NUFC all time premier league starting XI

[Hughesy]

Speed was so criminally underrated it wasn't even funny.  It's only in recent times that NUFC fans seem to appreciate how brilliant he actually was.

[Beren]

Speed was fantastic, but one small aspect of game (small given his role, that is) which was truly awful was his finishing.

 

He was shocking when shooting. Even from close range. No confidence in him whatsoever

[Mr. Snrub]

Remember him scoring a cracker away at Birmingham from a good 30+ yards.

[Cronky]

 

Batty for me was vastly underrated. He was a tough tackler but also a good passer. He wasn't the liability in possession Tiote can often be for us but I would agree, a few more season's of Tiote performing to such high standards and he would easily displace Batty.

 

I would have loved to have put Speed in my all-time XI but Rob Lee and Batty together in the middle in their pomp would be some force.

 

 

I never liked Batty. He had some ability but he was far too cautious. He was the master of the aimless sideways pass and didn't take enough responsibility for taking a risk and making something positive happen. Tiote has his limitations but he's always eager to get the attack going. If anything, he perhaps takes too much responsibility.

 

The only player I'd see as a rival to Tiote is Speed, for his heading ability at both ends of the pitch, and his greater ability at getting on the end of chances in the box. However, I think Speed went missing now and then and I'd go for Tiote's limitless appetite for involvement and hard work.

 

Batty would never give the ball away and cost us goals like Tiote has done a couple of times.

 

Well perhaps, but if you show no ambition with your passing, you're not going to make as many obvious mistakes. One of my memories of Batty is of him making himself available for a backwards pass from a team-mate, and then just shifting the ball on by a short pass to someone else in a weak position who didn't have much alternative but to pass the ball back to him. And so the process went on, with no defenders being eliminated and the team getting nowhere.

 

I can actually remember a European game where Batty gave a crucial goal away - I can't remember who it was against. He telegraphed a pass back to Pistone, and just to make sure, in typical cautious fashion, the ball was slightly behind Pistone. Pistone ended up receiving the ball with an opponent on top of it, and losing it, with a goal resulting.

[Ronaldo]

Speed was fantastic, but one small aspect of game (small given his role, that is) which was truly awful was his finishing.

 

He was shocking when shooting. Even from close range. No confidence in him whatsoever

 

You've pulled that one out of thin air, like. Completely wrong.

 

During his prime he was a very good finisher and could be counted on to get a few goals. He moved further back in his final 3 seasons and they slowly became few and far between. Still, over 100 career goals says it all.

 

Speed was so criminally underrated it wasn't even funny.  It's only in recent times that NUFC fans seem to appreciate how brilliant he actually was.

 

I think everyone knew how good he was at the time. But when you've got Bellamy, Shearer and Robert banging them in, Dyer running riot and Solano with his occasional beauty, folk can be forgiven for not thinking of the midfield anchor first. Top player/person, though. Deserves any adoration that comes his way.