Blades Legends - Not That Many

[Kenilworth]

Looking at the cartoon caricatures at the top banner on the S24SU.com web site suggests that the Blades have only had 4 legends. I don't disagree with that but it's not that many really is it?

Jimmy Hagan (my Dad's favourite) was well before my time.

TC - In his pomp when I started going to the Lane - Brilliant player

Keith Edwards - great finisher and a real favourite of mine - but always a slight issue in that most of his best was in the lower divisions for us.

Deano - the best of the modern era - well not so modern really is it?

Brian Deane signed for the Dirties in June 1993 - some 17 (yes SEVENTEEN) years ago.
(I don't count the other times he signed for us because he was not the same player by then).

The sad thing is that I cannot think of anyone since, with the possible exception of Jagielka, who could remotely compete with these four players and would warrant even consideration for adding to the S24SU banner - there is room for a futher 8 players it would seem (or one fatty Foulke).

Anyone care to suggest any candidates?

 

[Foxy]

We already have other candidates sat redundant until I add them , but I'll leave others to suggest before mentioning who.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

I think the word legend is wrongly used for certain players, when people (sorry Coops) put Bob Booker in the same catagory as Jimmy Hagan for example. To me, there's a difference between legend and say 'cult hero' which would doubtless apply to Sir Bob.

I guess it depends what the criteria is, the days of players giving sterling service to a club are few and far between (maybe Lord Monty ) and we may have to wait a long time to have a current Blades player playing for England for example.

I'll throw in Jags who will end up in the Hall Of Fame, particularly when he comes back to us in a few years and Dane Whitehouse for obvious reasons.

As Kenilworth touched on, interesting that 3 of the 4 above left us for Leeds !

 

[TAMUS]

I think Sir Lee Strafford deserves to be up there . as he could end up having been , worth millions to us long term .

 

[Selly]

What about Woody? Surely worth legend status.

And I second the nomination of Whitehouse, and throw in another two, Simon Tracey & Alan Kelly?

And whilst I'm at it you can add Mel Rees as well.

 

[raul]

The status of legend is diminished if there's loads of them.

Legends need to transcend the club they represent - the name a knowledgeable stranger hits you with when you reveal your support - but also have long service to the club behind them too. Also helps if they've led the club to famous trophies and the like, but we can't have everything....

Cult Heroes - The terrace legends, people the fans identify with most but largely go unrecognised outside our world.

In the modern era, only Deane could really be described as a legend. Jags is very very close

Dane, Mel, Bob etc are cult heroes.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

The status of legend is diminished if there's loads of them.

Legends need to transcend the club they represent - the name a knowledgeable stranger hits you with when you reveal your support - but also have long service to the club behind them too. Also helps if they've led the club to famous trophies and the like, but we can't have everything....

Cult Heroes - The terrace legends, people the fans identify with most but largely go unrecognised outside our world.

In the modern era, only Deane could really be described as a legend. Jags is very very close

Dane, Mel, Bob etc are cult heroes.

Blimey, the closest we've ever come to an agreement ;-)

 

[MunXy]

alex sabella deserves consideration as in my time watching him he lit up BDTBL with his ability and tecnique, shame most of the rest of the team were about 45 mins behind his skill on the pitch.
another vote for woody, a true great for the blades (fact he is probaly my fav player has no bearing )
for different reasons id like to nominate steve conroy, a nice bloke and a great servant to the club even after 2 serious leg injuries.
and of course local lad dane whitehouse loved the club and served us well over the years.

MunXy

 

[broomhillblade]

I'm sure there are plenty of legends from an earlier era. My Dad used to rave about Billie Gillespie and Fred Tunstall, among others. Joe Shaw must be right up near the top of the list. I'd also nominate Alf Ringstead and possibly Doc Pace. If we are nominating goalkeepers, then Ted Burgin ('The cat') and of course Alan Hodgkinson cannot be left out.

 

[2ndtenorblade]

Ernest Needham?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Needham

 

[SheepdipBlade]

Yep - "Nudger" needs to be on there. Which other Blade has lifted the FA Cup for us, won promotion to the top flight and captained England? Oh - and played cricket for "Gods Own County" too - and become a published author.

