Team of the Decade

[LeonTheGreen]

Luke McCormick - He was here for years and he was very good. If what happened never actually happened, I believe he’d of ended up in the Premier League, top keeper.

CBs:

Curtis Nelson - Now at Championship Cardiff. Came through at 16/17, and whilst here he went from a boy to a man. Ended up very good.
Sonny Bradley - Another in the championship with Luton. Here for 2 seasons but what a centre back. Big part of our promotion season.
Peter Hartley - Between him and Zak Vyner. Went with Hartley. Built up a good partnership with Nelson and scored THAT goal against Pompey.

Midfielders:

Graham Carey - Id go as far to say the best “creative” player in L2 in this decade. Fantastic player. Miss you G
Rúben Lamieras - Great to watch, he was never played enough under Derek Adams. Now at high flying Famalicao in Portugal.
Kári Arnason - Played with us in L1 in 10-11, quality player, even played for Iceland at the WC last year.
David Fox - Another big part of our promotion season. Loved Foxy. Great little player.
Conor Hourihane - Similar to Curtis Nelson, he joined us at a young age after we came out of admin. Turned from a boy into a man here and now starts regularly in the Premier League.

Strikers:

Reuben Reid - Scored 20 goals two seasons in a row. Had a lot of injuries but for a time he was class.
Bradley Wright-Phillips - Described as one of the best forwards in MLS history, he was class here for a short while before leaving to Charlton when we went into admin.

Mentions for:
Yannick Bolasie - Wasn’t actually great here but went onto be a Prem player.
Joe Bryan - Very good whilst here, obviously went onto the Prem.
Freddie Ladapo - Scored a load last season in a relegated team. Didn’t actually like him much but guess for his goals he deserves his mention.
Onismor Bhasera - Joined in the Championship and left in L2, stealing the POTY trophy. Geddon Bhas.
Carl McHugh - Very good here, now at ATK in India.

 

[Laker]

Our forum is running a poll on this at the moment, the results will be out in the next couple of days. They’ve announced the keeper as Will Norris which is fair enough as he was class for us but not the rest. I’ll report back as and when.

 

[Moomin]

This is my take on our team of the decade 4-3-3 but others may disagree:

GK - Christy Pym - I’ve never been a massive fan of Pym but he was decent during his time with us, and his competition wasn’t the strongest to be honest.

RB - Jack Stacey - Had him on loan during our 16/17 season and Tisdale converted him to full back from a winger. He quickly became a key player and scored a screamer to send us to Wembley. We nearly signed him permanently but couldn’t find the £80k fee so he went to Luton and later went for over £2m to Bournemouth. Arse.

CB - Matt Taylor - Now our manager but in his playing days he was a class act, despite being so slow. Won everything in the air and was so solid. Not bad for someone that started life as a goalkeeper.

CB - Jordan Storey - he only played 17 games but was instantly a class above and PNE picked him up soon after. Expect him to be an established Championship player for years to come.

LB - Dean Moxey. We’ve had some very good ones but going for Deano despite him now being converted to a CB. In his younger days he could get up and down the flank all day and had an eye for goal too. City legend with 300 games to his name.

CM - Ethan Ampadu - another product of our academy. Only played 10 games but as with Storey he was way too good for us. Made his debut at 15 and bossed the game. He will be a top Premier League player in the future.

CM - Matt Grimes - Class player with an excellent left foot. Sold him to Swansea for £1.7M, perhaps too soon for him but is now a key player for them in the Championship.

CM - Nicky Law - I cant not include him, he’s been total class since Matt signed him. Scores goals and creates goals plus never stops running. We must do all we can to keep him beyond this season.

RF - David Wheeler - he had a superb scoring season for us in 16/17 and has the leap of a salmon and ran all day. Probably not Championship standard but a very good L1 player

CF - Jayden Stockley - probably my favourite city player. His goal scoring record was superb and had we kept him last season we’d have pushed top 3 but instead we missed out on the play offs. He had the knack of popping up with key goals to win games on his own. Keeping a keen eye on his progress at Preston.

LF - Ollie Watkins - This lad is now hot property at Brentford and they reportedly want £25M for him, which will send us a huge pay day. Two great feet, athletic and can score with his head as well as his feet. Can see him becoming a decent Premier League striker in years to come.

