The unsung heroes of the Premiership (my top 10) - how about yours?

[Dave]

Lita's looked alright from the bench since the start of the season IMO. Now he's starting and scoring too.

[Cajun]

To think Doyle cost them less than a week of Owens wages  

[Guest kingdawson]

Ryan Nelsen has been injured. I think he made his comeback at the weekend

Joleon Lescott. Absolutely outstanding defender at either centre back or left back.

 

How s**** like Dawson continue to get picked for England I'll never know

 

Look i know your team hasent had a decent centre back in God knows how long and your a bit excited and all but i doubt very much Lescott will get called up the England squad for a very long time to come.

[Guest Morph]

Gotta love Lescotts hair like 

[Guest]

Talking of hair, what the hell was that on Curtis Davies' head?

[Guest Rafa]

 

 

Rafa is a knob when it comes to team slections i mean even tries play Crouch/Kuyt Bellamy and Sissoko on the left/right, so if your justifying his team selection as correct, wow.  he is incompetent and dont know his best team at all, even now!  taking bellamy off for fowler on saturday - wtf!

 

Rafa incompetant LMAO, imagine what he'd achieve he had competence eh  :lol:

 

Fowler probably shoulda come on a few mins earlier actually, and someone has to be subbed, can't play 12 players yet.

 

And Sissoko doesn't play on the left or right, what are you prattling on about there.

 

And what is wrong with starting 3 forwards, espeically as one of them actually played deeper, or do managers have to stick to a rigid formation in this league or something? I must have missed that memo. Nothing wrong with a manager having different formations and tactics. 

 

As for unsung heroes, the only one right now I'd say at liverpool is Steve Finnan, who doesn't get half the respect he deserves. I wouldn't swap him for any other right back in this league. Carra does get plenty of attention these days, as does Alonso. Sissoko I'd stick in there IF he was actually playing! But he's been injured. Earlier this season Sissoko and Agger where easily our best players, but you'd never know it from reading reports etc. And last season he was one of our best players as well.

[madras]

Ryan Nelsen has been injured. I think he made his comeback at the weekend

Joleon Lescott. Absolutely outstanding defender at either centre back or left back.

 

How s**** like Dawson continue to get picked for England I'll never know

 

Look i know your team hasent had a decent centre back in God knows how long and your a bit excited and all but i doubt very much Lescott will get called up the England squad for a very long time to come.

thats the point,as someone who  thinks pretty similar of spurs and everton i'm constantly amazed englands managers consistently picking dawson...much the same way as i was amazed at them constantly picking jenas when at nufc and if this was a competitive game i'd be equally surprised if dyer had started.

 

it's only spurs fans who rate dawson and only spurs fans who look at that defence and think it's any good...weren't you gonna challenge for the champs lge places this season,well you'rebelow us at the minute with a worse defensive record and we've had a shocker of a season...how bad does that make sours's's's's's'?

[Guest bobbyshinton]

The Premiership is forever dominated by the big names and flair players and rightly so, but beneath the surface of superstardom lie players who if anything, really deserve the credit and headlines, the unsung heroes. Here are my top 10.

 

1 - Jamie Carragher - While Terry and Ferdinand grab the headlines and Ledley King the bias, the Liverpool man just goes about his business picking up trophies, helping his team to clean sheet records and if you ask any Liverpool fan, outshining even the likes of Gerrard on a consistent game for game basis for the Reds. The rock of Liverpool and a great character who regularly turns up at supporter and local events, hangs about with the same mates he grew up with and shuns the limelight. He for me has improved massively from an average if not solid performer into to a top-class defender. Not as blessed as his rivals in the skills department but when it comes to outright defending and marking, there aren't many better. He's an inspiration to all those steady solid performers and proof positive that you don't have to be multi-talented to become a top-class player, showing that a great attitude goes a long way.

