Best SUFC Players since 1980 - Centre Forwards (Two votes)

[Sothall_Blade]

1980 because that's when I started going regularly and you've got to draw the line somewhere.
I've not included loan players or those that only played a handful of games...
Who do you reckon and why?

N.B. The poll won't prevent you choosing more than two but please don't.
I can't be bothered to split the vote in two and argue about what "type" of Centre Forward Deano was

 

[Jostein Flo]

No Des Hamilton?!

 

[Balham]

No Cresswell, Porter, Kitson, Marcelo, Kachouro, Henderson, Stead, Notman, Cofie, Hayles, Akinbiyi, Horsfield, Taylor, Grey, Asaba, Ward, Shipperley, Kabba, D'Jaffo, Onuora, Bent, Smith, Suffo, Kelly, Thomas, Allison, Ten Heuvel, Lester, Peschisolido, Beckett, Sharp, Shelton, Camara, Bogdanovic...

We've had some real guff over the years.

 

[Torrix1889]

Paul Williams, Richard Cadette......

 

[Sothall_Blade]

No Cresswell, Porter, Kitson, Marcelo, Kachouro, Henderson, Stead, Notman, Cofie, Hayles, Akinbiyi, Horsfield, Taylor, Grey, Asaba, Ward, Shipperley, Kabba, D'Jaffo, Onuora, Bent, Smith, Suffo, Kelly, Thomas, Allison, Ten Heuvel, Lester, Peschisolido, Beckett, Sharp, Shelton, Camara, Bogdanovic...

We've had some real guff over the years.

You're only allowed 10 options I think.
Some of those others I liked (Shipperley, Stead, Taylor, Walker, Kabba, Bent Mk I, Smith, Allison, Peksy).
They just didn't quite make the cut.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Deane and Beattie (Mk I). Not sure they could play together but the most reliable goal scorers I've seen at the Lane (playing for us anyway). If I remembered Keith Edwards it might well have been him though.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Deane and Beattie (Mk I). Not sure they could play together but the most reliable goal scorers I've seen at the Lane (playing for us anyway). If I remembered Keith Edwards it might well have been him though.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

Deano and King Keith.

It's really tough not to vote for Agana, but only choosing two it simply has to be those 2. Both iconic goalscorers whilst watching United in my formative years. I'd say both of them were heroes to me.

Between 82 and 84 I started going pretty regularly as a very young lad and when you're 7-8 and a bloke scores almost every time you attend a match it's nailed on that he becomes your favourite.

Deano is the best player I've ever seen in a Blades shirt. Workrate, ability, finishing and was also the best crosser in the club.

 

[Ollessendro]

HMS Ships and Nathan Blake should definately be in that list. Bent MK I is a good shout too. All 3 better than Evans for example (imo).

I voted for Deane and Fjortoft. Deane was awesome and I think Fjortoft's natual ability was incredible. He had everything as a striker (strong, quick, shoot with both feet). Those two just pip Hulse (break leg break) who is the best leader of the line I have seen in a Blades shirt. Only other contender for that is HMS Shipps who was excellent in the promotion season under Warnock and a pivotal part of that team.

I think he is an absolute nob-eard, but Nathan Blake was unplayable on his day. Fat, lazy and uninterested most of the time, but when he wanted to be he was a cracking striker. Remember him tearing Newcastle a new 1 at the Lane in 1994 and scoring twice. They simpy had no answer to his power and movement.

 

[JJ Sefton]

HMS Ships and Nathan Blake should definately be in that list. Bent MK I is a good shout too. All 3 better than Evans for example (imo).

I voted for Deane and Fjortoft. Deane was awesome and I think Fjortoft's natual ability was incredible. He had everything as a striker (strong, quick, shoot with both feet). Those two just pip Hulse (break leg break) who is the best leader of the line I have seen in a Blades shirt. Only other contender for that is HMS Shipps who was excellent in the promotion season under Warnock and a pivotal part of that team.

I think he is an absolute nob-eard, but Nathan Blake was unplayable on his day. Fat, lazy and uninterested most of the time, but when he wanted to be he was a cracking striker. Remember him tearing Newcastle a new 1 at the Lane in 1994 and scoring twice. They simpy had no answer to his power and movement.

I read summat in Flashing Blade years back about how Blake had one of the best scoring records for the club (it might have weighted his goals more heavily than Edwards' due to playing in higher divisions) yet he is largely forgotten.

Agree about Bent Mk I too, a class act in his first spell. I thought he was the best goalscorer we'd had since Deane until we signed Beattie.

 

[Revolution]

If you've seen Em all on that list, it's an easy decision. Deano and King Keith.

Deane is the best Blades player of my supporting life (1978 onwards) and Edwards has only Doc Pace to rival him as greatest post War goalscorer.

Beattie, Blake and Fjortoft would round out a top 5.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

If it was picking them to play together as a pair, it would be Deane and Agana, but as individual players it has to be Deane and Edwards. Edwards was the finest finsher I've seen in a Blades shirt and the only thing that held him back from the very top was being an idle bugger outside the box!