Honourable mentions to:

Christian Ribeiro
Troy Archibald-Henville
Ryan Harley
David Noble
Jamie Cureton
Reuben Reid

 

[Trapdoor]

4 - 4 - Fucking - 2

GK - Ben Hamer / Lewis Ward - Ben Hamer was class, shame he's not getting much time in the Prem. Joint with Ward, I reckon he will have a big future in the game if he can stay clear of further injuries.

RB - Jack Stacey - Amazing right back, looks comfortable enough on MotD shame we couldnt offer him more money to stay.

CB - Matt Taylor - Legend. Unbeatable. Southampton signed the wrong CB when they took Scrat off us.

CB - Jordan Storey - Agree with this, not many other quality centre backs to choose from (JMT lol !?!?!) Storey oozed class and was clearly too good for L1/L2 from day 1. Should be picked up by a Prem club imho.

LB - George Friend - Hands down best LB I've ever seen. Was a great captain for us and went on to captain Wolves and Boro. Moxey is a legend but not as gifted as gorgeous George. (He just scrapes in 'cause he came back on loan from Wolves for half a season!)

CM - Matt Grimes - Intelligent CM, watching him spraying it around the park like he was Dunga was a delight to watch.

CM - Ryan Harley - Easy to forget what an impact this lad had on our midfield because he wasn't as good when he came back from his stint in the championship compared to first time round. There were some games where it was just the Ryan Harley show (e.g. Leeds at home).

RM - David Wheeler - A fan favourite for his engagement, drive and passion. Could tell he gave everything while he was at City and was unplayable on his day.

LM - Ollie Watkins - City legend. What a lad. Tearing the championship apart like it aint no thing these days. Love seeing him smashing in 30 yarders against the slime. Hope he will come back home later in his career.

CF - Jayden Stockley - The number 9 we have missed since Steve Flack retired. Not afraid to smash the teeth out of some Celtic poofters as well.

CF - Jamie Cureton - 2010 to 2013. At 35+ years of age after being written off by Shrewsbury he came to City and started banging them in at an average of more than a goal every other game. Never seen a striker with the instinct, movement and anticipation of Curo. Unbelievable player.


Sub Bench:

Ethan Ampadu - DM - He might go on and get a lot of top flight games in either the Prem or Bundesliga but I didnt think he was as good as a lot of other players we have had. Sure he was only 16 but while he was with us I didnt feel he was undroppable.

 

[Luke Imp]

GK: James McKeown - Prone to mistakes and not someone that will particularly lift a bad atmosphere but when things are good, he's capable of producing a world class performance and that's not an overstatement. Has himself a highlight reel of some of the best saves I have ever seen anywhere.

RB: Richard Tait - Didn't go as much during the season he was here but I'm pretty sure this is unanimous. Only rivalled by Carl Magnay probably.
CB: Nathan Pond - Only a couple of months on loan but was immense. Scored an overhead on what I think was his debut. Far too good for non league.
CB: Shaun Pearson - Legend in the making before Slade binned him off for Nathan fucking Clarke. Often limited in his play but he would head bricks for fun and occasionally say fuck it and make some crazy run with the ball. Should've been captain after Disley.
LB: Conor Townsend - Far, far too good for non league at the time and probably the league above. Very athletic with a brilliant cross on him. Still believe we'd have won the league if we managed to keep him all season, he was that good.

CM: Craig Disley - Legend. Ginger Pirlo. Captain Fantastic. Time slowed down whenever he got the ball, he ran games when he was on it. He cried when we made it to Wembley, what a man.
CM: Jake Hessenthaler - Won't be here much longer sadly as he's too good to be in an underperforming team. Covers ever blade of grass, can tackle, can pass. Very good all round midfielder and would get into most sides at this level and a lot in League 1.
CM: Elliott Embleton - Talented kid. Creative, good on the ball, scores goals but will also put in a hell of a shift when needed. Should develop into a decent Championship level midfielder.

ST: Omar Bogle - Took Hurst a good few seasons to sign him but totally worth it. Absolute powerhouse. Big, strong, quick, good in the air, good on the ground, even scored set pieces. He could do everything on his day. Shame he hasn't kicked on since he moved but if he ever made it back to League 2 he would take the absolute piss.
ST: Padraig Amond - Think we can all see what Podge is capable of. Immense finisher, extremely intelligent in the box. We'd have not gone up without him. Not offering him a 2 year deal and thus allowing him to leave was one of the biggest mistakes this club has made, probably THE biggest this decade.
ST: Liam Hearn - Ah Liam. What could have been. A shame his prime season was also the season Vardy went to Fleetwood as he would have been the absolute standout player in non league. I've never seen a player single handedly murder defences like Hearn did. Pace, power, flair, skill and a top finisher to boot. If not for major injuries, we'd not only have gotten promoted sooner but he would have had a solid shot at the Championship.

