Best England x11 in your lifetime

[Mexijan1]

Spinoff from the England v NM thread

Is this the best squad you've seen by player? Our best squad we have had at a championship? For me 90 was a special team for WC just didn't get the luck. DS getting some stick but hand on heart not sure why, I am basing from early 80s and don't have many players in the current perceived super squad..I know comparing eras is tough but in general have tried to base players on their achievements.

GK Shilton saw GB a few times but not enough to rate,
RB Phil Neal - 7 times league winner and 4 European cups. Neville pushed me close as did Walker
CB Don't get me started on how bad our current CBs are.... as a pairing Adams and Walker but drop in Butcher, Terry as the stopper and Ferdinand or Thompson as the 5.... Christ think I could have got a cap with the current bunch.
lb Cole,,, Pyscho special mention
CDM Robson
ATM Beckham Gascoigne Barnes
CF Rooney Kaine

TBH Had Owen, le Tissier, Shearer, Gerrard, lampard, Scholes,Hoddle left over just from the big names add in a certain Argyle hero in Mr Reid for CDM plus Batty and Hodge this current squad doesn't look so good. Bit like us atm good going forward but.....

Showed you mine show me yours...

 

[boletus edulis]

Not sure I could draw up an X1, but there are a few players I want to highlight. I will only choose players i saw in the flesh as a spectator at a match. Seen lots of good players, but three stand out. The first is Jimmy Greaves, saw him play I think twice once for Spurs and once for West Ham. Best English striker bar none in the post-war era. He would, quite literally, do nothing all game, touch the ball twice and walk off with a brace of goals. He said later that his secret was not to shoot, but to try and dibble past a prone keeper on the floor. The second is Booby Moore, no obvious speed, but by golly the most commanding defender I ever saw. He read the game like a chess master and it seemed he knew what the oppo player was going to do before the player himself did. The third is Alan Shearer who I only saw play once at Selhurst Park for Rovers. He gave a stunning all-round performance who made every other player on the pitch look like a donkey.

There will be others, but those are the three I look back on thank how lucky I was to see them.

 

[memory man]

My first WC on TV was Sweden in 1958. Compared to before then, there was plenty of live coverage. England were quite ordinary, due to injuries and poor selection. Pre-satellite, Chile 1962 was shown by short recordings only, flown in via BOAC. Moore and Greaves looked welcome additions. 66 I didn't need TV after the QF stage as I was lucky enough to go. So I have great difficulty in looking past Banks, Moore and R Charlton as outstanding, world-class players. Moore is so interesting case. 4 ATB was quite embryonic in 1962. He was recognised as a wing half originally but gradually developed into the second centre back. So here we go., in the current formation:-

Gordon Banks
Kieran Trippier, Roy McFarland, Bobby Moore, Ashley Cole
Alan Mullery and John Stones
Kevin Keegan, Paul Gascoigne, Bobby Charlton
Jimmy Greaves

Greaves has to play but I worry about his physicality. It maybe that one of the three attacking midfielders has to be sacrificed to play Shearer or Rooney as a 9 and Greaves as a 10. Was Lineker a 9 or a 10. So difficult.
I felt in 1970 that Labone and Mullery were upgrades on Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles. Then I felt McFarland was better than Labone. But there has been a dearth of centre halves for years. Adams and Butcher were decent but I lost a bit of interest thereafter. Stones hasn't played as a defensive midfielder that much, but when he has he seems to be made for the role. Leaving Mullery out and just going with Stones may be another way to have Greaves as a 10 behind a 9?

 

[Lousy Pint]

First one I remember was 66. I expected England to win every 4 years after that!!
I remember making a brilliant scrapbook for Mexico 70. I still think that Brazil team is the best I've ever seen.

Anyway, my team would be:
Gordon Banks
Kieran Trippier, Roy McFarland, Bobby Moore (c), Stuart Pearce
Paul Ince, Paul Scholes
Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne
Alan Shearer, Jimmy Greaves
Subs: Shilton, Butcher, Cooper, Platt, Waddle, Francis, Lineker, Kane

I'm confident Bellingham will be added to my list at some stage, but I haven't seen much of him yet.
What strikes me most is England's lack of defensive midfielders over the years.
Moore, Hoddle, Gascoigne, Greaves... some silky skills there!

 

[Mexijan1]

My first WC on TV was Sweden in 1958. Compared to before then, there was plenty of live coverage. England were quite ordinary, due to injuries and poor selection. Pre-satellite, Chile 1962 was shown by short recordings only, flown in via BOAC. Moore and Greaves looked welcome additions. 66 I didn't need TV after the QF stage as I was lucky enough to go. So I have great difficulty in looking past Banks, Moore and R Charlton as outstanding, world-class players. Moore is so interesting case. 4 ATB was quite embryonic in 1962. He was recognised as a wing half originally but gradually developed into the second centre back. So here we go., in the current formation:-

Gordon Banks
Kieran Trippier, Roy McFarland, Bobby Moore, Ashley Cole
Alan Mullery and John Stones
Kevin Keegan, Paul Gascoigne, Bobby Charlton
Jimmy Greaves

Greaves has to play but I worry about his physicality. It maybe that one of the three attacking midfielders has to be sacrificed to play Shearer or Rooney as a 9 and Greaves as a 10. Was Lineker a 9 or a 10. So difficult.
I felt in 1970 that Labone and Mullery were upgrades on Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles. Then I felt McFarland was better than Labone. But there has been a dearth of centre halves for years. Adams and Butcher were decent but I lost a bit of interest thereafter. Stones hasn't played as a defensive midfielder that much, but when he has he seems to be made for the role. Leaving Mullery out and just going with Stones may be another way to have Greaves as a 10 behind a 9?

