A club-by-club best XI during the Premier League era

For your club (or any other club if it takes your fancy) pick what you would consider the strongest line up based on performances from 1992 to now.

I'm having a little trouble with my Man Utd one. I can't really see how I could leave Ronaldo out, but I want Giggs on the left and Beckham on the right, so I'd have to play him up front. But that means dropping either Cantona or RVN.

Ooh, fun.

CHELSEA

Cech
Ferrer
Desailly
Terry
A Cole

Makelele
Gullit
Lampard

Robben
Zola
Drogba

Makelele will be doing a LOT of work in that XI.

No Bogarde?

Schmeichel (there's not really any doubt about this one)

Evra (though a lot of people would go for Irwin)
Vidic
Ferdinand (this has probably been the best partnership, though probably one of them should be replaced by Stam)
G Neville

Giggs
Keane (again, I don't think anyone would question this one)
Scholes (ahead of Ince who might be too similar to Keane)
Beckham (for the crosses and combination with G Nev down the right)

Ronaldo
Van Nistelrooy

Sorry Eric!

You can't play Ronaldo upfront in a 4-4-2, that's cheating.

I can't? He got 40-odd goals the other season. How about 4-2-3-1:

Keane
Ince

Giggs
Cantona
Ronaldo

RVN

This means no Beckham, but maybe I can live with that better than leaving out Cantona.

It also means no Scholes as well, as Ince is a more reliable tackler (i.e. won't just get sent off all the time) and Cantona can provide those magic passes.

               Reina
   Jones Hyppia Carragher Finnan
Gerrard Mascherano Alonso McManaman
         Collymore Fowler

Bench: James, Riise, (a centre back, help?!), Leonhardsen, Torres. Probably some of the old guard should be in there, can't really remember who was still serving in '92. Manager: Souness.

I always get my left/right backs mixed up, correct as needed. There are a hell of a lot of good forwards to choose from, so sorry Nando but it's those two at their all-too-brief peak.

Thorsvedt

Carr (earlier years)
King
Campbell (yes I am doing this)
Bale

Ginola
Modric
Van Der Vaart
Lennon

Sheringham
Klinsmann

This is Spurs, we don't do defensive midfielders.

can't really remember who was still serving in '92

Doesn't matter as it's only based on post-92 performances. So even though Bryan Robson played until 1994 I wouldn't dream of including him based on 92-94.

xp - it's funny that Spurs don't seem to have had any top class goalkeepers in all that time

That was tougher than it should have been, there are some positions where we haven't exactly excelled over the years, hence Bale being at LB to fit Ginola in. And I couldn't bring myself to put Darren Anderton in there. On another day I might have put Gomes in over Thorsvedt.

So depressing that that Liverpool side still wouldn't win the Premiership 1992/2011

OK, Southampton

Anti Niemi

Francis Benali (yes, yes, I know we have Wayne Bridge and Gareth Bale, but I can't leave out Franny)
Ken Monkou
Michael Svensson
Jason Dodd
Matt Oakley
Jim Magilton
Theo Walcott (only half a season, but he was SO good for us)
MATTHEW LE TISSIER!!!!
James Beattie
Marian Pahars

That is largely based on sentiment, and would line up in a 4-2-3-1

If you will insist on putting Stan Collymore in there over Torres of course they won't. (xpost)

(xp to other Jamie) Manager: H Redknapp?

xp Fernando knows what he did

(xp to other Jamie) Manager: H Redknapp?

GRRRRRR

                     Seaman
Dixon         Keown          Campbell    ...Cole
             Vieira           Cesc
Ljungberg                                  Pires
             Henry           Bergkamp

So surprising!
Ok, well...
Chesney has 20 years to become even more a legend than the ponytail. Cole had to make it, unfortunately but Winterburn won quite a few medals with us and Clichy is playing like a dude pissed off with being labelled 'a poor mans Cole'. Campbell is a better player than Adams, and Bould only misses out because his best season was the one before the Premiership started. If Vermaelan recovers to have a career that is just many repeats of last season, he could make it. Dixon is a lock and will be for the forseeable future.
Cesc is the best player I have ever seen in an Arsenal shirt if I'm honest. And the rest of that front 6 is going to take something fucking special to dislodge - the likes of Wright, Anelka, the Romford Pele and Petit cannot make it - I guess Nasri for Ljungberg will be the most likely. Will Wilshere ever be as good as Cesc or Vieira? IMO we'd have to buy Messi to take Pires out of my team.

you haven't said what manager

Bruce Rioch.

