Your Saints 'cult' hero

[Tommy Mulgrew]

"me"!: fastest goal at the Dell, slowest midfield dynamo of the 60s and hardly ever scored again over several seasons but always seemed to play.

 

Runners-up: Hurlock, McGrath, Walker, Dennis, Kirby, Campbell Forsyth and too many others to mention

 

More recently: Ostlund, Cuco, the holy goalie and Guly.

 

Of the present team, it's got to be Yoshida

[Pilchards]

It takes a special kind of person to name not one but five players who are clearly not cult heroes.

 

Seriously, bravo.

 

Seriously you are a sad *****.

[Bad Wolf]

In five to ten years time, they'll be a similar thread on here and they'll be a lot of votes for Yoshi. He's getting there!

[Lets B Avenue]

Seriously you are a sad *****.

 

Possibly. But he wasn't wrong.

[Pilchards]

Possibly. But he wasn't wrong.

 

Maybe im not sure what it means by cult hero.

[Roger]

I fear there are some very thick people on this forum, who post without thinking.

 

And lo.

 

Some people don't have the time to read things like you obviously do. But as you asked, Jason Dodd probably

[diggers]

Rueben Agboola da da de da da

[Hamilton Saint]

Maybe im not sure what it means by cult hero.

 

See post #13.

[5string]

Rod Wallace. Overshadowed by LeTiss (rightly) but still a dem good player.

 

And... George Lawrence, if only for being shouted at constantly by Shilton!

 

 

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[qwertyell]

I used to love Paul Rideout, and I'm not entirely sure why.

 

It might have been because I saw him once in a Beefeater and, being about 10 at the time, the thought that, tucking into a Horn of Plenty a few tables away from me, was an actual person I'd seen in Shoot magazine (probably in an article about how crap he was at Bari) made me a little starstruck.

 

Was he even any good? I can only really remember him scoring a bullet header against Liverpool in a famous 4-1 tonking of the then (and never again - maybe next year...) champions.

[qwertyell]

Rod Wallace. Overshadowed by LeTiss (rightly) but still a dem good player.

 

And... George Lawrence, if only for being shouted at constantly by Shilton!

 

 

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"Chicken" George scored in the first game I saw at the Dell (although it ended up officially as a Peter Shirtliff own goal).

 

No idea why he was "Chicken", but that's what the supporters around me were calling him, and I was happy to defer to their greater knowledge than mine in footballer nicknames.

[Lord Duckhunter]

Chicken George

 

 

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[Pilchards]

See post #13.

 

Thank you for clearing that up.

 

For me then it was Anders Svennson. It was the first name I've put on the back of my shirt.

He used to come off the sub bench and sprint to his position like he was the fastest thing on earth.

Edited 5 July, 2017 by Pilchards

[Dublin Saint]

Keith Cassells, Ian Dowie and Mickey Evans. That forward line scares the s@$t out of me. Remember Cassells scoring against Luton after falling over the ball. Dowie getting s hat trick in a truly awful 6-3 win also against Luton. Evans was a real trier and his country brogue and side burns were truly memorable.

[ericofarabia]

"Chicken" George scored in the first game I saw at the Dell (although it ended up officially as a Peter Shirtliff own goal).

 

No idea why he was "Chicken", but that's what the supporters around me were calling him, and I was happy to defer to their greater knowledge than mine in footballer nicknames.

 

There was a TV series on around the time about slavery in US called Roots. One of the main characters was called Chicken George!!

Added to his impersonation of a headless chicken as he ran down the wing, head down, only to come to a halt when he collided with the wall at The Milton or Archers Rd end

 

All very much before Political Correctness was discovered !!

[rooney]

John Hollowbread was a real character.

[eelpie]

For people of my age group there can only be one John McGrath (RIP).

 

For my age group - Terry Paine

[acton_saint]

You consider Fanny a potential cult hero?

 

Definitely a 'c_nt' hero lol

[Baldbarbarian]

Frankie Bennett

[LincolnSaint]

Dexter Blackstock substituting in goal was a memorable cult moment. I thought he won a lot of fans on that day. Neil "Wolfman" Shipperley, constantly trying and seemingly always with his back to goal.

 

Kachloul not mentioned? I remember seeing him play at Leicester, might have been his debut, frantically running around like a headless chicken and proceeded to do that for the rest of his time with us.

[Wilf]

Chris Marsden

 

(how about that dribble at Ipswich for evidence, set off for the corner flag to waste time and found himself slotting into an empty net having jinxed past 3 defenders and the goalie!)

 

Francis Benali

 

(one of my favourite memories is Frannie launching a Norwich player into the wall in front of a "fun day" crowd of nippers at Carrow Road - yes it was a low key reserves game - yes it was a red card)

[Tom]

Cosimo Sarli, Ronnie Ekelund, Alex Ostlund

[leeham_69]

Hooiveld popping up with a few goals in the second half of our championship worth a shout too - I remember post match he likened himself to a bird of prey or something similar, made me laugh! Was good for us for that year at that level and seemed well liked.

 

 

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[ZebadeeRust]

Probably not a popular choice but - Tadinari Lee

 

I don't get to see matches very often but I was there (vs Derby?) when Chun Lee scored that belter and did his 'archer' celebration. I did enjoy his constant bustling style as well, not that we got it see it much.

[salisbury saints1]

Already mentioned but David Armstrong, Chris Marsden and Terry Hurlock for me. Give it another 10 years then Steve Davis will qualify.

[AussieDog]

Pretty much all of mine have already been mentioned, but I'll add a few more. Terry Curran, Charlie George, and my personal favourite, Tony Funnell.

