LFC's Greatest Ever Right Back?

Discussion in 'Liverpool FC History' started by CCSC_STRIKER20, Jun 30, 2009.

  1. CCSC_STRIKER20

    CCSC_STRIKER20 New Member

    May 14, 2005
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Go To The Official Site And Vote

    Link

    Candidates
    Rob Jones
    Alvaro Arbeloa
    Steve Nicol
    Chris Lawler
    Markus Babbel
    Vegard Heggem
    Steve Finnan
    Phil Neal
    Ephraim Longworth

    I will post short profiles of all candidates below. Enjoy.​
     
  2. CCSC_STRIKER20

    CCSC_STRIKER20 New Member

    May 14, 2005
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Rob Jones

    [​IMG]

    Date of Birth: 05-11-71

    Birthplace: Wrexham

    Debut : 6th October 1991 v Manchester United (A) Football League Division One: Drew 0-0

    1st team games: 243

    1st team goals: 0

    Other clubs: Crewe Alexandra and West Ham United

    International caps while with Liverpool: 8 (England)

    International goals while with Liverpool: 0

    Honours with Liverpool: FA Cup 1992; Coca Cola Cup 1995

    [​IMG]

    Graeme Souness' reign as Liverpool manager was severely criticised but let it be said that he did sign right back Rob Jones for a bargain £300,000 from Crewe Alexandra in 1991.
    Making his Reds debut at Old Trafford of all places, Jones performance against Manchester United is still to this day remembered by Liverpool supporters. Nothing significant in the actual game you might say as it finished 0-0 but his marking of Ryan Giggs was simply magnificent as the Welsh international hardly got a kick. Indeed Giggs was full of praise for the Reds defender by rating him as his most difficult opponent. High praise indeed.

    Jones went on to finish a highly impressive first season by playing in the 1992 FA Cup victory over Sunderland at Wembley. International honours followed with England and he made a superb debut in the 2-0 win over France at Wembley.

    However, there was injury heartbreak for Jones when he was forced to pull out of Graham Taylor's squad for the 1992 European Championships. It was a huge loss for the player and for the England team.

    Over the next few years Jones established himself as the best right back in England with a series of energetic and powerful display's down the right, linking brilliantly with Steve McManaman, and it came something of a big surprise when he was left out of the England team for the vital World Cup qualifier with Holland in 1993, which England lost in controversial circumstances.

    When new manager Roy Evans introduced the wing back system Jones filled it perfectly and added another medal to his collection when he played in the 1995 Coca Cola League Cup win over Bolton Wanderers at Wembley.

    The following season Evans signed Jason McAteer from Bolton and he took the right wing back role with Jones switched to the left. It was a role Jones disliked but such was his professionalism he got on with the job without making a fuss.

    Sadly injury then set in with back problems that restricted his appearances to just three in the 1996-97 season. He was released in May 1999 and tried his luck at West Ham United but his back problems continued to be a major problem and he was forced to retire from the game.
     
  3. CCSC_STRIKER20

    CCSC_STRIKER20 New Member

    May 14, 2005
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Steve Nicol

    [​IMG]

    Date of Birth: 11/12/61

    Birthplace: Irvine (Scotland)

    Debut : 31st August 1982 v Birmingham City (A) Football League Division One: drew 0-0

    1st team games: 466

    1st team goals: 46

    Other clubs: None

    International caps while with Liverpool: 27 (Scotland)

    International goals while with Liverpool: 0

    Honours with Liverpool: First Division Championship 1983/84, 1985/86, 1987/88 and 1989/90, FA Cup 1986, 1989 & 1992, Charity Shield 1989

    [​IMG]

    One of the most versatile players in Liverpool history, Scotland international Nicol could fill any role in defence or midfield with equal skill and dexterity. His value as a utility man was incalculable and the £300,000 Bob Paisley paid Ayr United to bring him to Anfield in October 1981 proved one of the bargain deals of all time.
    He made his senior debut in August 1982 but had to wait until 1983-84 under new boss Joe Fagan for a sustained run in the side. He ended that campaign with a League title and European Cup winners medal, the latter gained despite his spot kick failure in the penalty shoot-out with Roma.

    At size 11, Nicol's feet were among the biggest in football and his boots were a full size bigger than any other in the Liverpool squad of that era. But the talent within them was underlined by his election as Footballer of the Year in 1989 by the nation's soccer writers.

    Nicol played for five Liverpool managers - Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Roy Evans were the others - and made 466 appearances, scoring 46 goals. Overall he won four League titles and three FA Cup winners medals before becoming a player coach at Notts County in 1995. He later played for Sheffield Wednesday and Doncaster before becoming caretaker coach of American club New England Revolution, and then head coach of Boston Bulldogs.
     
  4. Grinners89

    Grinners89 BigSoccer Supporter

    Jul 8, 2007
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    #1 Phillip Degen.

    #2 Nathan Eccleston (in his 15 minutes vs Fulham at Craven Cottage).
     
  5. Gregoriak

    Gregoriak BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 27, 2002
    Munich
    Chris Lawler.

    I will never understand how such a offensively dangerous full back only played 2 times for England.
     
    RoyOfTheRovers and Twenty26Six repped this.
  6. That Phat Hat

    That Phat Hat Member+

    Nov 14, 2002
    Just Barely Outside the Beltway
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Japan
    Skrtel, obviously.
     
  7. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England


    [Nice mention of a cult Liverpool hero, mate... :thumbsup:!!]
     
  8. zaqualung

    zaqualung Member+

    Jun 17, 2015
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    #8 zaqualung, Aug 28, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2017
    i MEANT TO START THIS BY SAYING STEVE NICOL
    Heggem and Jones might have been the best but they had horror times with injuries. Phil Neal for the time he playe dand the trophies.

    But why does everyone forget Rigobert Song. He was a fantastic maurauding full back. World Class with Cameroon around the time he was with us.

    Markus Babbel was immense.

    (All these guys were better than Gary Wankface)
     
  9. Mahavir Singh

    Mahavir Singh New Member

    Liverpool
    Argentina
    Sep 28, 2019
    I dont Arbeloa should be any where that list
     
    Binomial repped this.
  10. idreamofpikas

    idreamofpikas Member+

    May 22, 2009
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Phil Neal, Steve Nicol and TAA. Trent can become our greatest ever Right Back at the rate he is going.
     
  11. newterp

    newterp Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 6, 2007
    North Potomac, MD
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It will be AA
     

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