Wow Trippier above Neal and Neville, can get that the boy... has pace to burn, for me most under-rated player in current squad.

Stones sorry but just NO. Gerrard, lampard, Platt even Hendo as the driving midfielder or Scholes so under-rated

Attack wish I was old enough to put Sir Bobby and Jimmy in..

MacFarland right on the edge of my age group but class

But it's all opinions so respect your choice..


Keegan Gascoigne Charlton that's scary good

 

[Mexijan1]

2 for Trippier can see that but still go Phil Neal

 

[boletus edulis]

The best keeper I have seen in the flesh was Shilts, but I am pretty sure the best we have had in my lifetime is Banks. When he made “the save” Mooro is supposed to have said something like you are getting old Banksy, once you would not have had to end up on the floor to save that.

The only keeper that I think gets close to Banks in our era was Schmiechel, but technically he does not count.

 

[boletus edulis]

A bit before my time but those a bit older than me, how good was Billy Wright, 100 games in that era strikes me as something special?

 

[Duncanrice1]

Banks, Wilson, Cohen, Stiles, Charlton J, Moore, Ball, Charlton R, Peters, Hunt, Hurst....Manager Ramsay....The only England team that ever won anything.

 

[Mexijan1]

Not sure I could draw up an X1, but there are a few players I want to highlight. I will only choose players i saw in the flesh as a spectator at a match. Seen lots of good players, but three stand out. The first is Jimmy Greaves, saw him play I think twice once for Spurs and once for West Ham. Best English striker bar none in the post-war era. He would, quite literally, do nothing all game, touch the ball twice and walk off with a brace of goals. He said later that his secret was not to shoot, but to try and dibble past a prone keeper on the floor. The second is Booby Moore, no obvious speed, but by golly the most commanding defender I ever saw. He read the game like a chess master and it seemed he knew what the oppo player was going to do before the player himself did. The third is Alan Shearer who I only saw play once at Selhurst Park for Rovers. He gave a stunning all-round performance who made every other player on the pitch look like a donkey.

There will be others, but those are the three I look back on thank how lucky I was to see them.

For me Shearer was a straight out 9 put Sutton or Teddie behind him and deadly, lucky enough to see him play a few times. linekar and Owen were good but when Teddie and Shearer clicked England were on a different level.

 

[boletus edulis]

For me Shearer was a straight out 9 put Sutton or Teddie behind him and deadly, lucky enough to see him play a few times. linekar and Owen were good but when Teddie and Shearer clicked England were on a different level.

I saw Shearer and Sutton play together. One was world class, the other was Chris Sutton. Perfectly decent at a national level, but Shearer was several levels above him.

 

[pafcprogs]

Banks

Reaney. Butcher Moore. Wilson

. Scholes. Hoddle Gascoigne

Lineker. Kane. Charlton

interesting that other than the all 66 winners team no one (including me) picks hurst.

 

[memory man]

A bit before my time but those a bit older than me, how good was Billy Wright, 100 games in that era strikes me as something special?

I only saw him towards the end on the occasional TV highlight or live coverage of a home international. He must have been something else to get 100 caps (at that time with far fewer internationals) and, of course, he was captain of Wolves who were a fantastic side during his time there. He wasn't big for a centre half either, but I've read that his reading of a game was masterful. Unlike a few England players, he survived the two debacles against Hungary in 1953-54.

He made his first team debut for Wolves in the first season after WW2, 1946/47. Their record over the 13 seasons he played was 3rd, 5th, 6th (and FAC Winners), 2nd, 14th (and FAC SF),16th, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 1st and 1st. IHe must have been a very fit man. In his first season he played 34 of the 42, League games, the least number of any of the seasons he played for them. I suspect some of the games he missed were due to being with England, as back then teams were expected to complete their fixtures despite international call-ups.

So, clearly, he was a bit special and I did think about including him and Stanley Matthews, two of the most famous England players ever. Tommy Lawton and Dixie Deans' scoring records make them candidates too.

 

[memory man]

Wow Trippier above Neal and Neville, can get that the boy... has pace to burn, for me most under-rated player in current squad.

Stones sorry but just NO. Gerrard, lampard, Platt even Hendo as the driving midfielder or Scholes so under-rated

Attack wish I was old enough to put Sir Bobby and Jimmy in..

MacFarland right on the edge of my age group but class

But it's all opinions so respect your choice..


Keegan Gascoigne Charlton that's scary good

I needed a skilful midfield player with defensive qualities. Neither Gerrard nor Lampard are as good as Stones in that area, though both are brilliant going forward. That said, I am sure that early in his career Gerrard had a few outings for Liverpool at right back. Henderson is one who improved with age but I don't see him as beingas classy as Stones. Trippier is current, such a good user of the ball and set-piece expert. Neal I suspect probably went under my radar because he was so unspectacularly reliable. Thank you for this - really good fun.

 

[unhinched]

So hard to pick a team in that there may be twenty or more of similar calibre. The only two definites for me are Bobby Moore and Bryan Robson - the latter because both England ( & Man Utd) were totally different teams when he played or didn't play. I've never known those two teams be so dependant on one player - stats / results with and without him were amazing at the time.
Gascoigne a special talent for a few years. Greaves, Lineker, Shearer, Charlton all genuine world class, maybe Rooney & Kane too , but picking one or two out of that lot is nigh on impossible.
Amazing that Shilton got all those caps while Clemence was superb at the same time.
Anyway - (I'm still stuck in 4-4-2) :
Banks
Neal, Butcher, Moore, Cole
Beckham, Charlton, Robson, Barnes
Shearer, Rooney

A lot of fight in there.
Subs : Shilton, Greaves, Scholes, Gascoigne, Lineker, Walker, Waddle