
9. James Thomas
10. Barry Hayles
11. Laurens Ten Heuvel
12. Brian Launders
13. Kristian Rodgers

We need another run off for the no.14 on the nightmare side. Only four players got any votes , so everyone else goes in the nightmare mix,which is elsewhere.

Time for the no.15's. Designated nightmare candidates are Woodward, Thirlwell and France (who never played a game in the shirt). Thus anyone voting for those three will have their vote disallowed unless they justify it in the thread. It should also be noted that Kabba's time as no. 15 was restricted to that one sub appearances (before he got injured again) v Wigan in December 2003.

 

[Darren]

Players played under other numbers as follows:

Hamilton: no.33 2000
Woodward: no.19 2000
Doane: n0. 25 1999-2001
Kabba: n0. 34 2002-03, n0. 19 2004-05, n0. 11 2005-07
Kozluk: n0. 5 1999-2000, n0. 2 2000-05, n0.22 2010-11
Speed: no.40 2010
France: no.2 2009-10
Collins: no 28 2006, n0. 23 2011

 

[Selly]

Now this truly is a tallest Dwarf competition.

I've gone for Speed. Quite how you haven't got Hamilton as a designated nightmare candidate, I'll never know...

 

[Darren]

Now this truly is a tallest Dwarf competition.

I've gone for Speed. Quite how you haven't got Hamilton as a designated nightmare candidate, I'll never know...

Whoops - initially mis-read... He doesn't reach France like awfulness.

 

[Caveblade]

James "The traffic warden" Harper surely has to be a nightmare candidate, go on Darren make my day!

 

[Darren]

I am surprised to see Collins get so many voters. Whilst he has been a reasonable third division player, he looked pretty crap outside the third division.

 

[Revolution]

Collins was very good for most of a season (2011-12) and good for most of another season (2012-3). That is a body of work nobody else on that list can match, irrespective of division.

Speed was the better player - but how many games did he play as number 15? 20?

 

[Darren]

Collins was very good for most of a season (2011-12) and good for most of another season (2012-3). That is a body of work nobody else on that list can match, irrespective of division.

Speed was the better player - but how many games did he play as number 15? 20?

He played all of his games as 15, so that's 37 games - so roughly a full season's worth. I would argue that his performances in one season in the 2nd tier trumps Collins' 2 seasons in the 3rd tier. I would also argue the Collins' dire perforances in 2010-11 go on the debit side for him.

 

[Darren]

Except I am now arguing against my own criteria as he wasn't no. 15 in 2010-11 :-(

 

[Revolution]

He played all of his games as 15, so that's 37 games - so roughly a full season's worth. I would argue that his performances in one season in the 2nd tier trumps Collins' 2 seasons in the 3rd tier. I would also argue the Collins' dire perforances in 2010-11 go on the debit side for him.

The latter point is not open to you, as you have ruled that performances in other shirts are not relevant.

Speed is going to win anyway, so it's irrelevant.

On another subject, Kabba re-injuring himself against Wigan was one of the most heartbreaking sights I have ever seen on a football field.

 

[Ollessendro]

Collins has been pretty solid for the last few years. He was a strong candidate for player of the season for both of the last 2 seasons. True he was gash in the 2nd division, but I am not sure how much of that was down to him. The defence was completely make shift and he had to play alngside the likes of Mattock and Nosworthy. Lowry and Hill, plus the other 2 aforementioned were shite that half a season too. Lowry has gone on to be a consistent Championship performer, Mattock plays at a higher level and (amazingly) Nosworthy played a big part in Watford's promotion push last season (until getting injured). It makes you wonder how much of the defence being wank that season was down to ale house Micky, lack of confidence, not playing together and generally being stuck in a rut.

Speed is by far the best player on that list, but I don't remember him pulling up trees for us. That might be unfair, as he still had quality when playing in red and white. However he came in the twilight of his career, achieved little and then packed in (probably still taking a big salary for a few months before he retired). I did not see much of the Blades in the latter half of the 2007/2008 season, as I was living in Ireland at the time. Hence I might be being unfair, as I know we were 17th when he joined and we finished in 9th. I know we played some pretty good stuff that 2nd half of the season, so could be wrong about his impact.

 

[JohnDenver]

Speed is by far the best player on that list, but I don't remember him pulling up trees for us.

Spot on. He annoyed me as a player because he tried to do more than his legs were capable of. He should have sat deep and directed affairs in the Gordon Cowans style, but instead he often broke forward leaving the midfield abandoned on the counter.

But that said, he's still ahead of the dross on the list.

 

[Darren]

Can I point out that those voting for Kabba are voting for the 10 minutes or so he managed against Wigan in December 2003 before being injured again. That's all he played as 15. The rest of his United career doesn't count (and he is already in the squad anyway as no.11).

 

[mattbianco1]

I think speed is getting sympathy votes. Yes he was a fantastic player but a couple of scored penalties doesn't put him top of the list for me.

Of other players we had late in their careers I.e. Sanford, McCall etc. I think they offered much more than what we saw of Speed

 

[mattbianco1]

Can I point out that those voting for Kabba are voting for the 10 minutes or so he managed against Wigan in December 2003 before being injured again. That's all he played as 15. The rest of his United career doesn't count (and he is already in the squad anyway as no.11).

Would it be worth putting a second bracket for number of apps in said shirt number?

 

[Darren]

Would it be worth putting a second bracket for number of apps in said shirt number?

I don't have that info to hand! Where I think people might get confused I do point it out in the initial post, as I did re Kabba.

 

[WhiteHawk]

Got to be Gary Speed. He might not have done much but he probably did more than the rest of that list.

 

[MBoreman]

From the disaster squad it's funny how Stokes and maybe even Meindez Laing (not seen him much) would probably walk into the side. How Nosworthy still plays in the Championship I'll never know!

 

[blade too long]

best no 15
the sweet and sour prawn balls at the peking palace

 

[Latters]

I went for Collins as the best. He's been a steady performer for the past few seasons which is more than the rest of them can claim. I thought Speed did very little for us and had he not had his name and reputation he would have been roundly slagged off.

Hamilton should walk it into the shitters team.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

I voted for B.Doane.

Doano! Doano! Doano!