 

[2ndtenorblade]

Yep - "Nudger" needs to be on there. Which other Blade has lifted the FA Cup for us, won promotion to the top flight and captained England? Oh - and played cricket for "Gods Own County" too - and become a published author.

He is also the only Captain ever to lift the top division title trophy for us.

 

[Eckingtonian]

Kevin Blackwell,the only manager in 90 odd years to let the pigs do the double over us.He should be placed in that cage outside the Noose and Gibbett,never mind the legends of the Lane.

---------- Post added at 11:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:47 AM ----------

Just realised one to many Nooses in the above.Agree with SellyOak about Woody though.Also think Len Badger deserves a mention.

 

[frechyblade]

A tough one to call. My take on it would be legend = a player that transcends generations i.e. I'd put Joe Shaw in there, before my time but a player that others before me have talked about for eons. I wouldn't have Billy Foulks in because though he may be legendary it is not neccesarily for his football prowess.

Of Players from my era, perhaps Eddie Coloughon (sp), John McPhail, Alan Kelly, Dane Whitehouse and possibly Pesky, I don't know whether I'd have Keith Edwards in as legend though. It's difficult to judge really because I may be choosing based on my preferences for players. I think that the judge for those names would be youger supporters and there perceptions/knowledge of those.

UTB

 

[Hodgyman]

I could hardly not vote for Alan Hodginson. In my opinion the finest goalkeeper to ever put on a Jersey for the blades. With about 600 apearances for United, an unrivalled tally of games won at the top level for us, an unblemished International record with no defeats in all 6 full international appearances. After hanging up his playing gloves he even coaches to this day at the age of 74 at Oxford United. As Scottish International goalkeeping coach he even he turned Scottish goalkeeping from a widely held joke to a really high standard with the likes of Jim Leighton, Andy Goram being his pupils. He also has the distinction of being awarded an MBE for his services to football.

I would also echo the other nominations for Joe Shaw, Alan Woodward, Jaggers and perhaps throw in a couple of others: Mick Jones and Paul Stancliffe.

 

[Mad Mick]

Yep agree with Woody and Hodgey. Hodgey is one of the few suggested who played for England along with TC. Also I think Len Badger may have played for the an England league team.
Mick Jones would also be there as he was an England player, but after he left us I think. What about Doc Pace? Bill Foulkes?

 

[JJ Sefton]

I wouldn't have Billy Foulks in because though he may be legendary it is not neccesarily for his football prowess.

Fatty won two FA Cups and a League title with us so he must have been pretty good. He also played for England once. It was widely aid that he would have got more caps but for his desire to act daft.

There is a tendency to look back at the last 50 years or so and pronounce players from that period 'the best ever' while overlooking players from earlier. Thats natural I suppose, no one can remember the older ones and there is precious little footage of them. Hodgkinson, for example, was a great goalkeeper but was he really better than Fatty Foulkes? Who knows? All we have to go on is the record and Fatty wins that one hands down.

Looking back to the earlier period you would have to include the following

Needham - First prefoessional to captain England, won the League and Cup with us and wrote a pretty good book about football. Was described by contemporaries as "the Prince of half backs"

Fatty Foulkes - Famous beyond United, winner of several honours

Billy Gillespie - Would have played in more than the one victorious Cup side he did if he hadnt broken his leg in 1915. Captain for years, highly regarded by his contemporaries and a legend at Derry City as well

Jimmy Dunne - Scored 59 goals in two top flight seasons, probably the best goalscorer weve ever had. Irish international who scored 6 goals in 8 games for Ireland while at United

(You can read more about them here... http://triumphanddisastersufc.blogspot.com/ plug plug)

After the war we get onto players people can actually remember. Out of them Id say Jimmy Hagan, Joe Shaw, Alan Hodgkinson, Alan Woodward and Tony Currie. Possibles would be Doc Pace and Mick Jones.

It was slim pickings after that. Players like Tony Kenworthy or Bob Hatton doubtless provided lots of memories but then you are into cult hero/legend territory. I would suggest that Keith Edwards would count as a legend though.