 

2 - Gilberto - When talk of defensive midfielders crop up, many point to Chelsea's Makalele as the template of perfection in that role but in Gilberto here is a much more rounded DCM, one who can play football and score goals (not surprising given he's Brazilian). Whenever I've watched him play he rarely gives the ball away and always seems to have a good game. He carried Vieira in his final year or so at Arsenal and since the big man's move, he has came into his own as a top player in his own right. For my money, when fit and on form, he's the best DCM in the world because he can do both that side of the game and importantly, create and score at the other end and I don't think there are any quite like him. When we were once linked with him before he came to England and could have easily ended up as another Kleberson, but at £3.75m which I think he cost, he's proved a real bargain and you have to say we missed the boat for sure.

 

3 - Toure - Another Arsenal man, this time defender Toure who again has came on in leaps and bounds over the years to the point where today, he is pretty much an all-rounder and one of the best centre-backs in a league chocka-bloc with them. Quick, strong, good on the ball and athletic are his strengths but that's not what makes him such a good player - it is his reading of the game that makes him so valuable and his attitude seems spot on too, you never see him without that big smile of his plastered across his face, he isn't malicious or cynical unlike a few of his team-mates, he's actually a joy to watch as a defender. If he keeps improving at the rate he has been (isn't vocal enough or commanding enough yet) he could overtake Terry and Co as the best defender in the league.

 

4 - Carvalho - While Terry and Cech get the credit for Chelsea's mean defensive record, without Carvalho neither would be quite as effective, as partnerships go he makes Terry a better player than what he actually is and is perhaps why Terry has never looked quite as capable at international level. Carvalho reminds me somewhat of Woodgate, thin, not very athletic and not the toughest but my does he read the game well and time himself well. He's a brilliant defender and worth every penny of that huge sum. If Ferdinand is worth £30m then Carvalho is money well spent at £19m.

 

5 - Given - What, a Toon player? Bias I hear you cry. Well sort of because he's certainly not underrated by me, but Premiership wise, he's very much an unsung hero and I'd guess that all but Man Utd and Chelsea fans would have Shay as their number 1 if they could and I bet if Man Utd and Chelsea fans could pick an ideal replacement for their 'keepers, Shay would be very high on the list. Where we would be without him doesn't even bear thinking about. He is arguably the most consistently reliable 'keeper in the Premiership and has been for 4-5 years now. Not the tallest of 'keepers and not the greatest at commanding his box yes, but he more than makes up for it with his reading of danger, shotstopping and sheer reliability. When you factor in how much he cost and the crap he has played behind, you soon realise just how lucky we are to have him.

 

6 - Arteta - It took him a while to fully adapt to the Premiership but since then this hard working Spanish midfielder has proved a huge bargain, putting in some excellent displays for Everton and not only that but also proving quite versatile too. Now he is starting to score goals he's fast becoming one of the better midfielders in the Premiership, which is all the more remarkable given the way Everton's midfield are deployed. It shows his class that he is able to find time on the ball and dictate play as a right-sided outside midfielder. If ever we were looking for a natural replacement for our own Solano, Arteta would fit the bill (not me saying he would come to us BTW or want to leave Everton). Cahill and lately Johnson get all the headlines, but Arteta's the man that makes things happen for those players, very underrated in my opinion.

 

7 - Gary Neville - For such a limited player in that he isn't quick, athletic or blessed with the skills of say Ashley Cole, Neville has squeezed the utmost and then sum out of his talent to earn, for me, a rightful place in the hall of fame as  one of the best right-backs this country has ever produced. Certainly in the Premiership there hasn't been a player to touch him despite many pretenders. Defensively he's a rock but it is in the final third where he stands out and why he is underrated because those crosses he sends in are better than many top right-wingers can muster. To play as regular as he has for a club that can attract and spend fortunes on the best players in any position, says a lot about his consistency and attitude. People throw the tag world-class about far too often but Neville has been a world-class right-back and I think many don't quite realise just how good he is or was in his pomp.

