Greatest midfielders you have watched

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

Viera - wish we'd have signed him a couple of years earlier.

 

[Dazzle84]

In the flesh has to be Silva. Yaya is superb but Silva is the most intelligent player I've ever seen. You could spend 90 mins just watching him and come away from the game educated.

I terms of others, xavi was the one for me, an absolute maestro.

Oh, and Quinton Fortune too. I got a lot of pleasure from watching him

 

[paddyblue]

He was a beast mate. Hard as nails, a great footballer

I once read an interview about how he went up against Bug Dunc and got the better of him physically too. I would have just let that bastard have the ball

I can’t remember Paul being physically out matched, maybe the tussle in odd game here or there but he just dominated people. And his reading of the game was superb. And he could play.

And that’s be after fish and chips before the game with Ireland and often a clatter of pints the night before.

He said at the start he wasn’t a big drinker and the social element of going out with the lads really got in on him. He’d have to get wrecked before he left the house just to be able to turn up, and it got hold of him then. It was his way of coping with the situation as that’s what was expected as the senior players were always on the jolly. he’s a very gentle and quiet guy off the pitch. Huge, I’m not small but I feel small the couple
Of times I’ve had the privilege to have seen him around.

He grew up in a boys and girls home about 800m from my house. I can’t walk past the place without chanting in my head “oooh ahhh Paul McGrath, day oooh ahhh Paul McGrath”

I’d love to see him in today’s game with the benefit of sports science and people looking out for him.

I like to think he’d be at City cos I think he’d be that good. And with our current situation in defence this season, Either Paul or Ferni could swap at CH or DM, no problem. And if we did, There’s no way we’d be this far behind them lot.

 

[Crouchinho]

I can’t remember Paul being physically out matched, maybe the tussle in odd game here or there but he just dominated people. And his reading of the game was superb. And he could play.

And that’s be after fish and chips before the game with Ireland and often a clatter of pints the night before.

He said at the start he was t a big drinker and he’s a very gentle and quiet guy off the pitch.

He grew up in a boys and girls home about 800m from my house. I can’t walk past the place without chanting in my head “oooh ahhh Paul McGrath, day oooh ahhh Paul McGrath”

I’d love to see him in today’s game with the benefit of sports science and people looking out for him I think he’d be at City cos I think he’d be that good. Play Paul or Ferni in defence or DM, no problem. There’s no way we’d be this far behind them lot.

Anyone that gets the better of Big Dunc deserves a pat on the back.

Yep in today's game of fitness, nutrition, I shudder to think how good. Considering he was half cut some games and full of some good trans and saturated fats.

I recently watched an interview with John Aldridge and he said the drinking culture in the domestic game was bad, but on international duty it was a whole new level

 

[paddyblue]

Anyone that gets the better of Big Dunc deserves a pat on the back.

Yep in today's game of fitness, nutrition, I shudder to think how good. Considering he was half cut some games and full of some good trans and saturated fats.

I recently watched an interview with John Aldridge and he said the drinking culture in the domestic game was bad, but on international duty it was a whole new level

When booking hotels on international duty, they’d put his room on the second floor or third floor and the coaching staff would take turns sleeping against his door to make sure he didn’t get out.

during Italia ‘90 the night before the 1/4 final in time against the Italians (who at the time were way ahead of every other league in terms of diet and fitness). The Irish team went down and got the guitars out and had a couple a pints and a sing song, not an all nighter but a few feel good pints, the Italian waiters couldn’t believe it and start saying we’d lose to them 5-0. Ok we lost but only 1-0 in Rome against the home nation. 1-0 is actually quiet close to our favorite result of 1-1 haha.

But that’s the difference right there, the drinking culture. Even at a major finals, the craic was had. On a side note, not that it matters. But Ireland may have beaten Italy that night with the same nutrition and fitness and a couple of decisions from the ref back then. and gone on the face Maradonna in the semi where Paul McGrath would’ve had him in his pocket but the govt wanted the team home as there was no money left for a semi final stay anyway.

 

[ws01]

In peak form I have seen no one better than De Bruyne. It's as if he has a protractor in his head - other players simply cannot see the openings and angles he can, and then have the ability to pull off the laser precision pass to go with it.

