Our Top 50 lists have always provoked a huge amount of responses from our
readership - amusement, bemusement and even on occasions anger, as well as
lively debates on why certain things have been included or omitted.
As a prelude to Euro 2008 we present some of our most popular lists from last
season. Click on the blue links below to read the original lists in full.
Top
50 World footballers
Gabriele Marcotti
So here they are: imagine you are the manager of a totally new team. You have
a certain budget to spend, but first you get one freebie, one guy to build
your team around. You get him only for one season, the 2007-08 campaign, so
you want to go for who can do the best job for you here and now, without
worrying how good he can be down the line. Who would you choose?
Difficult to argue with such a list - except that we are truly blessed if
there are 9 better footballers in the world than Francesco Totti. If there
are, Steven Gerrard isn't one of them. Chris Clare, Burnley
Riquelme has to be in AT LEAST the top 20. Scholes at least in the top 5 or
6. Diego Milito, not in a list that contains Shevchenko. No Carvalho?
Xavi...for him not to be on the list is an outrage it seems again he has
taken backseat to the Ronaldinho's!! Matt Binks, Colchester
Top
50 Worst footballers
Alex Murphy
We presented the players who had no rightful place in England’s elite division
in the modern era. A list of 50 stumblebums, no-goodniks and fat lads proves
that the odd duffer slips through the net.
We consulted supporters from clubs which have played in the English top-flight
since 1970 for their nominations – and this was the result.
Larry Lloyd: Bought by Shankly and Clough. Gave 1st England cap by Alf
Ramsey.
Honours:
Division 1 (level 1): 1973, 1978
UEFA Cup: 1973
Football League Cup: 1978, 1979; Runner-up: 1980
Charity Shield: 1978; Runner-up: 1971
European Cup: 1979, 1980
European Super Cup: 1979; Runner-up: 1980
FA Cup: Runner-up 1971
Intercontinental Cup: Runner-up 1979
And he's one of your worst 50 players?!?!?!?!? Michael Cox, Bedford
Winston Bogarde should be number 2, not 29. He 'earned' 2 million pounds a
year for a few years at Chelsea and hardly played a game. What a waste of
money! Michael, Toronto
Best
football transfers
Kaveh Solhekol
The sun is out, the sky is blue and up and down the country managers are
plotting transfer coups. Managers live and die by the decisions that they
make in the summer and when it comes to buying the player who will transform
their club’s fortunes they have to tread carefully. That East European
forward that they have seen only on video could turn out to be as good as
Dimitar Berbatov, or as bad as Florin Raducioiu. That skilful defender that
an agent is talking up could be the next Alan Hansen, or the new Titus
Bramble. If you are a manager with money to spend, put your feet up and seek
inspiration in our list of the Top 50 Best Transfers – it could save your
job.
As a Spurs fan I have no problem saying that Dennis Bergkamp should be
there with Cantona and he deserves to be above Henry. Dennis Bergkamp won
Arsenal the Double in 1998, He was on fire, and all Arsenal success sprang
from that. If Dennis hadn't gone to Highbury forget the success of the
following 6 years. Londonpride, London
In my opinion this list should be based upon amount paid and the players
resale value/or achievements with the club. In addition, I have to say the
players have to have achieved something to warrant being on the list. This
eliminates many of those on the current list, such as Nugent, Knight etc.
Where on earth is the great Henrik Larsson. Criminal. Jack, Swansea
Worst
football transfers
Bill Edgar
Out comes the chequebook, up go the expectations; then down to earth come the
fans. Here are the 50 worst signings made by Premier League clubs since its
inception in 1992, based on the size of transfer fee and impact made by the
player. Do you agree?
Practically all of Gerard Houlliers' signings for Liverpool could be put up
on this list apart from Risse and Hyppia, Le Tallec the new Zidane or was
that Cheyrou, Cisse and Diouf were supposed to be like Henry and as for
Traore !! Just terrible. Luke, Dublin
How can a list of this nature not include a Souness gem; Corrado Grabbi
signed for Blackburn from Ternana for £6.75 million, scored once before
being sent out on loan before being allowed to leave for free. Last seen
plying his trade for Genoa in the Italian third tier and considering
retirement due to his poor physical condition. Thanks Graeme! Shaun,
Cardiff
Best
football managers
Matt Dickinson
Choosing the 50 best footballers of all time? That is easy. You simply take
your pick of Diego Maradona or Pele and work your way down the list. But the
50 greatest post-war managers from around the world? That has been a
fearsomely difficult challenge. No doubt some of the selections that follow
will be regarded as highly provocative.
