[Twenty26Six]

I was thinking we might have a small draft of all-time greatest Liverpool players.

Here's how it might work:
* A few boardees volunteer to participate. 6-7 at MOST, I can't imagine anyone wants a GK named Pegguy. I challenge the old-timers to bring it.
* We draw straws to see who picks in what order, and then we draft [USA-style] to pick 13-15 guys from which we make our best squad.


Participants
Twenty26Six
CCSC_Striker20
Ghostface
Grinners89
KopiteinKC
AussieLFCfan

Draft Order
Grinner89
Twenty26Six
Ghostface
CCSC_Striker20
KopiteinKC
AussieLFCfan

[Twenty26Six]

Selections By Team

Grinners89
John Barnes (LW/CM)
Phil Neal (FB)
Ray Clemence (GK)
Alan Kennedy (LB)
Ray Kennedy (LM)
*Traded T. Lawrence to GF *
Chris Lawler (FB)
Harry Chambers (IL)
Arthur Goddard (RW)
Steve McMahon (CM)
John Toshack (FW)
David Fairclough (FW)
Stephane Henchoz (DF)
Tom Bromilow (LH)

Twenty26Six
Kenny Dalglish (FW)
Graeme Souness (CM)
Alan Hansen (CB)
Terry McDermott (CM)
Peter Thompson (LW)
John Aldridge (CF)
Pepe Reina (GK)
Rob Jones (FB)
Gary Gillespie (DF)
Ray Houghton (AM)
Joey Jones (FB)
David Johnson (FW)
Brian Hall (MF)

Ghostface
Ian Rush (FW)
Kevin Keegan (FW/AM)
Tommy Smith (RB/CB)
Steve Heighway (W/FW)
Ronnie Whelan (LM/CM)
Steve Nicol (DF/MF)
Sami Hyypia (CB)
Ronnie Moran (LB)
Tommy Lawrence (GK) (Acquired from Grin)
Jamie Redknapp (CM)
Patrik Berger (MF)
Ronny Rosenthal (FW)
Peter Cormack (MF)

CCSC_Striker20
Steven Gerrard (MF)
Emlyn Hughes (DF/MF)
Ian Callaghan (RW/CM)
Jan Molby (CM)
Peter Beardsley (FW)
Ian St. John (FW)
Elisha Scott (GK)
Alex Raisbeck (DF)
Bob Paisley [Player/Physio/Coach/Manager]
Steve Finnan (FB)
Luis Garcia (MF/FW)
Danny Murphy (MF)
Vladimir Smicer (MF/FW)

KopiteinKC
Billy Liddell (WF/FW)
Roger Hunt (FW)
Michael Owen (FW)
Ron Yeats (CB)
Mark Lawrenson (DF)
Jimmy Case (RM)
Alec Lindsay (LB)
Gerry Byrne (FB)
Gary McAllister (MF)
Didi Hamann (DM)
Sam Hardy (GK)
Sammy Lee (MF)
John Wark (CM/CB)

AussieLFCfan
Robbie Fowler (FW)
Jamie Carragher (DF)
Phil Thompson (CB)
Steve McManaman (WF/AM)
Gordon Hodgson (IR)
Bruce Grobbelaar (GK)
John Thomas Cox (WF)
Fernando Torres (FW)
Craig Johnston (RM/FW)
Donald McKinley (DF)
John Arne Riise (DF/MF)
Xabi Alonso (CM)
Harry Kewell (WF/FW)

[Twenty26Six]

Please be as formal as possible with your selections. Bold the name, show the years/matches played, include a small picture, or maybe a write-up. The .tv site has all that.

I enourage all participants to use as many resources - including the old-timers on this board - whenever possible.

LFC.tv has...
100 Days that Shook the Kop
100 Players Who Shook the Kop
Past Players and Managers [by decade and name]
...as well as archival footage if you subscribe to their service.

LFChistory.net has A LOT of information.

Wikipedia is a good source for finding strange facts out about European finals and players.

There are also profiles/movies on youtube.com, etc.

Try to keep players in preferred positions, but you don't have to. There are quite a few players that could play in many positions and some who didn't play in conventional positions.