 

8 - Scholes - Quite simply the little ginger destroyer of Toon has been one of the best midfielders in world football for nearly a decade now and quite why he doesn't get or hasn't had the same press as the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and others is beyond me because this lad is one of the all-time English greats and for me, is vastly underrated. The only thing he can't do is tackle, everything else he does with consumate ease and efficiency, with added flair. He's been amazing this season and is the player that frightens me most whenever we face Man Utd. A credit to himself and the game, a real professional and a role model for all aspiring footballers. If he was foreign, ala Zola or Bergkamp, he'd have had far more hype and limelight attributed to him. Everyone knows he's a top player but I believe many don't or haven't realised just how good, similar to Neville in that sense.

 

9 - Alonso - Gerrard grabs all the limelight but Alonso ranks alongside him as a world-class player. He joined along with Rafa and took to our game like a duck to water, which makes him stand out even more given he lacks pace. His passing is superb, better than Gerrard's and his reading of play just as good, he's also a good tackler and works ever so hard. At £10m or so he is a steal, a tremendous player and a credit to Spanish football and yes, a two-finger salute to the likes of Luque, Reyes and his own team-mate Garcia who hasn't quite set the world alight, not to mention fans and managers who turn their noses up to playmakers and those without real pace. Alonso could have so easily been another Viana but he has came to our country and shone, like with Scholes and Neville I don't think a lot of people realise just how good he is. A fantastic player to watch, makes things seem so easy.

 

10 - Gallas - For my money, when fit and playing at centre-back, he is the best all-round centre-back in the country and possibly the world too at current. Why Chelsea let him go I just don't know, because he's better than Terry and he even makes a decent left-back. He has the lot and I'm a massive fan. It seems lately he has fallen to niggly injuries and as a result Arsenal haven't see the best of him but Gallas and Toure, with Eboue to the right and Clichey to the left, could well be the strongest back-four in the country, as a partnership Gallas and Toure are certainly that in my opinion.

 

You could argue about who is the most underrated out of the 10 or whether some even deserve to be there but those are for my money the top 10 underrated players in the Premiership.

 

good article / post.

[Guest kingdawson]

Ryan Nelsen has been injured. I think he made his comeback at the weekend

Joleon Lescott. Absolutely outstanding defender at either centre back or left back.

 

How s**** like Dawson continue to get picked for England I'll never know

 

Look i know your team hasent had a decent centre back in God knows how long and your a bit excited and all but i doubt very much Lescott will get called up the England squad for a very long time to come.

thats the point,as someone who  thinks pretty similar of spurs and everton i'm constantly amazed englands managers consistently picking dawson...much the same way as i was amazed at them constantly picking jenas when at nufc and if this was a competitive game i'd be equally surprised if dyer had started.

 

it's only spurs fans who rate dawson and only spurs fans who look at that defence and think it's any good...weren't you gonna challenge for the champs lge places this season,well you'rebelow us at the minute with a worse defensive record and we've had a shocker of a season...how bad does that make sours's's's's's'?

 

mackems.gif mackems.gif. Good one mate. Anyway your post is pathetic because yet again someone has completly changed the subject to a 'we hate spurs' campaign. Yes weve been playing poorly and your currently ahead of us but what does this have to do with the topic???

 

[madras]

Ryan Nelsen has been injured. I think he made his comeback at the weekend

Joleon Lescott. Absolutely outstanding defender at either centre back or left back.

 

How s**** like Dawson continue to get picked for England I'll never know

 

Look i know your team hasent had a decent centre back in God knows how long and your a bit excited and all but i doubt very much Lescott will get called up the England squad for a very long time to come.

thats the point,as someone who  thinks pretty similar of spurs and everton i'm constantly amazed englands managers consistently picking dawson...much the same way as i was amazed at them constantly picking jenas when at nufc and if this was a competitive game i'd be equally surprised if dyer had started.

 

it's only spurs fans who rate dawson and only spurs fans who look at that defence and think it's any good...weren't you gonna challenge for the champs lge places this season,well you'rebelow us at the minute with a worse defensive record and we've had a shocker of a season...how bad does that make sours's's's's's'?

