All time BWFC top XI

It's difficult this, as I only started watching the wanderers in the late 80's. I've based this on what I've seen personally, and what I've heard about past players. I'm sure everyone has a different opinion on this but this is what I've come up with as my best 11.

                               Branagan 

Brown          Bergsson          N'Gotty         Banks

Lee               Okocha        Djorkaeff      Thompson

                     Lofthouse        Mcginlay

I've gone for Branny in goal because he was the best I've seen personally but he was run close by Tommy Banks - 519 appearances speaks for itself, the guy's a legend. There was also jussi to think about.
Defensively I could only think of Mark Fish to rival the centre backs, and Gardner or Charlton for the left back spot, but the 58 cup winning tough tackler got it for me.
So many I left out.
McAteer, Nolan, Reid, Frandsen, walker, Kelly, Anelka and Worthington almost got in just for the wonder goal alone in 79 against Ipswich.

Who would your top XI be?

Jaaskeleinen 
Cahill  - Bergsson - N'Gotty -  Gardner
Djorkaeff - campo - hierro - okocha 
Anelka - Davies

based on who i've seen over the years and some of them may not be the best players may not be the best players ever but are my favourites.

                         Jaaskelainen

Brown          N'Gotty       Bergsson     Cowdrill

                             Campo
              Frandsen               Okocha

                             Djorkaeff   
                 
                McGinley          Walker

Brannigan

           Bergsson      taggart

Hunt                                        charlton

                      Campo

       Frandsen          okocha

                     Nolan

      Mcginlay         anelka


I was gonna pick almost the same team as norpig so mixed it up a bit

It's really hard to pick an All Time Team, without taken into consideration how the game as changed over the years, particularly when ot comes to the speed, size and cardiovascularity of the modern age.

Legends such as Lofthouse would not have been anything like the player he was in this day and age - even the ball is different to what he knew.

I doubt too that some of my early favourite players from 30 and 40 years ago would be as competitive also, players like Tony Dunne, Peter Thompson, Paul Jones, etc, may not have been as good in todays world.

Similarly although I like everybody else loved the White Hot Years, not many of those players went on to be regular top division players, so once again I doubt the likes of Walker, Lee, McGinlay, Kelly etc could really and honestly be the best players in our history and the likes of Stubbs, MacAteer and Thompson who did go on to play at a high level aren't the best players in their positions we ever had - imo.

So bearing that in mind I would probably pick a very similar team to that chosen by Boogers above (with either Bergsson or N'gotti swapping places with Cahill at right back).

That's how I view things anyway.

Branagan

Mendy - Gudni - N'Gotty - Gardner

Youri - Hierro - Frandsen - Thompson

McGinlay - Walker

Natasha Whittam wrote:Branagan

Mendy -  Gudni  -  N'Gotty - Gardner

Youri  -  Hierro  -  Frandsen  -  Thompson

McGinlay  -  Walker

I can't see any best 11 without Frankie Worthy in it.  He added much more than just time on the pitch. We also had Willie Morgan who was a mini George Best at the time.....him and Peter Thompson had skills you just don't see any more in wingers.

I've just gone for players I've seen. I could of had mcateer, tomo, stubbsy amongst others but ill stick with what i have

Norpig wrote:based on who i've seen over the years and some of them may not be the best players may not be the best players ever but are my favourites.

                         Jaaskelainen

Brown          N'Gotty       Bergsson     Cowdrill

                             Campo
              Frandsen               Okocha

                             Djorkaeff   
                 
                McGinley          Walker

Wasn't Barry Cowdrill a right back?

Cowdrill was a left back. Who could forget the goal that never was, his 30 yard volley against Swindon in the cup.

Boggersbelief wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:Branagan

Mendy -  Gudni  -  N'Gotty - Gardner

Youri  -  Hierro  -  Frandsen  -  Thompson

McGinlay  -  Walker

Boggers, you bellend. Mendy was ace. Crap defender, but brilliant going forward. Loved him.

Sluffy wrote:It's really hard to pick an All Time Team, without taken into consideration how the game as changed over the years, particularly when ot comes to the speed, size and cardiovascularity of the modern age.

Legends such as Lofthouse would not have been anything like the player he was in this day and age - even the ball is different to what he knew.

I doubt too that some of my early favourite players from 30 and 40 years ago would be as competitive also, players like Tony Dunne, Peter Thompson, Paul Jones, etc, may not have been as good in todays world.

Similarly although I like everybody else loved the White Hot Years, not many of those players went on to be regular top division players, so once again I doubt the likes of Walker, Lee, McGinlay, Kelly etc could really and honestly be the best players in our history and the likes of Stubbs, MacAteer and Thompson who did go on to play at a high level aren't the best players in their positions we ever had - imo.

So bearing that in mind I would probably pick a very similar team to that chosen by Boogers above (with either Bergsson or N'gotti swapping places with Cahill at right back).

That's how I view things anyway.

I don't look at it that way Sluffy.
All the modern players are standing on the shoulders of giants and the same is true of all athletes who benefit from the better understanding of diet, training, medical & psychological support, funding and techniques developed by those who went before. So if Jesse Owens was the exceptional athlete of his generation without these things, there's a good chance he would be the exceptional athlete of this generation had he been born at a later time - nobody knows for sure. Conversely, modern athletes wouldn't be as good as they are if it weren't for the learning from the past so without e.g. the Cruyff turn and the hundreds of other ways to get past a defender etc Ronaldo wouldn't have the same skillset. Ronaldo grew up copying the likes of Cruyff. Would Henry Ford have been relevant if someone hadn't invented the wheel thousands of years before? Cuts both ways IMO. I therefore think that the only fair way to compare would be to judge on the basis of what impact players had in their time.

