Blades Perfect XI (according to 4-4-2)

[Grecian2000]

Woody was a right winger

Oh keep up BOSS, Walthy's so far to the right everyone seems like a left winger.

 

[puppet]

Eddie Colquhoun for Jagielka Surely Hagan should feature, maybe as sub? Get Adams to manage the team, he can take Woodward off after an hour and go 4-2-4

 

[JJ Sefton]

Woody was a right winger

Yikes! What a clanger. In that case Woodward and Tunstall would pick themselves on the wings for me.

 

[Revolution]

A greatest United XI without Hagan and Needham is worthless. Keith Edwards is my favourite ever United player, and I was a big Whitehouse fan, but they should step aside for Hagan and Nudger.

Hagan is arguably United's greatest ever player, and his only serious rival for best post-war player is Tony Currie.

Needham was the best player in United's best ever team, and it is arguable that he was the best player in the league during his peak years. You can't say that about any other United player.

I would also argue that Alan Hodgkinson is our best ever keeper, though I can see arguments for Foulke, Jack Smith, Kelly and Tracey.

I'm also unsure about Deano - Jimmy Dunne and Billy Gillespie have very good claims as well (there are some interesting parallels between Dunne and Deane's United career, incidentally).

As for Foulke, anyone who doubts he was a great keeper should read Colossus, Graham Pythian's excellent biography of him. Pythian has looked at contemporary newspaper reports of every game that Foulke played for United (and, I think, for his other clubs) and there are numerous mentions of Foulke's agility and brilliance.

 

[puppet]

No Bob Booker? super_pig's going to be up in arms when he sees this!

 

[Silent Blade]

My all time Blade X1 would be

Alan Hodgkinson
Len Badger
Graham Shaw
Ernest Needham
Joe Shaw
Billy Gillespie
Alan Woodward
Tony Currie
Jimmy Dunne
Jimmy Hagan
Fred Tunstall

Jimmy Dunne had a higher goal ratio than Harry Johnson

Post war X1

Alan Hodgkinson
Len Badger
Graham Shaw
Alex Forbes
Joe Shaw
Phil Jagielka
Alan Woodward
Tony Currie
Mick Jones
Jimmy Hagan
Brian Deane

It was a pity that I couldnt find a place for Doc Pace

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hagan is arguably United's greatest ever player, and his only serious rival for best post-war player is Tony Currie.

Needham was the best player in United's best ever team, and it is arguable that he was the best player in the league during his peak years. You can't say that about any other United player.

Spot on with these two. My dad loved Currie as much as I did, but always said Hagan was even better. As for Needham, I think he's the only Blade to captain England, as well as leading to our only ever championship in the top flight and 2 F.A. Cup wins. I was following us for 25 years before we reached a semi-final.

My midfield would be
Needham Currie Hagan Woodward
and we'd just go for the 5-4 win every week.

 

[Bladesman]

Wheres morgan!?!

Injured.

 

[Guesty]

Johnson is in purely for being our top all time goalscorer. As has been mentioned, they have largely eschewed players from his era and up to WWII, many of whom you'd have thought would get a look in - Foulkes, Needham, Tunstall, Priest, Hagan, Gillespie et al. Our most succesful era, no less (Our only succesful era), but Johnson gets in because being all time top scorer is a definite, an absolute.

Incidentally, he's also top scorer for another club, Mansfield, if I'm not mistaken. Can't be many players who can claim to be top goalscorer for two English clubs.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

My Blades XI - Since 1980

No point trying to judge players who I never saw play.
So since I started watching regularly and based on their peak form I would pick:-

Kelly
Naughton Jagielka McGrath Harley
C.Morris Brown McCall Tonge
Edwards Deane
Subs:- Kenny, Borkbokis, Holdsworth, G.Cowans, Hodges, Agana, Beattie

 

[SteelCity Blade]

My all time XI. Didn't see a few of these players play live but from what I have seen and been told by my elders.....you cant not have them in there. Records speak for themselves as well I suppose.

Kelly
Jagielka, Colquhoun, Stancliffe
Woodward, Currie, Hockey, Whitehouse
Edwards, Deane, Hagan​

With that midfield and attack you would only need three at the back! Tony Agana and Billy Gillespie are obviously glaring omissions but I know hardly anything about the latter as most wouldn't on here. Only my Grandfather would remember seeing him play!