[SFKA South Woodford]

Jimmy Case for me. Deaf in one ear, could explain why he shouted all the time and put the fear of God into both his team mates and opposition players alike. A heady mix of long range goals and crunching tackles certainly made a big impression on me at a young age.

[mrfahaji]

I've always been drawn to the "less fashionable" players. While Le Tissier was obviously Le God, I never bought any Le Tissier T-Shirts from the stall outside Milton Road because... well, everyone did that.

 

I loved Chris Marsden, but I'm not even sure he counts as cult hero as he was generally pretty popular!

 

Random players who I liked and not many others did (though some did, clearly) over the years: Nicky Banger, Frankie Bennett, Ulrich van Gobbel, Cosimo Sarli, Scott Bevan, Luis Boa Morte, Fabrice Fernandes, Yoann Folly, Richard Chaplow, Jos Hooiveld.

 

Not sure there have been many in the last few years, all our players are actually good! Yoshida is probably the closest.

[THINWHITEDUKE]

Dennis Hollywood or David Webb for me

[kitch]

MLT for me. I'm just 'that' age where I grew up with him in the mid-90's. Shearer to an extent too, but majority of his success obviously wasn't with us.

 

Soft spot for Benali, Lundekvam, Monkou & Dodd too.

[Lets B Avenue]

MLT for me. I'm just 'that' age where I grew up with him in the mid-90's. Shearer to an extent too, but majority of his success obviously wasn't with us.

 

Soft spot for Benali, Lundekvam, Monkou & Dodd too.

 

[kitch]

 

Awww, you went to all the trouble of replying just for me!

[SFC Chris]

Matty Paterson.

[GGalpin]

Jos Hooiveld for me.

[mrfahaji]

Awww, you went to all the trouble of replying just for me!

 

Do you understand why he replied like that though? This thread would be half the length (or twice as interesting) if we cut out the Le Tissier votes.

[whelk]

Le Tisisier, Star Wars, Coldplay/Adele and Steak and Chips with a pint of lager.

[Eggy]

Steve Williams, Nick Holmes, Ivan Golac, Hurrlock, Dennis all worth another shout

[ericb]

This thread makes me realise how young a lot of the people who post on here are (with a few exceptions of course).

 

Reuben Agboola was definitely a cult player around the time i started going, as well as a bit later Sergey Gotsmanov. But that he was mainly "cult" for being sh*t as he got nicked named Getimoff (started by On The March i think)

[shurlock]

A few that haven't been named (or I don't think they have):

 

Dowie

Harding

Jan Paul Saeijs

Van Gobbel

Viafara

[jasonb]

Jimmy Case and stomper Ruddock

 

You must of watched Saints a lot the same time as me as those are my two picks.

 

Case looked after the kids in the team and knew how to roll his sleeves up. Presented me with the gopping blue flame away kit from the early nineties after I won a comp ran by the club shop. Real nice fella.

 

Razor for the high-knee goal celebration running back towards the Milton. Can't believe how big he is now.

[UpweySaint]

Henri Camara, only scored a few goals in the season we went down but liked seeing him play and thought he was a decent loan signing at a time not a lot went right for us.

[shurlock]

Micky Evans.

[Jonnyboy]

Already, I think, people are missing the point of "cult hero". A cult hero is an individual within a field of endeavour who is not immediately recognisable as a prominent figure. He, or she, is known and celebrated by a minority of "informed" aficianados.

 

For example, in popular music The Rolling Stones are not cult heroes; Kevin Ayers is. In literature, James Joyce is not a cult hero, but Knut Hamsun is. Cult heroes would be considered secondary or tertiary figures to mainstream taste. So, in the realm of SFC Le God is NOT a cult hero. Pahars is not a cult hero.

 

Hope that clarifies the concept.

 

Bradley Wright-Phillips was popular with certain sections.

[Bobbyboy]

Micky Evans.

 

This. Completely.

[Norm]

Tommy Traynor.

[Morse]

Jim Steele

[Spoonman]

Glenn Cockerill.

He gets some abuse, but his was the first Saints goal I was present for, at the Dell. That and his barnet.

Hon mentions: Steve Moran, Nick Holmes, Budgie, Timmy, Ruddock, Dodd, Franny, Jos, etc.

Could go on a while...

[ChicagoSaint]

Grew up watching every home game between 77 and 85. I would have to say it's a toss up between Mark Dennis and Frank Worthington. Dennis was psycho hard-as-nails and Worthington barely broke out of a walk but stroked passes all over the field - long slicked back hair, shirt untucked , don't give a **** champagne Charlie !! Will never forget both of them assisting Wallaces overhead kick against Liverpool. I'm going Psycho Mark Dennis.

[cambsaint]

John McGrath Those of my age who watched him always run out last, wearing a shirt two sizes too small to emphasise his barrel chest, and his sleeves cut short to show his bulging biceps( Looked more like a bouncer at Winchester Lido Ballroom) than a footballer. Must have put the fear of ##### up most of the opposition. The perfect player for one such as myself not too gifted in skills to try to emulate.

Must give Jimmy Gabriel his partner in crime an honourable mention, as the only player ever to have knocked down an opposing centre forward with one clean punch and got clean away with it because the ref and linesman were all haring up the field trying to catch up with play.

Can't remember who it was but it was one of the cocky centre forwards like Frank Astle, who had the audacity to think they were hard.

These two were the foundation of the celebrated "Ale House Brawlers"

 

PS If anyone else with a better memory can remember who it was Gabby hit I'd be obliged. Think it was probably the 67/8 season.

[darren2]

Mark Dennis and George Lawrence