Pretty straightforward to me unless I'm blatantly forgetting someone. A few standout ommissions include Dean Henderson (tiny loan spell), Danny Andrew, Toto N'siala, Jon Nolan, Jamey Osborne, Alan Connell. That would make a tidy bench.

Making our worst team of the decade would be a lot more in depth and interesting. We signed some absolute frauds in non league.

Agree with most of what Clarkey said.

James McKeown - Henderson was unreal and far better but what’s 6 games to 9 years of service.

Carl Magnay - loved Richard Tait but Magnay was pure class and a fantastic player anywhere at the back. Should have stayed.
Shaun Pearson - as has been said, passion and effort at the top level. Good on the ball and was gutted when he was released.
Nathan Pond - Mickey Mellon must’ve been dense to let him go to the Conference. Solid at L1 level for 3 years after that says it all.
Conor Townsend - L1 player loaned to the Conference. Was everywhere.
Craig Disley - everything a captain needed to be and scored some vital goals over the years.
Jon Nolan - only here 6 months but Hurst brought out the sublime quality he had. We’d have done well in League 2 if he’d stayed.
Jamey Osborne - if he had the right attitude, he’d be playing much higher than the Conference. Wizard on the ball.
Podge Amond - natural goalscorer and clever player. Great foil for any other striker.
Omar Bogle - decent in non-league, unplayable in League 2. Should have stayed longer. People know what he’s capable of.
Liam Hearn/Alan Connell - can’t choose. Hearn could walk through a defence and dribble round the keeper whereas Connell could consistently hit top bins from 30 yards. We’ve been lucky with strikers this decade tbf.

No room for Arnold in either of those?

This is a tricky one for various reasons, but having spanned three divisions over the decade and enjoyed/suffered a cavalcade of talented loanees/has-beens here for the pay check, I’ve picked two teams. I don’t care if it’s cheating.

One Team To Destroy Them All: A side full of notable short-term wearers of the shirt. Some of them did the square root of fuck-all, but it looks sexy on paper. (4-4-2).

GK: Eldin Jakupovic - A short 3 month loan towards the end of 2013-14, the Swiss international is the best keeper I’ve ever seen in Orient colours. Gigantic, commanding and a brilliant shot-stopper, he sadly seems content to sit on his arse as a reserve keeper in the EPL. Currently at former 2019/20 title challengers Leicester City.

RB: Jens Janse - Probably the best player you’ve never heard of, former Dutch U-21 international Janse has plied his trade in the upper eschelons of the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and, er, Georgia. He remains the stuff of legend. Sent off 14 minutes into his debut, he was actually the second Orient player to receive his marching order that day. Halcyon times. After disappearing from the first team at the start of November, Janse magically reappeared 6 months and four managers later. Playing in our final football league game up at Blackpool, 900+ O’s regaled our hero with a continuous chorus of “If Janse can play for Orient, so can I”. After he ridiculously scored a wundergol just after half time, we spent the second half singing: “We all dream of a team of Jens Janse.” And I still do.

CB: Eric Lichaj - Capped 16 times by the USA, Lichaj has carved out a solid career in the Championship after leaving Aston Villa. Currently playing for Hull after a spell as Nottingham Forest captain.

CB: Syam Ben Youssef - Signed way back in 2011, it was widely considered that SBY was NVG, especially by manager Russell Slade. 40-odd caps for Tunisia and spells in the top divisions of Romania, France and Turkey later, it seems that wide consideration may indeed have been a tad wrong.

LB: Andrea Dossena - Former Italy international left back (10 caps) and part-time Harrods shoplifter. Having once scored against Real Madrid in the Champions League, it was frankly in£xplicabl£ wh¥ $uch a tran$c€nd£nt tal€nt £nd€d up at th€ O$. Indirectly got manager/Director Of Football/Sideshow Bob Mauro Milanese sacked after he refused to play Dossena up front when the Mad Titan B******i told him to.

RW: Paul-José M’Poku - As a Spurs loanee, M’Poku was of course brilliantly talented on the ball and soft as s**t off of it. A tricky winger with a blooter of a shot and a penchant for the impossible, PJM has been capped numerous times by the DRC and enjoyed a successful career with Chievo, Panathanaikos and particularly Standard Liege.