How can Jock Stein be below Arsene Wenger?? I think Lisbon counts as "outside
of Scotland" when he led 11 Glaswegians to be the first non Latin side
to lift the European Cup. This, coupled with the 9 titles in a row Celtic
won in this era surely puts him above Wenger. The man is a legend, you said
it yourself. Must be in top 5. Matt McGlnchey, Philadelphia
I can't fault too many of the choices. I scrolled down looking for Paisley,
Stein, Jacquet, Shankly, Busby, Bearzot and Michels inter alia and there
they were. But no Ron Greenwood? It's just bizarre, given what he did for
football. Peter, Adelaide, Australia
Best
football kits
Nick Szczepanik
In our list of the 50 best kits of all time, most are from the days before the
marketing men and failed graphic design students got their hands on the
visual identities of clubs and countries. There are exceptions, but
pitifully few. And when we get around to the 50 worst kits, many will be
much more modern. We have no doubt you will send us your suggestions.
In the meantime, here is our list. If we have forgotten anyone's favourite,
let us know. Often we had to choose between very similar designs: for
example, Aston Villa, Burnley and West Ham United were almost identical for
many seasons. Sometimes, of course, the fine line between a classic kit and
a plain dull one is a matter of association. In the 1960s, there wasn't much
difference between the outfits sported by Wrexham and Manchester United. But
George Best didn't play for Wrexham.
Some kits are great only by virtue of the greatness of the team, like
Godolphin's horse racing blue and some of these (Man U 60's, England World
Cup winners) . But when the lowly Crystal Palace have two great kits in the
top 25 you know it's the quality of the strip. On their first promotion to
the top flight in 1969 the collars/cuffs were changed from light blue as the
pin stripes to yellow, which topped it off.....I still have it in my
wardrobe!! In the mid 60's there was also a neat one with a claret and blue
horizontal band.....we know our kits!! Just a shame about the footy! Stoney,
London
Funny...I think that many of these strips are very ordinary indeed, and
that some real classics have been left out, like West Ham's V of the late
70's, Burnley's V of the mid-70's, York City's Y, Middlesboro's mid-70's
white band, St Etienne's early 80's green with double-vertical pinstripes,
and best of all, Peru's red-band kit of the 78 world cup. Full marks on the
Holland, Juve, Samp and (both) Palace entries though. Gervillian
Swike, Swansea,
Football's
greatest hard men
Alex Murphy
Football isn’t always the Beautiful Game. Sometimes it can get ugly. Really,
really, ugly. And nobody has done more to bring the threat of menace or the
whiff of danger to our sport than the following merchants of mayhem...
How have you missed Kevin Ball??? The bloke ran through walls and then some
not many people picked a fight with Bally! Dickie, Durham
Tried to think of anyone playing today and struggled to do so. Vidic,
Carvalho, Terry and Sol Cambell are all tough but Essien is probably the
only one today who has really perfected the 'over the ball leg breaker'
tackle. Villardi, London
Most
important goals
Alex Murphy
These aren't the best goals ever scored. Far from it. Our list contains a good
sprinkling of toe-pokes, deflections and clownish mis-kicks. One of them was
scored by a third division goalkeeper.
But despite their respective artistic merits, they all command a place in the
annals of the game. They might have decided World Cup finals, settled
championships or saved sides from relegation. Some of the goals stand out as
statistical milestones. Others have entered the game's mythology to become
shared treasures, revered by fans of every club. Others set records that
will never be broken. Whether they are sitters or scorchers, the fifty
selections share one quality in common: each made a big impact on the
history of football.
A howling error to have left out Giggs's goal v Arsenal in the FA Cup Semi
Final 99 and Gerrard's goal v West Ham in the 2006 final in favour of
Lineker's shoe ins in the World Cup which didn't result in any kind of
success. Mickey Thomas's free kick for Wrexham vs Arsenal in 1991 should
have been in there as well. Huw Roberts, Cardiff
What about Ray Houghton's goal to secure a 1-0 victory in the World Cup.
That was a classic. It was also the moment when Phill Babb realised what it
felt like to be on the wrong side of the post. Christopher, Chelmsford
2007-08
defining moments
Tom Dart
How was it for you? The usual mix of theatre, tedium, joy and despair? From
Keegan's comeback to Terry's tears, however you found 2007-08, it was
eventful. Here are 50 talking points, matches and dramas that shaped the
football season.
