Dominant midfield

Glavin - the best player I’ve seen play for us.
Redfearn - the most influential player in our history
O’Connell - my favourite player
Alan Little - first love.

 

Never mind Barnsley. I can’t think of a team at any level any where, at any time, that has had any success without having a strong midfield.

And look at what we have.

 

A McHale type would suit us fine. He'd be the glue that kept us all together.

 

Flavin

 

There's only one Ronnie Glavin, one Ronnie Gla-vin.....

end of

 

I have a personal theory (might not carry much truth) that clubs have an identity that can also stand out on the pitch, players and formation. For example I see Liverpool as the most successful when they have a solid, dominant Centre Half and also pairing. Look at the likes of Thompson, Lawrenson, Hansen, and recently Van Dijk. I have always thought our identity focussed on Midfield. We seem to do well when we have quality and solidity in Midfield with the players you state we have had some good seasons and especially when we have a quality 'attacking midfielder'. Our squad today is far far from that. I think it would be a step forward if the current midfield could keep a ball and not get feather dustered off it every 20 seconds.

 

Our best sides have always also had a solid and uncompromising defence though e.g. Winny and Pat Howard, Macca and Ian Evans, Futch and whoever, De Zeeuw and Steve Davis/Matty Appleby/Shirty, and more recently Solly, Helik and Andersen (sort of).

At the moment, we’re soft as $hite at the back. I’d back myself to score against them - and I’m in my sixties.

 

No self respectful Bookie would offer you odds though!!

 

I worked in Cambridge from 1978 to 1982 and saw us play United a few times there in the 2nd division. A woman I worked with and her husband were shareholders at United and had been watching them for years. After one game (a league cup tie when we beat them 3-1) she said that our midfield was the best she'd ever seen at The Abbey.

Banks, Glavin and McHale, take a bow....

 

Absolutely, or maybe a Stumpy.

 

Possibly underrated was Shez.

Not only was he good at breaking up play - and mixing it when necessary - he could also pass a ball 50 yards on to someone’s toe.

 

Glavin best ever in a red’s shirt especially alongside Banks and McHale but honourable mentions to Graham Pugh and Alan Little

 

An experienced head in central midfield instantly improves the current team tremendously in my opinion. And by experienced, I mean someone of at least 150 to 200 games underneath them, at this or the level above/below. Not necessarily old, but a good four to five years of week in, week out football.

But that’s just my opinion. A younger player learning his trade is fine. But when you start pairing such players in key positions at high levels of the game, you have to hope they’re stand-out talents.

 

Mike Lester and Paddy McCourt just for entertainment….

Obviously Glavin , Redders and Hignett are the 3 best

 

I’ll always remember a mates verdict on Glavin after his first two games: He’s fat, he’s slow and he’s useless. Did he ever regret those words? It just shows though that fans can’t be relied on to make the best judgment. The guy who got most stick and I thought was brilliant was Agnew. I remember an away game at Leeds and Vinnie Jones couldn’t get near enough to him to get in his pocket.

 

Agnew in the list ,omg king of the side foot pass ,never got a dirty shirt because he never got a tackle in,he wasn’t even in a successful team

 

See what I mean?
Hourihane could have played in his best suit, but he was still brilliant. It’s not about how mucky you get. Agnew had a great career after our fans drove him out.

 

Yes ,we got 700 grand for him from Blackburn,it was there record signing at time ,he was a steady player but not in our top midfielders imho

 

I’d have him now though