Christmas Tree Toon

			Given
Venison		Albert		Hughes		Beresford
	Solano		Batty		Ketsbaia
		Beardsley	Gascoigne
			Shearer

Bench: Asprilla, Ginola, Srnicek, Lee, Cole

Manager: Gullitt

I don't think you're allowed Gazza.

Terrific team though, reminds you of how many great players Newcastle had once upon a time.

Oh yes, he left before prem started didn't he? Ah well, Ginola Le Magnifique instead.

Is that you outing yourself as a Newcastlist?

Wd take 60 seconds of Tino over Shearer's entire career, goals and effectiveness be damned.

I really want to see Everton & Villa ones btw

(or any other club if it takes your fancy)

I got as far as Bully playing off Doyler and that's about the best of it tbh. Might be fun to get Muscat in there somewhere.

I wanted to go with three up but if you make one of them Shearer it doesn't seem to work.

Losing Gazza could maybe switch the formation around and fit Tino in, though I don't think Shearer ever enjoyed playing with him (couldn't link up + every time Tino played well he looked like the fucking shining star Shearer could never be). Couldn't really put Cole and Shearer together either - Shearer wouldn't give him the ball.

couldn't link up

I'm being unfair here but I remember Shearer saying it was difficult because no-one had any idea what Tino was going to do so he had to just make the runs and hope for the best.

Yeah like I say on logical grounds Shearer as target man is this dull necessity, but damn watching Asprilla was good times.

Andy Cole's one great Premiership season at Newcastle > any of Shearer's seasons at Newcastle.

Shearer moved right after Blackburn's disappointing defence and Newcastle's near miss, didn't he? It pleases me that he would've anticipated being the missing piece able to take the credit for the inevitable league triumph the next season.

                Kiely
Brown    Costa        Rufus    Powell
Kishishev   Holland    Parker    Stuart   
         Mendonca     Bent

who needs wingers, or danny murphy

manager iain dowie obv

Should've gone with Young Fish Costa Fortune across the back.

I know, I know...and Brown over Young is probably a move borne out of sentiment more than anything else (ok, I'll fess up: I forgot about Young :/). Fish wasn't all that great though. Well, he was good, but Rufus is proper ONE CLUB MAN LEGEND ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS

Fortune is at Charlton *now* and only gets the occasional start. That should explain why he is not in that XI :D

Bench, btw

Elliot (never played Prem but <3)
Young
Hreidarsson
THE ELK
Murphy
Bartlett
Hunt

LOOK DAD STILL NO WINGERS

wow is jonathan fortune still there? forgot about him. (kano's cousin of course).

andy hunt was v good i recall.

He came back after it didn't work out at Stoke/Sheff Uni etc. Has chronic injury issues and occasional deficiencies in his game that are exposed even in League One. When he's good, he's Premiership quality, but physically he's not all there atm.

Andy Hunt was a goalpoacher deluxe. Great finisher, great snaffler of rebounds. Even had a bit of style now and then. Would have received an England cap if he'd been born 5 years later and not suffered from ME

(He ended up founding a sort of eco-park hotel thingy in Belize and blogging about it...pretty inspiring!)

http://www.greendragonbelize.com/aboutus.html
http://www.belizejungledome.com/about_us.html

a Green Dragon AND a Jungle Dome, far out

Love that Newcastle team.

Struggling to decide on Chelsea manager, maybe a cross between Jose's good looks, mischief-making and tactical acumen, Carlo's phlegmatic dudeness and Vialli's v-neck jumpers and idiosyncratic English.

Or maybe just Dave Webb.

i know yall love ketsbaia but not having laurent robert ahead of him is str8 challops

rather ropey attempt at Villa

Sorensen

Barrett
Southgate
Mellberg
Ehiogu

Taylor
Barry
Staunton
Young

Yorke
Angel (did he really score 66 goals for them blimey)

Manager: O'Neill (but Bigot Ron on standby)

How about a 'did they really play for us' XI?