Up to everyone to pick whatever they believe is their All time top XI.

My logic is that no matter how good you were 40, 50, 60 years ago, the worlds moved on in many a ways since then.  People, let alone athletes are averagely taller generation on generation, and better fed and healthier (certainly in the developed world).  Therefore legends of the 50's and 60's (even the 70's) would have to be measured against 'better' and 'fitter' players than those they played with and against in their times.

Take Lofthouse for instance.  There is no arguement that is is the true legend as a player for the club but do you honestly thing at just 5 foot 9 inches and weighing comesurate with his height he could take on with the same effect the defenders of this generation, in the style that he played?

I don't.

I'm not disrespecting him or anyone else from past years, I simply think that logically players of the current generation are that more stronger, fitter, faster, etc, etc, than the preceding generations and this trend will continue as the next generations players come along and they in turn will be bettered by the ones that come after them, etc.

Such is evolution.

If no one believes this is so then they may as well put 5 foot 10 inch England regular Eddie Hopkinson in goal and David Jack (the worlds best player 80 years ago) into their Wanderers top XI team, as they were standout players of their respective generations.

Jaaskelainen

Rimmer         N'Gotty       Bergsson     J Phillips

                             Campo
              Frandsen               Okocha

                             Djorkaeff   
                 
                McGinley          Worthington

Subs: John Byrom, Ronnie Phillips, Kieth Branegan, John Ritson, Eider Gudjonssen

Sluffy wrote:Up to everyone to pick whatever they believe is their All time top XI.

My logic is that no matter how good you were 40, 50, 60 years ago, the worlds moved on in many a ways since then.  People, let alone athletes are averagely taller generation on generation, and better fed and healthier (certainly in the developed world).  Therefore legends of the 50's and 60's (even the 70's) would have to be measured against 'better' and 'fitter' players than those they played with and against in their times.

Take Lofthouse for instance.  There is no arguement that is is the true legend as a player for the club but do you honestly thing at just 5 foot 9 inches and weighing comesurate with his height he could take on with the same effect the defenders of this generation, in the style that he played?

I don't.

I'm not disrespecting him or anyone else from past years, I simply think that logically players of the current generation are that more stronger, fitter, faster, etc, etc, than the preceding generations and this trend will continue as the next generations players come along and they in turn will be bettered by the ones that come after them, etc.

Such is evolution.

If no one believes this is so then they may as well put 5 foot 10 inch England regular Eddie Hopkinson in goal and David Jack (the worlds best player 80 years ago) into their Wanderers top XI team, as they were standout players of their respective generations.

Two sides of the same coin - I just think they should be judged in their own worlds. Lofthouse would probably be over 6 foot and built like a brick shithouse if he'd been born 40 years later - such is the impact of diet and healthcare. Humans have changed considerably over the piece and that also cuts both ways. Nowadays, younger guys are far more impotent than our generation for example - increasingly shooting blanks despite better diet.
I would have David Jack in my team because he was outstanding for his generation. And Lofthouse's goalscoring record won't be beaten, especially his England record where he scored something like 30 goals in 33 games - almost a goal a game which nobody else who has played more than a few games for England has got near or ever will.
There are good players and great players and we've had our share of great players over the years but there's no point in comparing them to players in a different game at a different time IMO.

I never saw Tommy Banks or Eddie Hopkinson play but my dad reckoned the best Wanderers keeper was Eddie Hopkinson. Jim McDonagh was between the sticks when I first started following Wanderers. For me it's a toss up between Branagan and Jussi so I'll probably go with Jussi because of his longevity at the club.
No Wanderers X1 would be complete without Frank Worthington, Paul Jones and Peter Reid from the late seventies.
You would also have to find room for Gudni, Jay Jay, Campo, Hierro, Djorrkaeff, Gudjohnsen and Anelka. It doesn't leave much room for defenders but how do you leave out John Ritson, Bruno N'Gotty, Gary Cahill, Tony Dunne, Jason McAteer, and Alan Stubbs .

The Bolton team that got promotion from what is today known as League 1 to the Championship back in the early 90s would piss on this current Bolton team.

Reebok Trotter wrote:I never saw Tommy Banks or Eddie Hopkinson play but my dad reckoned the best Wanderers keeper was Eddie Hopkinson. Jim McDonagh was between the sticks when I first started following Wanderers. For me it's a toss up between Branagan and Jussi so I'll probably go with Jussi because of his longevity at the club.
No Wanderers X1 would be complete without Frank Worthington, Paul Jones and Peter Reid from the late seventies.
You would also have to find room for Gudni, Jay Jay, Campo, Hierro, Djorrkaeff, Gudjohnsen and Anelka. It doesn't leave much room for defenders but how do you leave out John Ritson, Bruno N'Gotty, Gary Cahill, Tony Dunne, Jason McAteer, and Alan Stubbs .

I watched Eddie Hopkinson RT and I thought he was God. It may have been his style or athleticism - he just had something about him - but with him in goal it was entirely believable that the opposition - whoever they were - would never beat him.
Obviously they did from time to time but he made them work for it.
He inspired incredible confidence in the players around him and the fans.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Cowdrill was a left back. Who could forget the goal that never was, his 30 yard volley against Swindon in the cup.

 I remember it well i was stood on the Paddock almost right behind it, i couldn't believe it got ruled out