How many 'best in the worlds' have we had?

[Midfield_General]

Watching Van Dijk the other day, thinking how he's probably the best CB in the world (if not right now, then probably over the last few seasons), it got me wondering how many others have passed through Saints who were at some point or other regarded as the best in the world in their position. 

Obviously it's subjective to a degree, but Shilton for example was consistently rated the best goalkeeper in the world for some time, so that's another one. 

Was Shearer considered the best CF in the world at any point? 

Are there any others? 

[Kenilworthy]

1 minute ago, Midfield_General said:

Watching Van Dijk the other day, thinking how he's probably the best CB in the world (if not right now, then probably over the last few seasons), it got me wondering how many others have passed through Saints who were at some point or other regarded as the best in the world in their position. 

Obviously it's subjective to a degree, but Shilton for example was consistently rated the best goalkeeper in the world for some time, so that's another one. 

Was Shearer considered the best CF in the world at any point? 

Are there any others? 

Kevin Keegan

[Sheaf Saint]

Were it not for him playing in the same era as Ronaldo and Messi, then Gareth Bale might have been around the time Real signed him from Spurs.

[skintsaint]

5.5

[trousers]

Rudi Skacel

[Hatch]

Pele

[Ivan Katalinic's 'tache]

Was Ron Davies the best in the world at heading, or even the best centre forward, during his heyday? Pre-dates my time but what I've read about him suggests he'd have been right up there.

[Lighthouse]

The player Mario Lemina thinks he is.

[sambosa75]

Delap best throw-in taker in the world and we never even knew it.

[saint1977]

Nice one re Lemina. And Wesley as well. He might be the best player in my worst ever XI if that helps his ego. 

Proper suggestions

VVD

Keegan (fractionally before my time)

Ron Davies definitely before my time but my Dad says he is the best in the air he has ever seen. Destroyed Man U at OT and Chelsea away in their original halycon eras.

Shilts definitely, in 83/84 he was still at his Forest peak. 

Bale and Shearer were young with us but you see potential

Tadic was the best number 10 in the CL the year Ajax got to the Semis.

Mane has been as good as any world forward for Liverpool the last 5 years

Mark Wright was a serious CB at his peak pre WHL leg break. Still one of the defenders of Italia 90 and would have been at Mexico. He’d have done better than ‘after you Diego’ Terry Fenwick if he hadn’t had that injury.

MLT - I know the game is faster and more defensive now but how many midfielders in the 90s scored 30 goals from midfield? The team was arguably as bad as the current team back then and worse on paper.

Wouldn’t be surprised if Livramento and Broja joined this list. Broja is a loan so I can add Toby as well.

 

 

 

Edited 28 October, 2021 by saint1977

[SNSUN]

There was some speculation at the time that Sadio Mane would go on to be the best player in the world when Liverpool signed him, and while he's been brilliant he's been consistently overshadowed by Salah - who is perhaps now the best player in the world.

[Weston Super Saint]

Andy Gray - Best Groundsman in the world, ever.

[Sheaf Saint]

Does the best catering and radio station count?

[Weston Super Saint]

5 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Does the best catering and radio station count?

For sure, and credit card.

[The Left Back]

Best song.

Best brass band

Best badge 

I might be biased about these

[Nordic Saint]

C.B Fry was the best all-round sportsman in the world.  "Charles Fry was probably the most variously gifted Englishman of any age." John Arlott.

[VectisSaint]

6 hours ago, Ivan Katalinic's 'tache said:

Was Ron Davies the best in the world at heading, or even the best centre forward, during his heyday? Pre-dates my time but what I've read about him suggests he'd have been right up there.

Ron Davies was the best centre forward in Europe, and that was according to no less than Sir Matt Busby. Would Pele have been considered a better centre forward which would have prevented Busby saying "best in the world". They were very different players, but I guess if Pele was considered a CF then Big Ron would have to have settled for 2nd place. I think he was the world's best at what he did at the time (1966/67 season in particular). 37 goals in one season for a team that leaked goals like a sieve was no mean feat. Still annoys me that the Club did not fully recognise his stature during his lifetime. 

[Weston Super Saint]

Best statue.

[benjii]

Moody

Todd

Forecast 

[saintwbu]

For me Van Dijk was the best CB in the world when he played for us too, it’s just nobody outside of St Mary’s gave him attention until he’d played about 30 minutes for Liverpool. 