Great. Arsenal get a mention for beating a fading AC Milan side yet
Liverpool knock out an Inter side running away with Serie A and nothing is
said. Oh, and who turned over this fantastic Arsenal side in the same
competition? You guessed it. Kim B, Liverpool
I'd have to say that Manchester United's defeat of Arsenal 4-0 in the FA
Cup was a defining moment as it set the tone for the remeinder of United's
season and also Wenger's sides capitulation. Richard, Preston
Top
50 Manchester United moments
From the stock market flotation of 1991 to a flirtation with third-tier
football in 1934 - Bill Edgar, Times football writer and
Manchester United fan, identifies the moments that made the club what they
are today
It would have been nice to see this list concentrate wholly on on-field
moments, but United are (unfortunately) much more than a football club, and
so the money has to be part of it. I would have liked to have seen the
creation of Man United and the move to Old Trafford. Bert's
Dad, Suffolk
Surely, the 1995-96 season has to feature somewhere in a list such as this?
The team slowly but surely eroded Newcastle's imposing 12-point lead then
Sir Alex reduced Kevin Keegan to his "LOVE IT!" rant with a
cunning display of mind games. The result? Yet another title! Tosin
Aro, Brisbane
The
soul of Liverpool
Tony Evans
It's impossible to do a definitive list of what makes a football club and its
fans what they are. Millions of small events - and some big ones - come
together to build up a sense of culture. Everyone's list will be different
and some will give more value to certain events. If you're a Liverpool fan,
though, you should know about these things. And maybe it will hint at the
joy and pain supporting Liverpool has brought me over the years.
Wow....this is a great 'article' and brings back so many memories as a
Liverpool fan who started going the matches as a kid in the late 60's. The
good, the bad....you name it. Neil Williams, London
What about the day the Kop adopted "You'll Never Walk Alone".
Surely a seminal day in the history of the club. BTfromthekop, London
The
soul of Leeds
Long-standing supporter Rick Broadbent traced the highs and lows that
have made Leeds United the club it is, from Don Revie's dossiers to the
despair of relegation to League One.
King John Charles was voted the best foreign import ever in a millenium
poll by Italian sports journalists, coming first in a category that includes
Maradona, Van Basten, Gullit etc. That's how good he truly was. If he had
been English he would have been knighted. Peter Young, Cambridge
Bournemouth, my hometown club, was relegated as a consequence of Leeds'
victory (in 1990). This interesting list reminded me of why, as a kid in the
late sixties, Leeds were hated. A lot of painful memories were dredged up.
To whom should i send the psychiatrist's bill? Peter Koeb, Geneva
The
soul of Arsenal
Brian Glanville picked his highlights from Arsenal's history, from
their lowly beginnings as Woolwich Arsenal to the last hurrah at Highbury.
Where is the soul of Arsenal now with often not a single Englishman on the
pitch? Tom D., Lincoln
Brilliant as always from BG, but I'm astonished that Michael Thomas's
miracle at Anfield, my fondest memory as a Gooner, is not in the list. Peter,
London
The
soul of Chelsea
From Jose's coat to Wisey's baby, Giles Smith took a sideways look at
what makes Chelsea Chelsea.
It's amazing how many fans of the so called big clubs go out of their way
to take pops at our 'scruffy little London club'. Thanks for the two cents
guys, hope your bitterness keeps you warm at night. As for Giles' fantastic
article, it just goes to show that a great club isn't just measured by the
silverware you win. Peter Flinkenberg, Dublin
Enjoyable, but I would question the omission of Clive Walker's goal at
Bolton at the end of the 82/83 season. Had we not won that game, relegation
to the third tier would have been a virtual certainty and, the club in the
position it was at the time, our story may well have ended right there. In
its own way, it was as important to us as Abramovich's arrival. Spartakus,
Amsterdam,
Brian
Glanville's top 50 greatest hits
The doyen of football writers picked his top 50 football moments of the past
65 years - he was present at every occasion.
If I could draft prose as well as Mr Glanville does, I would be a wealthy
man. Thank you for sharing, Brian. Jamie Pfeffer, New York City
Whilst I dont agree with a lot on the list, it's hard to argue about
number 1. Pele's goal was a thing of beauty and I urge all football fans to
seek out the footage and remind yourself of one of footballs most memorable
moments. Stephen O'Donoghue, Glasgow,
