Best player ever to grace the colours? - Page 2

Greger · 03-11-2006, 15:31

Got to be George Stewart. 30+ goals every year

PaulMullinsForehead · 03-11-2006, 15:44

Tommy Mcqueen, fantastic goalie, a little bit like Fatty Foulkes!!!

Especially these days!

stan-er-ley · 03-11-2006, 20:01

the best ever player for stanley , hhmmmm:

either jamie speare , rory prendergast or pete cav

southernred · 03-11-2006, 20:53

Haggis came back to Stanley for several reasons:

Firstly Stanley was his first "big" club, Whinney Hill in the Accy Comb before that.
Secondly he knew he would be welcome at "the Crown" if it didn't work out at Rovers; thit was the case.
Thirdly he got his old job back at Hyndburn Council
and finally he did not drive so playing for ASFC was perfect for him.

Local club, local hero, amongst friends.

Haggis ASFC legend!

Willie Miller · 03-11-2006, 21:04

mullin

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ossy kid · 04-11-2006, 20:31

Probably would have to be John Ryden, left Stanley for Spurs and spent six seasons there. As you say Gregor George Stewart has to be up there as well. Nice picture of Charlie Sneddon.

Greger · 05-11-2006, 13:07

Ryden even captained the Spurs, so must have been a decent player. Then there's Stan Lynn, eleven seasons with Aston Villa, scored 60+ goals from right-back in his career. Bill Bradshaw won five caps pre-WW One.

But it will have to have be someone from the 54-55 team. Stewart and Ryden were the stars of that side. One or the the other.

Dave Hargreaves scoring rate deserves respect, though, even if the level was lower. I'm told his partner Jack Brydon (Ian's son) was a decent striker, too.

mthead · 05-11-2006, 14:34

I've got to be biased and vote for my mate Chris Grimshaw

Redraine · 05-11-2006, 17:23

Mike Ferguson has to be up there - a fantastic player at the top level for Rovers on his day.

