Legends. Ronnie Redders Big Eric Danny Boy Norman That would be it for me. Lots of great players. Loads of favourite players but they are a notch below those chaps.
I thought watso that first goal that swansea scored against us in semis,good goal,that good collins wa a mile away,am not sayin baker would av saved it but i bet he would av been closer,for a small keeper he knew how to cover his goal,on a plus for collins i dont think weve ad a keeper av seen who could play a sweeper keeper,that alone might get him a good move in future, walton could do wi practicing it cos just being a good shot stopper is a dying breed.
When I think of legends I think of players who’ve served the club a long time like Hassell & Rimmo. Mowatt had 3 outstanding seasons for us, 2 of which he was one of the best players in the championship. I’m not sure that’s enough. Then you’ve got players like Hourihane who spent even less time with us. I find it hard to call players legends who sign one contract with us & then leave when a better offer comes in no matter how great they are. Maybe I need to change my view with how football has changed but 2-3 seasons is not enough to be a club legend in my opinion. It’s about a fifth of a players career.
Uber legends / Hall of Fame: you think of Barnsley you think of these: Glavin, Redfearn, Murphy, Winstanley, Rimmo Legends: huge range - they helped the club achieve something notable or stuck around when they could have moved (or came back when they realised what they'd lost) or where notably talented or hard or the club brought more out of them than anyone else or they have an affinity with the club or area Futch, Stumpy, Barnard, Hignett, Ward, Hendrie, Shotton, Watson, Baker, Dyer, Bobby, Hammill, Joyce, Joicey etc Don't like to categorise players who haven't yet retired in case they do something like Sammy the snake
Winnall was always leaving though. He didn't celebrate scoring goals that season because he had the tit on. Only thing he did wrong for me was the timing of his tweet regarding his move to Wednesday. I couldn't give two hoots he went to Wednesday. I thought he was a decent centre forward. Unfortunately that move effectively ended his career. He made his money though. I have happy memories of the 2015/16 season and his contribution until January 2017.
I'd have loved to see how Watson would have developed if he hadn't had his injury, he was the best goalie I've seen play for Barnsley.
Mike Lester. If for nothing else, but hiding the ball up the back of his shirt to delay a free kick. Biglil will tell you the opposition, date, relative humidity & names of refreshment bar personnel..
Best one on one keeper we’ve had. I don’t think he was as bad on crosses as we might first think, it’s just when he lashed it up, boy did he! So sad he had to retire so young. You see the money thrown about on keepers nowadays and many aren’t as good as what Watson was.
He's looked after a lot of up-and-coming young 'keepers in his time as a coach over the years too. Joe Hart, Jack Butland, Ben Foster, Fraser Forster, John Ruddy etc. Worked in the England setup. And now assistant coach at Southampton. Clearly knows his stuff and made up for retiring early as a player by having a long and successful coaching career. A real success story for the town. I still rate other 'keepers more though. But that's football, a game of opinions.
It's good that there are s many potential "legends". It really depends how old you are / how long you've watched the club & whether your Dad, Grandad, Great Grandad did as to what your reference points are. Club servants / legends would have to me Rimmo, Murphy & Winstanley as they have filled so many roles & been life long Reds, apart from Winni's brief job at Leeds. Big Mick played over 250 games for us & has maintained a connection, despite not wanting to take up the managerial job, so I'd lean towards him too. Loads of players that I'd consider as legends as players, but Redfearn is a Leeds man at heart, despite his influence as a player & Glavin is simply the best player I've ever seen in a Red's shirt. He played a lot more for us than Celtic, stayed in the area & also kept a connection, so would be hard to exclude him at least. It's a good debate if nothing else.