If you have any questions about stuff, you can ask me also. I won't use it against you. This is a friendly draft.

[Twenty26Six]

The draft officially will begin...

Round 1
Grinners89 (1) - John Barnes (LW/CM)
Twenty26Six (2) - Kenny Dalglish (FW)
Ghostface (3) - Ian Rush (FW)
CCSC_Striker20 (4) - Steven Gerrard (MF)
KopiteinKC (5) - Billy Liddell (WF/FW)
AussieLFCfan (6) - Robbie Fowler (FW)

Round 2
AussieLFCfan (7) - Jamie Carragher (DF)
KopiteinKC (8) - Roger Hunt (FW)
CCSC_Striker20 (9) - Emlyn Hughes (DF/MF)
Ghostface (10) - Kevin Keegan (FW/AM)
Twenty26Six (11) - Graeme Souness (CM)
Grinners89 (12) - Phil Neal (FB)

Round 3
Grinners89 (13) - Ray Clemence (GK)
Twenty26Six (14) - Alan Hansen (CB)
Ghostface (15) - Tommy Smith (CB/RB)
CCSC_Striker20 (16) - Ian Callaghan (RM/CM)
KopiteinKC (17) - Michael Owen (FW)
AussieLFCfan (18) - Phil Thompson (CB)

Round 4
AussieLFCfan (19) - Steve McManaman (W/AM)
KopiteinKC (20) - Ron Yeats (CB)
CCSC_Striker20 (21) - Jan Mølby (CM/SW)
Ghostface (22) - Steve Heighway (W/FW)
Twenty26Six (23) - Terry McDermott (AM)
Grinners89 (24) - Alan Kennedy (LB)

Round 5
Grinners89 (25) - Ray Kennedy (LM)
Twenty26Six (26) - Peter Thompson (LW/RW)
Ghostface (27) - Ronnie Whelan (LM/CM)
CCSC_Striker20 (28) - Peter Beardsley (AM/SS)
KopiteinKC (29) - Mark Lawrenson (DF/MF)
AussieLFCfan (30) - Gordon Hodgson (Ins-R)

Round 6
AussieLFCfan (31) - Bruce Grobbelaar (GK)
KopiteinKC (32) - Jimmy Case (RM)
CCSC_Striker20 (33) - Ian St. John (FW)
Ghostface (34) - Steve Nicol (DF/MF)
Twenty26Six (35) - John Aldridge (CF)
Grinners89 (36) - Tommy Lawrence (GK) [**Trade to Ghostface]

Round 7
Grinners89 (37) - Chris Lawler (RB)
Twenty26Six (38) - Pepe Reina (GK)
Ghostface (39) - Sami Hyypia (CB)
CCSC_Striker20 (40) - Elisha Scott (GK)
KopiteinKC (41) - Alec Lindsay (LB)
AussieLFCfan (42) - John Thomas Cox (WF)

Round 8
AussieLFCfan - Fernando Torres (FW)
KopiteinKC - Gerry Byrne (FB)
CCSC_Striker20 - Alex Raisbeck (DF)
Ghostface - Ronnie Moran (LB)
Twenty26Six - Rob Jones (FB)
Grinners89 - Harry Chambers (Ins-L)

Round 9
Grinners89 - Arthur Goddard (RW)
Twenty26Six - Gary Gillespie (DF)
**Grinners89 - Steve McMahon (CM)
CCSC_Striker20 - Bob Paisley (Pl/Ph/Co/Ma)
KopiteinKC - Gary McAllister (MF)
AussieLFCfan - Craig Johnston (MF/FW)

Round 10
AussieLFCfan - Donald McKinlay (DF)
KopiteinKC - Didi Hamann (DM)
CCSC_Striker20 - Steve Finnan (FB)
Ghostface - Jamie Redknapp (CM)
Twenty26Six - Ray Houghton (AM)
Grinners89 - John Toshack (FW)

Round 11
Grinners89 - David Fairclough (FW)
Twenty26Six - Joey Jones (FB)
Ghostface - Patrik Berger (MF)
CCSC_Striker20 - Luis Garcia (MF/FW)
KopiteinKC - Sam Hardy (GK)
AussieLFCfan - John Arne Riise (DF/MF)