Neil Sullivan

Winston Bogarde
Paul Parker
Mal Donaghy
Christian Panucci

Emmanuel Petit
Vinny Jones
Muzzy Izzet
David Rocastle
Graham Rix

George Weah

Harte was breathtakingly good at free kicks at times but he also wasn't a bid winger as things go.

I always liked him but he seemed to acquire a reputation as a bit useless, which I never understood.

David Batty though, he should be in there

I thought about Batty and I thought about Dacourt, too.

Breen

Breen Breen Breen Breen

Breen Breen Breen Breen

Breen Breen

Breen

Breen Breen Breen Breen

Breen Breen Ogrizovic Breen

Breen Breen

― Roberto Spiralli, Friday, 4 February 2011 23:57 (34 seconds ago)

I've heard of innovative formations but that's an odd place to play your keeper.

McAllister

Breen Breen Breen Huckerby

Breen Breen Ogrizovic Breen

Palmer Breen

― Roberto Spiralli, Friday, 4 February 2011 23:57 (34 seconds ago)

― acoleuthic, Friday, 4 February 2011 23:58 (Yesterday)

                 Friedal
Neill    Hendry      Samba        Le Saux
            Sherwood     Tugay
Bentley                          Wilcox
            Shearer  Santa Cruz

Sutton, Ripley, Flowers, Batty, Kenna ... dunno who the other CB was in 95 but I'm inclined to just name that whole XI

lucas neill is a stain

Still waiting for an Everton effort.

Can someone else have a go? I can't really be bothered.

Not a lot wrong with the current first XI, except that we're in the bottom half and (yesterday excepted and a couple Cup ties vs lower-league oppo) we can't score or hold onto a lead. Guess I'd try and squeeze Pienaar, Kanchleskis and maybe prime-Ferguson back in there (though when we played around Big Dunc we were often wretched). Howard holds sway over past-prime Southall and Martyn, just. Big question is, does teen-Rooney get in? I say NO. Nor does Beardsley for the opposite reason. Be nice to pick an Everton Prem-era XI with players at their peak - Ginola! Gascoigne!

dunno who the other CB was in 95 but I'm inclined to just name that whole XI

Was it Henning Berg?

Yes I think it was - forgot he was mostly-Blackburn with a Utd aberration, I mentally had him down the other way round. That'd be a full house for that 95 team after all, with only Brad pushing them hard.

rb was the hardest. can't even remember who was rb in 95 tbh. Sherwood better than Zidane iirc, Bentley a bit iffy but then he was p fucking hyped when he was there, sutton v. santa cruz v. mccarthy's first season = tough. friedal > flowers just because of about 100+ games more and he had to work with a shittier back line.

GK: Friedel

RB: Mellberg
CB: McGrath
CB: Laursen
LB: Barry

RM: Young A
DM: Taylor I
AM: Merse, Poor Old
LM: Daley

ST: Dublin
ST: Yorke

Bench: Bosnich, Wright A, Carbone, Angel JP, Milner, Bouma, Alpay

If Loyalty Darren manages a full season of being, ooh, 3/4 as good as the last five years of his career he'll pretty much thunder into the 1st XI by default.

to repeat: where's benny carbone, dude had it all except, like, will to run

It's a fucking mystery

his goal against Leeds and Wright's 35-yarder against some other club are the two staggering moments of Villa brilliance my brain can remember from days of youth

no barry? even on the bench?

where's ian taylor? he was ace

Oh great, a meme

brb

Has anyone done Everton yet? Or Sunderland?

Was Carbone the guy that wore the hairband?

can't believe u missed out Barry

Quinn and Phillips up front for Sunderland imo.

GK: Gunn

RB: Culverhouse
LB:
CB: Newsome
CB: Fleming

RM: Fox
LM: Eadie
CM: Megson
CM: Holt

FW: Sutton
FW: Robins

Yeah, that's shit.

Fenton

Balaban Balaban Balaban Harewood

Balaban Balaban Postma Balaban

Kachloul Balaban

sorry, forgot fenton

anyone do utd yet or were they too confused by neville v. rooney?