Phil Whalley · 07-11-2006, 00:46

Excellent thread, the wide range of players mentioned indicates that we have Stanley fans of all vintages checking in. As for the pre-1962 era, I suppose that Stan Lynn and John Ryden have the best shouts on the basis that they played at the very highest levels of the modern English game immediately after leaving Stanley. Lynn went to Villa and won an FA Cup winners medal in 1957, and a League Cup winners medal with Birmingham in 1962. Ryden captained Spurs when they finished 2nd and 3rd in the First Division (today’s Prem for the younger audience) in 1957 and 1958. Rumour has it that Ryden fell out with Danny Blanchflower and was shipped out, missing Spurs’ golden era which included the League & Cup Double in 1961-62.
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Apparently Stan Lynn was a full-back of the old school. Ron Atkinson recalled that, as a lithe teenage winger (difficult to picture, I concede) he nutmegged Lynn in a reserve team game and was told that he’d have his leg broken if he dared do the same again, only not as politely as that.
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Two other players who I reckon deserve a mention are, somewhat strangely, part of the 1962 team that was resigned from the League – Mike Ferguson who, as Redraine points out, left Stanley for a top flight club (Blackburn), as did Alex Smith (Bolton) – absolutely scandalous that two performers of that calibre were literally given away by the Football League.
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Never met a Peel Parker old enough to remember Paddy Nelis, a centre-forward who was sold to Nottm Forest in the early 1920s and became one of the first players to win a Northern Irish international cap, but quite a few of the senior generation recall George Mee (close relation (brother?) of famous Arsenal manager Bertie) with a great deal of affection. Built like a barrel, Georgie would apparently amble bandy-legged down the touchline, defenders bouncing off him, before sending over wickedly looping crosses for a gorilla of a centre-forward called Bob Mortimer to nut in. In harness with Billy Tyson, this was the side that knocked Blackburn Rovers out of the FA Cup in 1937. Stanley also gave a contract to famous but knackered ex-England international Pongo Waring just before the war, but he was an alcoholic by this time, though this didn’t stop him scoring when he felt like it. Trouble was he was allegedly too p*ssed to know where he was most of the time, and he was sacked after an ‘incident’ involving boozy high jinks after a Christmas game.
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Of the post-war players not yet given a mention, Eddie Hunter played for the North in a representative game at Peel Park, and Les Cocker was apparently a terrific footballer whose lightweight stature was the only thing that prevented him playing at a higher level. He was also a gifted coach, taken to Leeds by Don Revie and assisting Alf Ramsey in 1966. Les is there in the famous footage of the day, sat next to Ramsey on the bench as everyone except the manager goes up at the final whistle. Quite a journey from Peel Park to the World Cup Final!
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Bert Scott was another highly-regarded player from the 1950s. Accrington Stanley were one of the last teams that Manchester United played before the Munich disaster in 1958. It was a Lancashire Senior Cup tie, and the rules of the competition stated that teams had to field a certain number of first team players. Jackie Blanchflower and Jackie Bent played for United that night, with Bent tragically losing his life a few days later in the crash. Stanley fielded a strong team and thrashed United 3-0, with Scott playing a blinder.
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If we go by Rob’s original post, which was the best Stanley players you have seen play, I would go with those plumping for Dave Hargreaves. 300+ goals at any level is seriously good, but to add to that, Haggis was an Accy lad who simply loved scoring for the Reds. It’s true that he didn’t make the most of the talent that he had in the sense that he could have played at a much higher level and made more money from the game. Mark Turner told me that he went to see Haggis play for Blackburn Reserves against Liverpool and watched Haggis run the Liverpool defenders ragged. My feeling is that he was just more comfortable and therefore happier at the Crown, and if that meant that some folk would criticise him for a lack of ambition or a poor temperament, then so be it. Personally, I’d never blame anyone for pursuing happiness, provided it didn’t cause harm to others, and it’s a matter of record that both Crewe and Rochdale (then managed by Mike Ferguson) offered Haggis a full-time deal.
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Dave is also modest to a fault. I bumped into him at the Crown whilst doing the first book, and he offered to lend me the press cuttings and photos that he had collected while playing for Stanley, and promised to drop them off at my house. Just a couple of hours later, there was a knock at the door and I opened it to find a battered suitcase on the front step. I looked down the street just in time to glimpse Haggis disappearing round the corner. In the suitcase was a treasure trove of stuff, including a press print of him playing for Rovers against Luton which was reproduced as a full-page photo.
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All that said, I don’t think any of the other suggestions we’ve had are wide of the mark either. We’ve seen some great players down the years. So here’s something else to take the thread a bit further. How about a fantasy Stanley XI from the players you’ve seen? In a 4-4-2, right to left, I’d like to have seen the following play together:
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Paul Collings; Martin Clark, Jonathan Smith, John Hubberstey, Steve Hollis; Alan Davies, Ian Craney, Charlie Cooper, Mark Shirley; Paul Mullin, Dave Hargreaves.
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Subs:
Rob Elliot, Gus Wilson, Anthony Barry, Ashley Hoskin, Paul Beck.
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Before you mail back to disagree, have a go yourself…it’s a series of tough calls! No room for Brett Ormerod, Billy O’Callaghan or Jack Brydon – three quality finishers.
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PS – sorry for blethering on at length. I do have some marking to do, but this is much more fun.

shakermaker · 07-11-2006, 10:42

****** me Phil Whalley, you could've made another book out of that post & made a few bob

maccawozzagod · 07-11-2006, 15:25

in terms of impact at the club I would have to say that Paul Mullin is the best player we have ever had. He came when we were slumming around the basement leagues and we paid money for him which was unheard of at the time from us. Every year we have gone up a level the crowd can be heard murmuring that Mullin won't hack it at the Unibond Premier/Conference/League 2 level and every year he has confounded his critics and got better and fitter. Never bought as a goalscorer apparently but knocks in his fair share every season, leads the line admirably, gets kicked about yet wins nothing off referees, doesn't moan, good discipline, never injured. How many games has he missed in his six years?

shakermaker · 07-11-2006, 16:45

In the same respect macca, Robbie Williams is also one of Stanley's greatest ever players.
He get's knocked every weekend by people who don't see his full game & only see the mistakes, but he is a truly great defender for Accrington Stanley and proves it with every league he progresses.
He doesn't get the attention that Mullers does but he is very much an unsung hero at Accrington Stanley.

lindsay ormerod · 07-11-2006, 17:01

Haggis is a top chap;regularly seen at quiz nights at Accy cricket club and turned out for the Veteran's Cricket team at the end of summer this year!

maccawozzagod · 07-11-2006, 20:41

I see the point with Williams (and even Cav, and to some extent Smithy) but I think that they could have been more easily replaced than Mullin. The whole team is built around Mully and when he doesn't play we struggle