All time England XI, voted on BBC website, your thoughts?

[norwaysaint]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50413011

It's obviously the top voted players than a real team, as there's no real balance.


Banks

G. Neville - Ferdinand- Moore - Cole

Beckham - Charlton - Gascoigne

Lineker - Shearer - Greaves


So, ex-saint Shilton misses out, but you can understand Banks getting that one. Keegan also misses out, but maybe wasn't quite the best in his position for England. Shearer gets in, but I would actually say he was a great English player, rather than a great England player. The crime for me is that Alan Ball isn't in there. I genuinely think he was the best player England have had doing that job.

I know the inclusion of Ferdinand, Neville, Cole and Beckham will irritate a lot of people, but they were solid players for England over a pretty long period. Good arguments for a few others in their places though. Pearce was obviously more iconic and passionate than Cole, but not necessarily a more skilled left back.

[VectisSaint]

Think the following would give that team a hiding:
Shilton
Mills - Watson - Wright - Bridge
Ball -Williams
Paine - Channon - Keegan - le Tissier

oh and look, they are all ex Saints (left out Shearer because he's in the other team)

[brmbrm]

Think the following would give that team a hiding:
Shilton
Mills - Watson - Wright - Bridge
Ball -Williams
Paine - Channon - Keegan - le Tissier

oh and look, they are all ex Saints (left out Shearer because he's in the other team)

Agree

[norwaysaint]

Think the following would give that team a hiding:
Shilton
Mills - Watson - Wright - Bridge
Ball -Williams
Paine - Channon - Keegan - le Tissier

oh and look, they are all ex Saints (left out Shearer because he's in the other team)

I'd take Paine out and put Armstrong in. Not because he was better, but because I never saw Paine. All of them played in the eighties.

[norwaysaint]

... except Bridge.

[saintquin]

Think the following would give that team a hiding:
Shilton
Mills - Watson - Wright - Bridge
Ball -Williams
Paine - Channon - Keegan - le Tissier

oh and look, they are all ex Saints (left out Shearer because he's in the other team)

Sub:- Flowers, Mills, Ruddock, Lallana, Armstrong, Case, D.Wallace, Crouch,

[Noodles34]

I'd take Paine out and put Armstrong in. Not because he was better, but because I never saw Paine. All of them played in the eighties.

Not sure Stuart Armstrong has done enough yet to warrant a place in that team.

[spyinthesky]

I have been watching football a lot longer than most on here so this possibly helps provide a more balanced view.

Everything is, of course, subjective but I would definitely say that Ray Wilson was the best left back I have ever seen.

I only ever saw Duncan Edwards play once when Man Utd beat our own decent (at the time) Youth team in the SF (1st Leg) of the Youth Cup but by all accounts he was looked upon as the best English player of his generation until his untimely death post the Munich Air Crash.

Bobby Charlton reckoned he was a 'colossus', tall and very strong, power in both feet, quite quick and at home in every position on the field. He was only 21 at the time of his death so would undoubtedly have improved with age.

So he would be a given along with Bobby Moore, Tom Finney (who Bill Shankley rated as the best player he ever saw), Bobby Charlton and possibly Beckham and Gascoigne from more recent times.

Difficult to decide between Banks and Shilton but probably, by a hairs breath, go for Banks.

[Sheaf Saint]

Not sure Stuart Armstrong has done enough yet to warrant a place in that team.

Being Scottish also doesn't work in his favour

[Sherminator]

I think it is a decent enough selection with every choice justifiable. Obviously it favours the modern day players who people have actually seen play.
Pre-dates me by some way, but based purely on reputation, Stanley Matthews probably deserves a mention.
Of more modern players, i'd have gone for Stuart Pearce rather than Ashley Cole.
Gerrard, Scholes & Bryan Robson must have been close.

[norwaysaint]

I think my suggestion was

Shelton

Neville Moore Des Walker Pearce

Ball Gascoigne Gerrard

Lineker Greaves Owen


But I'd accept being called out on most of those. I never even saw Moore and Greaves play. Owen at the start was a devastating and exciting striker, no matter where his career went, but I could swap him with quite a few. Neville just seemed like a reliable choice, but nobody really liked him as a player. Walker could be swapped easily with about five other players. I think I'd only fight for keeping Lineker and Ball, who were exceptional at what they did.

[oldsaint]

The problem is with picking a Saints best of all time (and England) is that you pick from players your have seen play in your lifetime
I would pick Terry Paine the only other player I had seen who could matched him in skill playing for Saints was Channon
I would also pick Ron Davies the best CF we ever had , scored goals for fun with his head no centre half or defence ever stop him. To support this he was also League top goal scorer three years in a row with a team fighting constant relegation battles.

An opinion, but I wish we had the team from the late sixties now, almost unbeatable at home guts determination and no little skill with a great manager in Ted Bates
they put this lot to shame. Downside they were awful away from home

[mrfahaji]

Difficult to decide between Banks and Shilton but probably, by a hairs breath, go for Banks.

Who knew hair could breathe?!

[Marsdinho]

Think there is a modern day bias to some of those selections....how many of those players will still be considered in 30 - 50 years time...

[St_Tel49]

So no place for the likes of Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, Nat Lofthouse and other historically great names. Recent players are over represented but I guess that that is only to be expected.

[simo]

Says a lot about England when Gary Neville makes the best 11 of all time!

[VectisSaint]

The problem is with picking a Saints best of all time (and England) is that you pick from players your have seen play in your lifetime
I would pick Terry Paine the only other player I had seen who could matched him in skill playing for Saints was Channon
I would also pick Ron Davies the best CF we ever had , scored goals for fun with his head no centre half or defence ever stop him. To support this he was also League top goal scorer three years in a row with a team fighting constant relegation battles.

An opinion, but I wish we had the team from the late sixties now, almost unbeatable at home guts determination and no little skill with a great manager in Ted Bates
they put this lot to shame. Downside they were awful away from home

My suggestion was not a Saints all time best team, only England internationals. Saints all time I would have Big Ron and Ivan Golac instead of Mick Mills and Keegan, probably add Gareth Bale instead of Bridge and I guess van Dijk would be a better CB than Watson.

[norwaysaint]

The problem is with picking a Saints best of all time (and England) is that you pick from players your have seen play in your lifetime
I would pick Terry Paine the only other player I had seen who could matched him in skill playing for Saints was Channon
I would also pick Ron Davies the best CF we ever had , scored goals for fun with his head no centre half or defence ever stop him. To support this he was also League top goal scorer three years in a row with a team fighting constant relegation battles.

An opinion, but I wish we had the team from the late sixties now, almost unbeatable at home guts determination and no little skill with a great manager in Ted Bates
they put this lot to shame. Downside they were awful away from home

Ron Davies was Welsh!

[oldsaint]

My suggestion was not a Saints all time best team, only England internationals. Saints all time I would have Big Ron and Ivan Golac instead of Mick Mills and Keegan, probably add Gareth Bale instead of Bridge and I guess van Dijk would be a better CB than Watson.

Sorry did not understand only English international but you could add Rod and Danny Wallace (we have had some great players over the years)

Sad that most teams are made up of imported players now I would like to see established players from Championship given a chance

[Roo1976]

Think the following would give that team a hiding:
Shilton
Mills - Watson - Wright - Bridge
Ball -Williams
Paine - Channon - Keegan - le Tissier

oh and look, they are all ex Saints (left out Shearer because he's in the other team)

Thats a good shout and yes probably would beat them.