Round 12
AussieLFCfan - Xabi Alonso (CM)
KopiteinKC - Sammy Lee (MF)
CCSC_Striker20 - Danny Murphy (MF)
Ghostface - Ronny Rosenthal (FW)
Twenty26Six - David Johnson (FW)
Grinners89 - Stephane Henchoz (DF)

Round 13
Grinners89 - Tom Bromilow (LH)
Twenty26Six - Brian Hall (MF)
Ghostface - Peter Cormack (MF)
CCSC_Striker20 - Vladimir Smicer (MF/FW)
KopiteinKC - John Wark (CM/CB)
AussieLFCfan - Harry Kewell (WF/FW)

[Grinners89]

JOHN BARNES




Personal Details

Full name: John Charles Bryan Barnes
Nickname: Digger
DOB: 7 November 1963
Age: 44
Birth place: Kingston, Jamaica
Position: Left winger, left-central midfielder
Strengths: pace, power and dribbling
League Debut: 5th September, 1981 in a 1-1 draw with Oldham Athletic at Vicarage Road

Playing Career

Youth clubs
Sudbury Court

Senior clubs
Watford (1981-87) - 233 (65)
Liverpool (1987-97) - 314 (84)
Newcastle United (1997-99) - 27 (6)
Charlton Athletic (1999) - 12 (0)

Total (club) - 586 (155)

National teamEngland (1983-95) - 79 (12)

Total (all) - 665 (167)

Transfers

Transferred from Sudbury Court to Watford, 14/7/1981, fee of a set of a kit
Transferred from Watford to Liverpool, 19/6/1987, £900,000
Transferred from Liverpool to Newcastle, 13/8/1997, free transfer

Honours

Watford
Runner Up
1981/82 League Championship (Level 1)
1982/83 League Championship (Level 1)
1983/84 FA Cup

Liverpool
Winner
1987/88 League Championship (Level 1)
1988/89 Charity Shield
1988/89 FA Cup
1989/90 Charity Shield
1989/90 League Championship (Level 1)
1990/91 Charity Shield Shared
1994/95 League Cup

Runner Up
1987/88 FA Cup
1988/89 League Championship (Level 1)
1990/91 League Championship (Level 1)
1995/96 FA Cup

Newcastle United
Runner Up
1997/98 FA Cup

England
1983-1995 79 caps 12 goals

Individual
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (1988, 1990)
Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year (1988)
Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, 2005
#5 in the poll "100 Players Who Shook The Kop"

Short Biography

During his stellar career as a professional football player in England, John Barnes played a total of 665 times for Watford, Liverpool, Newcastle, Charlton and England, scoring 167 goals. He was a member of the Liverpool team that won the league title in 1988 and 1990, Liverpool's most recent league title, the FA Cup in 1989 and 1992 and the League Cup in 1995. Despite becoming the first black player to win the Football Writers' Association Players' Player of the Year award as well as winning the prestigious Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Footballer of the Year award in 1988, Barnes' best season was the 1989-90 season when he won the FWA Players' Player of the Year award for the second time. These awards came during his so called, "untouchable" years as a professional footballer.

His professional career lasted 18 years, all but one season of it as a member of teams in the highest league division. Two images of John Barnes are remembered most clearly by English soccer fans; the first being his stunning individual goal for England against Brazil in 1984 when he collected the ball at the halfway line and beat five Brazilian defenders to score one of the most memorable goals ever achieved by an England player and the second his dismissive back-heeling of a banana thrown onto the pitch by racists.



John Barnes back-heeling a banana, thrown onto the field by racist supporters.

As a player he could turn games around with his power and pace and had the ability to energize a whole team. For example he was brought on with 15 minutes to go against Argentina in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals when England was 2-0 down and Barnes single-handedly dismantled the Argentine defense, setting up a goal and a missed chance for teammate Gary Lineker.

Quotes

"Football is a game, a glorious pursuit but how can it be more important than life itself?" John Barnes wrote this in his autobiography about the Hillsborough football disaster.

"Barnes did what we expected him to do. He made a goal, scored one, and entertained. You remember that." Kenny Dalglish after John Barnes Anfield debut for Liverpool in a 2-0 win over Oxford in 1987.