 

mackems.gif mackems.gif. Good one mate. Anyway your post is pathetic because yet again someone has completly changed the subject to a 'we hate spurs' campaign. Yes weve been playing poorly and your currently ahead of us but what does this have to do with the topic???

 

i thought topics were allowed to wander...but anyway back to where it was going.....pretty most sure most would feel as comfortable with lescott in the squad as dawson,but average premier cloggers

[1878]

Ryan Nelsen has been injured. I think he made his comeback at the weekend

Joleon Lescott. Absolutely outstanding defender at either centre back or left back.

 

How s**** like Dawson continue to get picked for England I'll never know

 

Look i know your team hasent had a decent centre back in God knows how long and your a bit excited and all but i doubt very much Lescott will get called up the England squad for a very long time to come.

 

Yobo, Weir, Gough, Stubbs, Watson, Bilic. All shite, yeah. Thanks for that insight.

 

Lescott is better than Dawson simple as. Defensively they are on a par however technically Lescott is far better- much more composed on the ball, decent passer, makes good runs upfield. For versatility he is also superior. Plays left back almost as well as he plays centre back which can't be said for Dawson.

[Cajun]

Ryan Nelsen has been injured. I think he made his comeback at the weekend

Joleon Lescott. Absolutely outstanding defender at either centre back or left back.

 

How s**** like Dawson continue to get picked for England I'll never know

 

Look i know your team hasent had a decent centre back in God knows how long and your a bit excited and all but i doubt very much Lescott will get called up the England squad for a very long time to come.

 

Yobo, Weir, Gough, Stubbs, Watson, Bilic. All shite, yeah. Thanks for that insight.

 

Lescott is better than Dawson simple as. Defensively they are on a par however technically Lescott is far better- much more composed on the ball, decent passer, makes good runs upfield. For versatility he is also superior. Plays left back almost as well as he plays centre back which can't be said for Dawson.

 

I think Lescott pisses all over him from a great height tbh, would MUCH rather have Lescott here!

[johnnypd]

Lescott is good, certainly better than Dawson, but i think Yobo is better than both. cos Lescott is new and english he gets most the plaudits but ive been more impressed by Yobo, especially up here when Martins outclassed Lescott.

[Guest kingdawson]

Ryan Nelsen has been injured. I think he made his comeback at the weekend

Joleon Lescott. Absolutely outstanding defender at either centre back or left back.

 

How s**** like Dawson continue to get picked for England I'll never know

 

Look i know your team hasent had a decent centre back in God knows how long and your a bit excited and all but i doubt very much Lescott will get called up the England squad for a very long time to come.

 

Yobo, Weir, Gough, Stubbs, Watson, Bilic. All s****, yeah. Thanks for that insight.

 

Lescott is better than Dawson simple as. Defensively they are on a par however technically Lescott is far better- much more composed on the ball, decent passer, makes good runs upfield. For versatility he is also superior. Plays left back almost as well as he plays centre back which can't be said for Dawson.

 

I think Lescott pisses all over him from a great height tbh, would MUCH rather have Lescott here!

 

I said decent.

[Syrette]

Bentley, Arteta, Barry, Milner (not basing that on yesterday's match), Tugay (though he's not featured all that much this season), Mendes, Nolan, Malbranque, Hunt, Doyle and McBride for me.

 

Some choices there that I know won't be agreed with.

[Cajun]

Michael Owen.

[Dave]

Michael Owen.

 

 

We did this one the other week btw.

[madras]

gary speed

[mozy]

Morten Gamst Pedersen

[Dave]

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=35887.0

[Cajun]

Jussi Jaaskelainen, fantastic keeper imo! James Milner, Gary O'Neill, Phil Jagielka and  Tevez.

[Tooj]

Diouf.

[Cajun]

Good shout 2J, Ryan Nelsen is another.

[Syrette]

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=35887.0

 

Erm, thanks for that. Couldn't recall it and I must have missed it out when I checked the last 2 pages. Leave this one running or do what you want to it, not bothered.

[Cajun]

face look bovvered?