[Patrick Bateman]

We've got the best James Ward-Prowse in the world.

Best stadium called St Marys in the world.

But in answer to the original question, even with players Saints have sold, I don't think Bale, Bridge, Shaw and co would be considered the best in their position unlike Van Dijk and Keegan.  Shearer was competing with the likes of George Weah who probably WAS the best in the world at that time.  

[bpsaint]

4 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Best statue.

This statue will never not be funny. God even the plinth was worse than I remember 🤣🤣

[Patrick Bateman]

7 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

This statue will never not be funny. God even the plinth was worse than I remember 🤣🤣

There is NOTHING right with it. Looking at it again it just annoys me. The jacket pocket is almost at the seem of the shoulder, the buttons on jacket slope downwards, yet the jacket is straight at the bottom (maybe the tailor should be castigated instead!).  The legs. The arms.  The mouth.  The eyes.  It's like Bilbo f**king Baggins. And we were told by those involved "how well it was coming on". Christ. 

[jawillwill]

Ryan Smith was world class. Apparently. 

[Weston Super Saint]

8 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

There is NOTHING right with it. Looking at it again it just annoys me. The jacket pocket is almost at the seem of the shoulder, the buttons on jacket slope downwards, yet the jacket is straight at the bottom (maybe the tailor should be castigated instead!).  The legs. The arms.  The mouth.  The eyes.  It's like Bilbo f**king Baggins. And we were told by those involved "how well it was coming on". Christ. 

I think he may well also have the world's best right arm!  The distance from right shoulder to elbow is about half the distance of elbow to wrist which is all capped off with the wonderful alien hand perched on top.

An absolute belter of a statue which surely must be the best in the world - Ronaldo's would have been stiff competition though if they hadn't just stopped at the head....

[Nordic Saint]

9 hours ago, bpsaint said:

This statue will never not be funny. God even the plinth was worse than I remember 🤣🤣

It's comedy genius. 

[Nordic Saint]

10 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

There is NOTHING right with it. Looking at it again it just annoys me. The jacket pocket is almost at the seem of the shoulder, the buttons on jacket slope downwards, yet the jacket is straight at the bottom (maybe the tailor should be castigated instead!).  The legs. The arms.  The mouth.  The eyes.  It's like Bilbo f**king Baggins. And we were told by those involved "how well it was coming on". Christ. 

And the left hand (the dinosaur's claw under the pumpkin-shaped ball) is much bigger than the right. To fit all of those comic details into one statue has to be world class comedy. 

Edited 29 October, 2021 by Nordic Saint

[Victor]

It IS so funny but I can't laugh. Wasn't it a supporter initiative? All those good intentions and no-one could see how bad it was until it was in place. How, how was that possible!? Only other clubs' supporters can really laugh without feeling some sadness, surely.

[spyinthesky]

Peter Shilton at a time when we had most of the top keepers in the world.

[Badger]

14 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

 

But in answer to the original question, even with players Saints have sold, I don't think Bale, Bridge, Shaw and co would be considered the best in their position unlike Van Dijk and Keegan.  Shearer was competing with the likes of George Weah who probably WAS the best in the world at that time.  

We signed Weah's best cousin. Or at least thought we had.

[Badger]

18 hours ago, VectisSaint said:

Ron Davies was the best centre forward in Europe, and that was according to no less than Sir Matt Busby. Would Pele have been considered a better centre forward which would have prevented Busby saying "best in the world". They were very different players, but I guess if Pele was considered a CF then Big Ron would have to have settled for 2nd place. I think he was the world's best at what he did at the time (1966/67 season in particular). 37 goals in one season for a team that leaked goals like a sieve was no mean feat. Still annoys me that the Club did not fully recognise his stature during his lifetime. 

I remember this after we beat them 4-1, but not sure if it was best in Europe or World.

Was Pele (5'8" according to Wikipedia) regarded as a Centre Forward ? Not sure he was. But imagine how prolific a goalscorer he might have been if Paine and Sydenahm were Brazilian !

[VectisSaint]

1 minute ago, Badger said:

I remember this after we beat them 4-1, but not sure if it was best in Europe or World.