Videos

John Barnes individual goal vs Brazil, 1984 at the Maracana, Rio de Janeiro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SCyXGiJ-jc

100 Players Who Shook the Kop - #5, John Barnes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBrfN9DYksA

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

Good selection Grinners, let's get this thing moving.

[Twenty26Six]

Kenny Dalglish MBE


Date of Birth: 04-03-1951
Birthplace: Glasgow
Debut : 13th August 1977 v Manchester United (N) Charity Shield: Drew 0-0
1st team games: 515
1st team goals: 172

Honours with Liverpool: First Division Championship: 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86 (player/manager), 1987/88 (player/manager) & 1989/90 (player/manager), FA Cup 1986 (player/manager), 1989 (manager), Charity Shield 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 (shared), European Super Cup 1977, Screen Sport Super Cup 1986 (player/manager) European Cup 1978, 1981 & 1984


There can only ever be one King and the man who's earned the right to take his place on the Anfield throne is the one and only Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish. Regarded by the majority of Liverpudlians as the club's greatest ever player, his all round stunning brilliance has been deemed to have shaken the Kop more than anyone else.

[Ghostface]

Ian James Rush MBE

Date of Birth: October 20, 1961
Place of Birth: St Asaph, Wales

HONOURS:
Division One 1981/1982, 1982/1983, 1983/1984, 1985/1986, 1989/1990;
European Cup 1983/1984; FA Cup 1985/1986, 1988/1989, 1991/1992
League Cup 1980/1981, 1981/1982, 1982/1983, 1983/1984, 1994/1995

First Team Appearances: 660
Goals: 346

TRANSFER FEES: £300,000 (from Chester City, April 1980); £2,800,000 (from Juventus, August 1988).

Ian Rush, brought in at the young age of 18 from Chester City, was one of Liverpool's most influental players throughout the 80's and early 90's. Along with establishing one of the most feared forward partnerships in Europe at the time with Kenny Dalglish, Rush also holds many other honours with Liverpool. He holds the record for most goals scored in the famous red shirt, with 346, and is second in most league goals scored (229) behind only Roger Hunt (245). He currently holds both records for goals scored in FA Cup finals (5), as well as goals in the League Cup (49). But perhaps what he will most be remembered for is his ability to score against Everton, the club he supported as a boy. He has scored 25 goals in the Merseyside Derby, more than any other player from either club, including his famous 4 goals in the 5-nil thrashing of Everton at Goodison on the 6th of November, 1982.

Liverpool 5 - Everton 0
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mMve0Pk_x0k

[Twenty26Six]

After your picks, guys. Please, PM the guy who is up next - to let him know he is on the clock.

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

Steven Gerrard MBE

Date of Birth: May 30, 1980
Place of Birth: Whiston, England

Club Honours
FA Cup: 2000/2001, 2005/2006
League Cup: 2000/2001, 2002/2003
UEFA Champions League: 2004/2005
UEFA Cup: 2000/2001
Community Shield: 2001, 2006
UEFA Super Cup: 2001, 2005

Personal Honours
PFA Young Player of the Year (2001)
UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player (2004/2005)
PFA Player of the Year (2006)
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) (2007)

First Team Appearances: 288
First Team Goals: 51

Youth Clubs: Liverpool (1989-1997)
Senior Clubs: Liverpool (1997-Present)

England Duty
Youth Team Appearances: 4
Youth Team Goals: 1
Senior Team Appearances: 63
Senior Team Goals: 12

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard first caught the eye of the club's scouts playing for Whiston Juniors aged nine. Eight years later, after a period as a trainee, he signed his first professional contract.

Within 12 months the starlet had made his first-team debut, coming on as a second-half sub for Vegard Heggem against Blackburn Rovers on November 29, 1998. The following week Gerard Houllier gave him a first start when the Reds travelled to White Hart Lane.

Gerrard played 13 games in his debut season, in part due to the injury woes of fellow midfielder Jamie Redknapp.

Persistent back and groin problems punctuated his blossoming career, though he'd managed to establish himself as a first-team regular by the start of the 1999-00 season.

It proved to be a momentous campaign for the Whiston-born youngster, not least because of a spectacular first professional goal at Anfield against Sheffield Wednesday. England coach Kevin Keegan was starting to take note.