From the players Ive seen undoubted legends (on talent) were Deane, Tracey, Kelly, Hodges, Whitehouse, Jagielka and Brown.

 

[Studge]

Billy Gillespie ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Gillespie

William Foulke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Foulke_(footballer)

Ernest Nudger Needham, Jimmy Hagen

Alan Hodgkinson, Joe Shaw, Mick Jones, Tony Currie, Alan Woodward, Len Badger

Alex Sabella and Brian Deane

and also lets not forget Cec Coldwell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cec_Coldwell

 

[DP8789]

i dont really want to comment on the majority of the above named players as im only 23 and didnt see the majority of them play.

i would agree with whitehouse and jaggers

from a personal point of view i always think people have their 'own legends' which may not conform to 'club legends', i.e tony currie etc.

my own personal blades legends are Neil Shipperly, Michael Brown and Peschisolido (simply for the countless amazing moments they have given me as a blade)

 

[wardlowwanderer]

Alan Hodgkinson & Alan Woodward - legends alongside TC

Trevor Hockey - cult hero

Legend - 'a person whose fame or notoriety makes him a source of exaggerated [in the positive and negative senses] or romanticized tales or exploits' = Monty

 

[Foxy]

I think Sir Lee Strafford deserves to be up there . as he could end up having been , worth millions to us long term .

We simply don't have the pixel space, not even on my beast of a monitor

 

[shreds1975]

We simply don't have the pixel space, not even on my beast of a monitor

How about a picture of a gastric band, that would suffice.

 

[super_pig]

woody simply 'has' to be in there.. best player never to play for england.. perhaps linz could knock up an avatar of him with the grey hair and strange boots

 

[Bladesway]

Edwards = Lane Legend. No dispute and no argument. I don't know anyone who watched at the time who thought otherwise.

Also, he was sold by the club rather than wanting to leave and in spite of being born elsewhere is a Blade. Still is, in spite of the ups and downs.

His goalscoring record (is he the last man to win a golden boot at BDTBL?) is exceptional. Best actual goalscorer I have ever seen at the lane in my lifetime.

 

[shorehamview]

Tony Currie.


All the others.

 

[Kenilworth]

Woody a Cert

Woody is a must on there. One of my favourites as a nipper.
Never saw Hodgey play but my Dad raves about him.

Other than Woody, not counting others like Joe Shaw or Gillespie, whom I know very little about I cannot say that anyone since Brian Deane deserves that status - not even Jags because in the final analysis the only season he had with us in the top flight ended in failure. Deano's goals kept us up - no question.

Whitehouse = Cult Hero not legend.
Kelly, Tracey, Pesch, Stancliffe, Hockey, Badger, etc. all good servants to the club but no where near Blades Legends. They are really few and far between.

I would only add Woody to the avatar line up.
No one else deserves it in my mind.

 

[Silent Blade]

Yep - "Nudger" needs to be on there. Which other Blade has lifted the FA Cup for us, won promotion to the top flight and captained England? Oh - and played cricket for "Gods Own County" too - and become a published author.

Needham played cricket for Derbyshire, not Yorkshire. The only Blade player I can think of that has played cricket for Yorkshire is Alonzo Drake

 

[broomhillblade]

Needham played cricket for Derbyshire, not Yorkshire. The only Blade player I can think of that has played cricket for Yorkshire is Alonzo Drake

Ah yes... Alonzo Drake. Who could forget him?

Played for the Blades from 1903 - 07.

You're older than I thought Silent!

 

[SheepdipBlade]

Needham played cricket for Derbyshire, not Yorkshire. The only Blade player I can think of that has played cricket for Yorkshire is Alonzo Drake

Absolutely right - as I said Nudger was the only player to play cricket for "Gods Own County".

 

[Worksop II]

I cant believe no one has suggested any administrators as legends, this football mularky doesn`t just happen by itself you know.

I would imagine (in kevs head) that we should all be paying homage to the Bean Counters at Bramall Lane, tho` to be honest, those wearning that Black shirt are doing so anyway.

For me, anyone who can work Microsoft Access at BDTBL should be legendised, and those that know where the Hobnobs are buried should have their own Statue