Who is the best SFC player you saw as a youngster

[david in sweden]

Easter Monday 1966... Channon ... end of!

 

Yes I saw that game, too. At 17, he played 3 games that season.. .and only 1 the season after, but didn't became a regular until 1968, after Martin Chivers was transferred to Tottenham - for a (then) English club record of £125K------ah those were the days

[hasper57saint]

Does the OP mean the 'Player' as a youngster or the 'Spectator' as a youngster?

[Turkish]

Not even a place for Rod Wallace, Theo, Oxo......

 

Forgot about Channon as well. Hmmm......

[Give it to Ron]

I remember watching Shearer and Maddison play in Steve Mills RIP testimonal game at The Dell.

Chris nicholl took out Shearer who got up and thumped in the free kick - I knew then he would be special.

 

I was at Staplewood and Gareth Bale was playing - it was obvious Bale would make it and was special.

Edited 27 August, 2012 by Give it to Ron
Forgot how childish some can be on here

[The Kraken]

I remember watching Shearer and Maddison play in Steve Mills RIP testimonal game at The Dell.

Chris nicholl took out Shearer who got up and thumped in the free kick - I knew then he would be special.

 

I was stood near Keith Legg at Staplewood and Gareth Bale was playing - it was obvious Bale would make it and was special.

 

What a claim to fame :lol:

[Give it to Ron]

What a claim to fame :lol:

 

Jealousy will get you everywhere.....the point was we were discussing him as he was writing up the report for is site

and we both identified him as something special

[BallBoy]

Mick Channon. He qualifies under both criteria for me because we were both youngsters.

 

It was in the days when I would go go anything: Reserves, 1st team, Youth Cup etc.

 

I went to a Youth Cup game at the Dell and Channon was easily the stand out player. He could run forever and just glide past defenders. He was big, strong and powerful. He scored with an immaculate, angled volley into the opposite top corner that rates as good as any I ever saw him score. He also earned and scored a penalty. I think he was 17 and I told everyone to watch out for him. He proved me totally right and I felt like I had "discovered" him. He had a fantastic career and always played with a smile. A joy to watch.

[Turkish]

Jealousy will get you everywhere.....the point was we were discussing him as he was writing up the report for is site

and we both identified him as something special

 

Was he stood near Mike?

[The Kraken]

Jealousy will get you everywhere.....the point was we were discussing him as he was writing up the report for is site

and we both identified him as something special

 

I defer to your amazing contacts

[Give it to Ron]

I defer to your amazing contacts

 

Oh the list is endless...I spent quite a while talking to a Chelsea scout today at a tournament...quite enlightening really.

I have such a full life - even get to converse with such 'knowledgable' chaps as yourself.

[The Kraken]

You're the best

[Give it to Ron]

You're the best

 

Yep but don't lose any sleep - you're the wittiest.

[The Kraken]

Yep but don't lose any sleep - you're the wittiest.

 

Well that's blatantly not true.

 

Back on topic (slightly); the Saints youth team that contained the likes of Shearer, le Tiss, Franny (plus others including Alan Tankard, Mark Blake, Andy Cook etc) are having a reunion this season, attending a match at Saints. What a decent and productive year or two that was.

[sebastian firefly]

frank worthington he made me fall in love with saints

wallace d sublime pace and power

williams guile skill prescence

channon out of his time

le tiss better than messi

[BlakeySFC]

Theo Walcott

[explorer saint]

Steve Mills, Mick Channon, Steve Moran, MLT, Danny Wallace

[Jimmy_D]

Can't believe Bale hasn't got a mention yet, just for THAT hat-trick, ripping one of the best defenders in the world to shreds.

 

EDIT: And reading properly, can see that he has been mentioned. >_

Edited 27 August, 2012 by Jimmy_D

[Turkish]

Can't believe Bale hasn't got a mention yet, just for THAT hat-trick, ripping one of the best defenders in the world to shreds.

 

Err, he has.

[The Kraken]

Can't believe Bale hasn't got a mention yet, just for THAT hat-trick, ripping one of the best defenders in the world to shreds.

 

Yes, apart from justmike, Crab Lungs, Turkish and myself, no-one has mentioned Gareth.

[Jimmy_D]

I was scanning through and just reading up to people's first choice in their post, and no-one had put Gareth Bale first.

 

It let me scan through and get a general consensus of the thread in about 20 seconds, but obviously meant I missed stuff >_

[saintquin]

Lucky enought to have seen many very good young players at Saints but, Terry Paine who won a World Cup winners medal must have gone on to have done the greatest thing! Steve Mills would have gone on to great things. I also think Channon was a more skillful and better to watch than Shearer. Steve Williams was lovely to watch. Very silky skills with a bit of an edge to him. LeTiss is the one player that people would pay to watch. Add the Wallace brothers, Mark Wright , Bale and all the others that have been mentioned it really does show what a great club Saints are to be at for a young budding pro!

[Bobbyboy]

Theo in a weird pre-season game at Eastleigh a few years ago. McCann looked out of his depth, Kenwyne Jones played midfield and this little kid came on right at the end, looked about 12 but faster than anyone else (*even* including Thundering Wayne Shaw in the Eastleigh goal). Who's that? I asked. 'Nathan Dyer' said some fool. We soon found out.

[The9]

Should think a few of them will have worn a few of these (especially Theo and Dyer) for the later ones : http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?39726-Saints-Kits-on-eBay-still-in-packaging

 

Oops, was that a shameless plug ? Sorry !

[Golac's Cunning Stunts]

Have seen all the young players make their debut from about 1976 onwards. Brain would say Mr Shearer made the most impressive debut and also went on to achieve the most in International honours. Heart says Stevie Williams - what a lovely lovely player (meant in a totally non gay way :-)). I would trade all of our current midfield for him in his prime.

 

Wasn't young enough to see Mickey's debut but if I had seen it, I have no doubt I would be picking him. One of the few men who can be called a Saints legend.

[Suomi Saint]

My favourite players when I was young were Mick Channon and Steve Williams. For me, Mick is probably the best Saints player of all time. Stevie Williams was fantastic to watch, and his running battles with Souness were fascinating. Souness would kick him early on and then Stevie would hunt him out and give as good as he got. Best young payer? Mark Wright - a class above any central defender I've ever seen in a Saints shirt.

[tttdcs]

Shearer's debut was memorable, likewise most of the others mentioned. Though for a young fan at the time the best memories come from watching Steve Moran