 

[Crouchinho]

When booking hotels on international duty, they’d put his room on the second floor or third floor and the coaching staff would take turns sleeping against his door to make sure he didn’t get out.

during Italia ‘90 the night before the 1/4 final in time against the Italians (who at the time were way ahead of every other league in terms of diet and fitness). The Irish team went down and got the guitars out and had a couple a pints and a sing song, not an all nighter but a few feel good pints, the Italian waiters couldn’t believe it and start saying we’d lose to them 5-0. Ok we lost but only 1-0 in Rome against the home nation. 1-0 is actually quiet close to our favorite result of 1-1 haha.

But that’s the difference right there, the drinking culture. Even at a major finals, the craic was had. On a side note, not that it matters. But Ireland may have beaten Italy that night with the same nutrition and fitness and a couple of decisions from the ref back then. and gone on the face Maradonna in the semi where Paul McGrath would’ve had him in his pocket but the govt wanted the team home as there was no money left for a semi final stay anyway.

Haha man, that made me laugh, the Irish having a good knees up and the Italians barely beat them. They probably would have performed better with that camaraderie than all the nutrition, who knows! We both scraped that group it weren't too pretty.

All I know the Italians should have more goals against us, they had one disallowed when their player was 2000 yards onside

 

[paddyblue]

Haha man, that made me laugh, the Irish having a good knees up and the Italians barely beat them. They probably would have performed better with that camaraderie than all the nutrition, who knows! We both scraped that group it weren't too pretty.

All I know the Italians should have more goals against us, they had one disallowed when their player was 2000 yards onside

Yeah the lads like a couple a jars, even under Trapitoni which wasn’t that long ago, they were having pints the night before, something they wouldn’t have been doing at their clubs at the time.

But Italia 90 was magic, I was aware of football from euro 88 but was too young to grasp and we had no football on the telly in the 80s in Ireland. I was 7 in 90 and that’s when it landed for me. And until VAR it’s been one big love affair since.

 

[paddyblue]

Anyone that gets the better of Big Dunc deserves a pat on the back.

Yep in today's game of fitness, nutrition, I shudder to think how good. Considering he was half cut some games and full of some good trans and saturated fats.

I recently watched an interview with John Aldridge and he said the drinking culture in the domestic game was bad, but on international duty it was a whole new level

And just to go back to the point of the Rags treatment of him. When he arrived Ron Atkinson wouldn’t pay him more than £100, he was earning more back home playing in the Irish league. He signed anyway, again could’ve had some better advice here. But the rags are famous for being tight with wages back then.

In his time at the swamp he had 7 oops on his left knee and 5 on his right. His first knee injury he was encouraged to go on tour in the states, despite cartilage damage. That’s the root of his problems knee problems.

Now I was wrong about his exit from the swamp. He was asking big Ron for a wage rise. The Piss Can wanted him out.

The Rags medical prognosis at the time said he’d have 2 years playing 50% of the games. They wanted to retire him with a pay off Charity match in Ireland. They offered him £100,000 to leave the game.

Paul wanted to play so off out the door he went.

He signed for Graham Taylor at Villa who really took care of him. Taylor invited Paul to live in his house to sort out his personal life. The difference in approach’s from his 2 PL club experiences.

He never had another knee operation once he left the rags and played Premier League til he was 34/35 and then old 1st Division til he was 37, Aston Villa’s PotY 6/7 times.

 

[Crouchinho]

Yeah the lads like a couple a jars, even under Trapitoni which wasn’t that long ago, they were having pints the night before, something they wouldn’t have been doing at their clubs at the time.

But Italia 90 was magic, I was aware of football from euro 88 but was too young to grasp and we had no football on the telly in the 80s in Ireland. I was 7 in 90 and that’s when it landed for me. And until VAR it’s been one big love affair since.

I loved Italia 90, a few complained about the lack of goals but I loved everything about it. From Scilachi, Baggio, Klinsmann, Mattehus, Canniga, Miller, Maradona and of course Gazza to Pavarotti. Lots of spelling errors of course.

I'm glad we both went through at the time, it stitched up the Dutch but we got royally stitched up by them a few years later courtesy of some dodgy reffing and a certain Koeman. I'm pretty sure you got your own back USA 94 when Ray Houghton got a screamer v Italy, may have got the tournie mixed up? Correct me if I'm wrong

Even back then that's some shite wages for a professional footballer, I know they weren't on crazy wages of today but that's still pretty naff.

Good GT took care of him, he had a good heart, the way the media hounded him was pathetic, they couldn't wait for us to lose a game under him.

Good on McGrath lasting that long in the game too