Was Pele (5'8" according to Wikipedia) regarded as a Centre Forward ? Not sure he was. But imagine how prolific a goalscorer he might have been if Paine and Sydenahm were Brazilian !

It was Europe, the quotes (or at least quotes of the quote) are still out there, amongst others. Regards Pele, I was only conjucturing why Busby said Europe and not the World, to be honest there weren't that many greats "outside Europe" at the time, most wore Brazilian shirts and based on 1966 they were not that great anyway (by 1970 that all changed of course). I don't think Pele was a Centre Forward in the same sense as Big Ron, by any means, as players they were chalk and cheese, I think Pele could have played alongside Ron in a "forward line" that also contained Sydenham, Paine and Channon 🙂 

https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2013-05-29/ron-davies-an-appreciation

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/30/ron-davies-obituary

[Badger]

1 minute ago, VectisSaint said:

I don't think Pele was a Centre Forward in the same sense as Big Ron, by any means, as players they were chalk and cheese, I think Pele could have played alongside Ron in a "forward line" that also contained Sydenham, Paine and Channon 🙂 

https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2013-05-29/ron-davies-an-appreciation

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/30/ron-davies-obituary

Pele as part of our Alehouse* team ? Not sure on that one. Did he even drink ?

*perhaps not relevant as Big Ron's moment at Old Trafford was 1969, (and probably his best seasons were before that even), and I don't think The Alehouse team were officailly christened until the following year or so (Sept 1970 sticks in my mind after a 1-0 win v Liverpool). Thought I'd add that before MLG dives for the history books.

[Badger]

Did we have the World's hardest  in The Alehouse team at the time ?

Often wondered who'd win in a centre circle punch up between our Alehouse v Wimbledon's Crazy Gang.

 

[derry]

Ron Davies was the best attacking header of a ball I've ever seen anywhere in the world. Absolutely unplayable. Paine and Sydenham teed it up and Ron buried it. It was Sydenham that assisted most in the four goals at Old Trafford. The ball was always out of reach of the goalkeeper as Ron timed his run in from outside the area and attacked the ball with an astoundingly high leap whilst almost hanging in the air whilst heading the ball. Nearly all players now stand around in the six yd box grabbong handfuls of shirt or holding opponents, so really can't attack the ball.

[Badger]

15 minutes ago, derry said:

Ron Davies was the best attacking header of a ball I've ever seen anywhere in the world. Absolutely unplayable. Paine and Sydenham teed it up and Ron buried it. It was Sydenham that assisted most in the four goals at Old Trafford. The ball was always out of reach of the goalkeeper as Ron timed his run in from outside the area and attacked the ball with an astoundingly high leap whilst almost hanging in the air whilst heading the ball. Nearly all players now stand around in the six yd box grabbong handfuls of shirt or holding opponents, so really can't attack the ball.

added to which should be remembered that Big Ron was playing against some pretty hardened bastards as defenders, not the 'he's a big bloke' ,lump of lard, like Harry Maguire, but some pretty rough and ready Centre Halves who could handle themselves (Jack Charlton, Ron Yates, 'Chopper Harris'- though not a CH would make his presence known).

[Forester]

Think Le Tissier could have legitimately claimed to be best penalty taker in world at the time.

Too young to have seen Ron Davies but know many people that think he was best in air.  Have a look on YouTube for his four goals at Manure

[bpsaint]

10 hours ago, Victor said:

It IS so funny but I can't laugh. Wasn't it a supporter initiative? All those good intentions and no-one could see how bad it was until it was in place. How, how was that possible!? Only other clubs' supporters can really laugh without feeling some sadness, surely.

Ahh yes, the Ted Bates “trust” they were called, yet not one of them could be trusted to ask the sculptor what the actual fuck he was doing.

The original thread on here at the time was comedy gold, some posters were aggressively defending the original statue and shouting down anyone that dare criticise the sculptor, before it descended into a Saintsweb classic thread.

Has to be said that the replacement genuinely is an incredible work of art.

[Miltonaggro]

On 28/10/2021 at 19:31, Weston Super Saint said:

Best statue.

Milan Mandaric - 100% one of the best money launderers of his time.

[Miltonaggro]

8 hours ago, Badger said:

Did we have the World's hardest  in The Alehouse team at the time ?

Often wondered who'd win in a centre circle punch up between our Alehouse v Wimbledon's Crazy Gang.