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Most disappointed Jostein failed to make the final!

 

[JJ Sefton]

If it was picking them to play together as a pair, it would be Deane and Agana, but as individual players it has to be Deane and Edwards. Edwards was the finest finsher I've seen in a Blades shirt and the only thing that held him back from the very top was being an idle bugger outside the box!

Aye, cause that Gary Lineker got nowhere playing like that!

 

[Darren]

I read summat in Flashing Blade years back about how Blake had one of the best scoring records for the club (it might have weighted his goals more heavily than Edwards' due to playing in higher divisions) yet he is largely forgotten.

Agree about Bent Mk I too, a class act in his first spell. I thought he was the best goalscorer we'd had since Deane until we signed Beattie.

Twas I who wrote that article....Many years ago now.

 

[Bladesway]

Had to be Deane and Edwards. Different but each top class. Edwards goal against bristol rovers when he dummied the keeper and plopped it in the net (like pele but he scored) is my favourite all time blades goal.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Deane above all others. And if I'm having him, Agana's got to come with him.

For 2 years I had the only time in my life of turning up to watch United wondering how many we'd score. Injury clearly got the better of Agana once we got to the top division but the two of them together firing on all cylinders was a sight to behold.

I missed the first couple of games of the Division 3 season through cricket and couldn't believe my eyes when I watched us destroy Newcastle in a League cup match. I'd seen United sides win by 3, 4 and 5 before - but I'd never seen us absolutely brutalise someone in quite the way we did with those two up front and Bryson and Roberts (or a succession of others on the right) getting crosses in for fun. I clearly remember our defense being utter cack for most of that season (Steve Thompson running like a man on a bicycle in low gear, Brian Smith playing like he'd got his feet screwed on the wrong way) but it was never too much of a worry because we'd just try to score more than them. A strategy that really came to the fore the following year in the 5-4 vs Brighton.

Happy Days.

 

[Guesty]

Funnily enough in that 5-4 Deane missed an absolute sitter!

I've gone for Deane and Fjortoft myself. I missed Agana except when he returned with County and naturally I missed Edwards. Deane I saw very briefly before he left the first team but he was damned good second time around too. He tore Sunderland to pieces without scoring (though to be fair the entire team was magnificent) and if I remember rightly he scored about 1 in 2 even in his second spell. Fjortoft was excellent in front of goal and had that touch of arrogance and showmanship we so rarely see at the Lane. I understand his away performances often underwhelmed though?

 

[JJ Sefton]

Twas I who wrote that article....Many years ago now.

Iconoclastic, like the AJP Taylor of SUFC history.

 

[metalblade]

Edwards & Deane, Fjortoft was class but sadly not with us long enough........... jeez what a front two Deane/Fjortoft

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Blake should always be ahead of Evans and Beattie. His goals per game ratio was mental.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

not really much of a choice is it?

anybody who doesnt vote deane and edwards either...

a) isn't old enough

or

b) is fed up listening to edwards on the radio

even 3rd (Agana) and 4th (Fjortoft) pretty much pick themselves.

Pyotr Kachura (as wikipedia calls him!) defo should be in the 10.
and wheres Marcelo dos Santos Cipriano?!?

btw bryson wasn't a centre forward. under anybodys description.

 

[Bladesway]

JAF was awesome, honourable mention to Gareth Taylor who went through a spell of being unstoppable. A goal against Forest in particur stands out as a worldie. Last couple of minutes, ball drops out of the sky towards the right hand side of the box and I'm thinking don't hit it. He did and it fair flew in.

Oh and anyone who didn't rate Nathan Blake doesn't know anything about scoring goals. He was like Nade, but with his boots on the right feet and an eye for goal only Edwards could rival.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

No Cresswell, Porter, Kitson, Marcelo, Kachouro, Henderson, Stead, Notman, Cofie, Hayles, Akinbiyi, Horsfield, Taylor, Grey, Asaba, Ward, Shipperley, Kabba, D'Jaffo, Onuora, Bent, Smith, Suffo, Kelly, Thomas, Allison, Ten Heuvel, Lester, Peschisolido, Beckett, Sharp, Shelton, Camara, Bogdanovic...

We've had some real guff over the years.

Laurens ten heuvel, a real star he was and no mistake.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

not really much of a choice is it?

anybody who doesnt vote deane and edwards either...

a) isn't old enough

or

b) is fed up listening to edwards on the radio

even 3rd (Agana) and 4th (Fjortoft) pretty much pick themselves.

Pyotr Kachura (as wikipedia calls him!) defo should be in the 10.
and wheres Marcelo dos Santos Cipriano?!?

btw bryson wasn't a centre forward. under anybodys description.

Bryson was normally a left winger but he played as centre forward in the team that won seven Premier League games on the trot and finished about 7th. The highest placed team of my era. That's why he made my list.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

ok fairy snuff. he didnt get any votes though did he!

beattie and ched ahead of agana. utterly ludicrous tbh.
what are you people thinking ffs?!?