Having already featured at under-18 and under-21 level, Gerrard was handed his first senior international cap against Ukraine on May 31, 2000. From there he was selected for Euro 2000 in Holland and Belgium, but had to settle for just a single substitute appearance.

By now the Liverpool number eight was regarded by many as the complete midfielder, and he was instrumental in the Reds winning a unique treble in 2000-01.

With the Worthington and FA Cups already in the bag, Gerrard was one of the scorers in an unforgettable 5-4 UEFA Cup final victory over Alaves. It came as no surprise when the man nicknamed the Huyton Hammer was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

The milestones were starting to stack up for Gerrard, who kicked off the following season by netting his first international goal in the famous 5-1 trouncing of Germany in their own backyard.

The win helped Sven's men secure a World Cup place, but heartbreak followed when a groin injury ruled the midfield maestro out of Japan and South Korea.

A disappointing domestic season followed, the highlight of which was a Worthington Cup final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Gerrard opened the scoring in a satisfying 2-0 win over Manchester United.

By the start of the 2003-04 season, the midfielder had firmly established himself as Liverpool's on-field leader, and it was no surprise when Houllier handed him the captain's armband in place of Sami Hyypia.

The decision proved such a success that within six months Gerrard was captaining England against Sweden in the absence of David Beckham.

Just when it seemed things couldn't get any better for the Scouser, they did. In 2004-05, under new boss Rafa Benitez, Gerrard lifted the club's fifth European Cup.

Having already brought Liverpool back from the brink earlier in the campaign with a last-gasp strike against Olympiacos, the skipper helped inspire the greatest comeback of all time in Istanbul.

No one believed the Reds could overturn AC Milan's 3-0 half-time lead - until Stevie G's 54th minute header, that is.

His heroics earned him the title of UEFA's Most Valuable Player in 2004-05, as well as a nomination for the prestigious Ballon D'Or award. He would come third in the latter, behind Ronaldinho and countryman Frank Lampard.

In the months that followed the final, the Reds' star player signed a new four-year contract at Anfield to put an end to speculation about his future.

The 2005-06 season was perhaps Gerrard's most impressive to date, scoring 23 goals in 53 games and being crowned PFA Player of the Year. He was the first Liverpool man to win the award since John Barnes in 1988.

The season culminated with another FA Cup win in Cardiff, with West Ham providing the opposition. If 1953 will always be remembered as the Stanley Matthews final, then 2006 will surely go down as Gerrard's day.

The captain twice breached Shaka Hislop's net, including a dramatic equaliser in the dying moments to send the game into extra-time and, ultimately, penalties. This 35-yard volley was voted Match of the Day's Goal of the Season.

Gerrard - who's played in just about every position for Liverpool - had now scored in four major finals, something no English-based player had ever done.

Next, in the summer of 2006 and aged 26, the midfielder featured in his first World Cup. After scoring twice in the group stages, he was one of three players to miss a penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out loss to Portugal.

In the wake of defeat and Beckham standing down, Gerrard was widely tipped to be the next England skipper. New boss Steve McClaren eventually plumped for Chelsea centre-back John Terry, with the Liverpool man having to settle for the vice-captaincy.

The Kop idol returned from Germany for another eventful domestic season during which he broke Ian Rush's European Cup goalscoring record. His header against PSV was his 15th in the competition, one more than the legendary striker.

In December 2006, Gerrard was awarded an MBE, which he later collected from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

As if all this wasn't enough, the season ended with another European Cup final, and again it was AC Milan.

The Reds might have lost 2-1 in Athens, but Gerrard was more than happy to pen a new four-year contract to keep him at Anfield until 2011.

He enjoyed a mixed start to the 2007-08 season, scoring crucial free-kicks against Aston Villa on the opening day and Arsenal on his 400th appearance for the club. There was major disappointment in November, however, when he skippered the national side to a 3-2 defeat against Croatia at Wembley - ending both England's hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 and Steve McClaren's reign at manager.

FA Cup Final 2006
Champions League Final 2005
Top 10 Gerrard Goals
100 PWSTK - #4 Steven Gerrard