 

I'd put a substantial bet on Big John McGrath, Jimmy Case and Psycho Dennis to sort them out on their own, as a tag team...

[farawaysaint]

20 hours ago, Forester said:

Think Le Tissier could have legitimately claimed to be best penalty taker in world at the time.

Too young to have seen Ron Davies but know many people that think he was best in air.  Have a look on YouTube for his four goals at Manure

To be fair MLT stakes a claim as the best penalty taker not at the time but of all time. None I can think of with as consistent a record at a high level. 

[Uncle Albert]

Before my time but surely Shearer is nailed on?

[CylonKing]

Niemi in his hey day?

[RedArmy]

 

Best pre game entertainment. Saints go Wilde. 

[Lighthouse]

3 hours ago, CylonKing said:

Niemi in his hey day?

That being the same period as prime Buffon, Casillas, Van Der Sar, Kahn, Toldo, Dida, Cech and Lehmann? He was good but never that good.

[The Kraken]

On 29/10/2021 at 21:21, bpsaint said:

Ahh yes, the Ted Bates “trust” they were called, yet not one of them could be trusted to ask the sculptor what the actual fuck he was doing.

The original thread on here at the time was comedy gold, some posters were aggressively defending the original statue and shouting down anyone that dare criticise the sculptor, before it descended into a Saintsweb classic thread.

Has to be said that the replacement genuinely is an incredible work of art.

Genuinely the funniest thread I’ve ever read on any forum. Literally laugh out loud. A mix of a small number of staunch defenders saying “it’s not that bad” whereas everyone else went from “that can’t be it” to ripping the shit out of it. The photoshops on here and b-anter were brilliant. There really should be a golden threads part of the forum with that one in it, real belly laughs from reading it.

The head of the hapless statue trust brigade, who as said at the time were just a well meaning bunch of simpletons, ran out this classic quote: “It is very rare I am lost for words but I saw the statue last week and it is awesome - a tremendous tribute to a great man. Fans have waited a long time for this and it is going to be fantastic. I really believe it will be the best football statue anywhere both in size and the amount of detail.” 🤣

As you say, thankfully the replacement is a proper work of art and an absolute treasure to be proud of. I love game day and seeing how many people give the statue a little respectful touch on the way past.

Edit: and thank you Leon Crouch for that 🙏

Edited 30 October, 2021 by The Kraken

[hackedoff]

On 28/10/2021 at 23:42, Patrick Bateman said:

There is NOTHING right with it. Looking at it again it just annoys me. The jacket pocket is almost at the seem of the shoulder, the buttons on jacket slope downwards, yet the jacket is straight at the bottom (maybe the tailor should be castigated instead!).  The legs. The arms.  The mouth.  The eyes.  It's like Bilbo f**king Baggins. And we were told by those involved "how well it was coming on". Christ. 

How someone earnt a living creating things like that beggars belief.

[WokingSaint]

On 28/10/2021 at 19:31, Weston Super Saint said:

Best statue.

That and the comments that followed made me laugh for a week!

[Nordic Saint]

21 hours ago, The Kraken said:

 

The head of the hapless statue trust brigade, who as said at the time were just a well meaning bunch of simpletons, ran out this classic quote: “It is very rare I am lost for words but I saw the statue last week and it is awesome - a tremendous tribute to a great man. Fans have waited a long time for this and it is going to be fantastic. I really believe it will be the best football statue anywhere both in size and the amount of detail.” 🤣

 

Brilliant. I still can't stop smiling after reading that again.

[Badger]

On 29/10/2021 at 14:17, Badger said:

Did we have the World's hardest  in The Alehouse team at the time ?

Often wondered who'd win in a centre circle punch up between our Alehouse v Wimbledon's Crazy Gang.

 

 

On 29/10/2021 at 22:35, Miltonaggro said:

I'd put a substantial bet on Big John McGrath, Jimmy Case and Psycho Dennis to sort them out on their own, as a tag team...

It's the loose 50:50 balls in midfield that wouldn't be for the faint hearted, picture Jones, or Dennis Wise  going in for it with Brian O'Neill (socks rolled down, no shinpads) for a shuddering tackle. Followed by Vinnie, Fash the Bash & Co clashing with McGrath, Gabriel, Walker, Hollywood ... whilst the ref and lnesman try to keep it under control.