I'm trying to think of a club with two distinct, undistinguished prem eras, and a decent gap between - not sure there is one is there? Do clubs just go down & stay down from now on?

bolton wanderers!

ipswich town!

crystal fucking palace!

I'm trying to think of a club with two distinct, undistinguished prem eras, and a decent gap between - not sure there is one is there? Do clubs just go down & stay down from now on?

― Ismael Klata, Monday, 7 February 2011 20:03 (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

take that one season out of it and then blackburn.

Was looking more for two crappy dynasties without any continuity to compare and contrast. Bolton would be about right, and Man City until Abu Dhabi ruined that too. Might try a Palce XI if I can remember anyone there who wasn't a fiasco.

No Jerry Goss in that Norwich line up?

Crystal Palace:

           Martyn
 Shaw Southgate Coleman Gordon
Salako McGoldrick Thomas Jansen
      Armstrong Johnson

Subs: Ćurčić Riihilati Ismael Brighty Collymore(!)
Manager: Lombardo/Brolin dream team
Twelfth man: Matthew Simmons

are-they-still-around moment: Steffen Iversen has just joined Palace, and is doing well by all accounts

Twelfth man: Matthew Simmons

Grrrrr!

My first thought was "Where's Wright and Bright?" and then I realised Wright went to Arsenal before the Premier League even started. When did Bright leave Palace?

Ah no, Brighty left in 1992 for Wednesday, the snake. Seems Wrighty scored the goals that sent Palace down in the first premiership season - after them being nine points clear of the drop zone with three to play!

it's not a bad XI but rather an old-fashioned one - not a foreigner in sight

that sent Palace down in the first premiership season - after them being nine points clear of the drop zone with three to play!

My non-football-following university housemate was baffled at the way I was cheering on Crystal Palace around April 1993. When I explained that United had to play at Selhurst Park three games before the end of the season and I really wanted Palace to be safe by that point so that they wouldn't need to try so hard, he thought I was a bit obsessive. I was a bit obsessive at that point.

kind of against ppl doing clubs they don't support (upson over bilic and repka AND NO JULIAN DICKS ffs!!) but i guess we've done all of those now...

why is the palace one deliberately prem-centric? collymore left on or before 92 surely so dougie freedman. michael hughes for jansen. david hopkin for mcgoldrick? ashley cole ahead of dean gordon maybe? and speroni vs martyn? lombardo on the pitch with coppell in the dugout obv.

also curcic and ismael were crap for them i thought.

Jaaskelainen
Cox Bergsson N'Gotty Gardner
McAteer Djorkaeff Hierro Okocha
McGinlay Davies

subs Branagan Campo Frandsen Thompson Nolan Diouf Anelka

hierro wasn't that good for them. holden's already done more than him, as did nolan

djorkaeff scored an 85th-minute overhead kick at the valley right in front of me, wanker

that reminds me of big ron insisting on calling him "jerk-off"

Isn't 'prem-centric' the point? In any case, not many of e.g. City's third division side will be competing for their XI with Silva and Tevez.

Hopkin would've been in there for Thomas but for that, but Gordon was good, got me regular fantasy points bitd iirc. Collymore makes the Palace bench for the surprise factor - I didn't know he was ever there. And Ismael's there for the shirt sale, obv.

Yeah no Nolan is like no Dicks. Also Anelka was the best Bolton player. He did more than he did at any other club tbrr.

dicks has gone down in history as a hammers club legend etc - nolan ain't. but i accept sticking hierro ahead of him was probably fanciful.

and i thought "prem era" was the point? it's not necessarily about which players were the most capable per se but who was best for the club at the time (to a certain stretching point - i don't mean purely cult figures and fan favourites). not sure that many city fans would yet say silva's better than ali benarbia even though on paper it's clearly true, and likewise anelka would never displace john mcginlay.

Re: Palace - Gordon's a right-back, Coleman's a left-back, Shaw's a centre-back. Wouldn't put Jansen on the wing, not when you could have an actually motivated Wayne Routledge instead (during Palace's last season in the Prem, him and Johnson were fantasy football gold). No Hughes or Freedman seems weird, cos Hughes fully solves yr midfield quandary.