CM: Tom Carroll - As a Spurs loanee, Carroll was of course brilliantly talented on the ball and soft as s**t off of it. A deep-lying playmaker, Carroll could dictate games despite possessing the flimsy body of Keira Knightley. Has gone on to make over 100 appearances in the top two tiers of English football, despite spending most of that time in the pretend country of Wales.

CM: Kevin Anthony (Jens) Jance Nolan - The player-manager of this side, ‘Noles’ (as no-one called him) enjoyed a superb career as a prolific attacking midfielder for Bolton and Newcastle before a disastrous switch to a pathetically-run, minuscule East London football club. In a desperate attempt to revive and re-mould his career, he left West Ham and moved to near-neighbours Orient instead. His masterful displays in central midfield were matched only by his ability to drunkenly abuse supporters and his former teammates at the end of season awards. Allegedly. Cough.

LW: Andros Townsend - As a Spurs loanee, Townsend was of course brilliantly talented on the ball and soft as s**t off of it. Very good at running, he was simply too fast for League One right backs. He would regularly meep meep them before crossing the ball to an empty box because no-one could keep up with him. Still a Premier League regular with 13 England caps to his name, Townsend has yet to successfully complete a cross.

CF: Gianvito Plasmati - The world’s only fully tame giraffe, Plasmati was the poster boy for the Bechetti era. Having scored his first and second Serie A goals against Inter Milan and Juventus respectively, the definitely-not-just-here-because-he-was-Franco’s-drinking-buddy-fuck-me-are-we-paying-him-10k-a-week striker netted his first two Orient goals against Gillingham and Crewe. However the pinnacle of his Orient career came during a home game when, spotting the keeper off his line, the Lamppost of Lecce side-footed a pea-roller of a shot from inside of his own half. It just about made it to the goal line, roughly a metre inside of the corner flag. Oh how we laughed. LMAOhfucktheclubisdyingitsdyingsomebodystopthislunatichahaha.

CF: Harry Kane - As a Spurs loanee, Kane was of course brilliantly talented on the ball and soft as s**t off of it. Quite good.

We had Lichaj as well. His time here was summed up when he played left wing away at Crewe and was still the best player on the pitch.

Didn't have him at CB, though. He was a RB here.

 

[Tom_CUFC]

Tried to factor in a combination of ability plus overall contribution, otherwise a few of the Conference players would be left out on an ability basis:

GK - Will Norris
RB - Brad Halliday
CB - Ian Miller
CB - Josh Coulson
LB - Greg Taylor
RM - Ryan Donaldson (shoehorning him in here as Richard Money did, was 100% not his best position, but he needs to be in there)
CM - Luke Berry
CM - Tom Champion
LM - Harrison Dunk
ST - Uche Ikpeazu
ST - Tom Elliott

Subs would be:

GK Chris Maxwell (too few appearances)
CB Leon Legge (better than Coulson and Miller but less overall impact)
RB Kevin Roberts (better at full back than Taylor, but right sided and Taylor deserves a starting spot)
GK/RB/CB/RM/LM/CM/ST Liam Hughes
RM Piero Mingoia
ST Kwesi Appiah (too few appearances)
ST Barry Corr (too few appearances, for different reasons than the other two)

 

[valefan16]

Legge is a weird one as I’m sure we signed him after you released him? But he’s been absolutely immense! Was it a financial decision to let him go?

 

[LeonTheGreen]

Tried to factor in a combination of ability plus overall contribution, otherwise a few of the Conference players would be left out on an ability basis:

GK - Will Norris
RB - Brad Halliday
CB - Ian Miller
CB - Josh Coulson
LB - Greg Taylor
RM - Ryan Donaldson (shoehorning him in here as Richard Money did, was 100% not his best position, but he needs to be in there)
CM - Luke Berry
CM - Tom Champion
LM - Harrison Dunk
ST - Uche Ikpeazu
ST - Tom Elliott

Subs would be:

GK Chris Maxwell (too few appearances)
CB Leon Legge (better than Coulson and Miller but less overall impact)
RB Kevin Roberts (better at full back than Taylor, but right sided and Taylor deserves a starting spot)
GK/RB/CB/RM/LM/CM/ST Liam Hughes
RM Piero Mingoia
ST Kwesi Appiah (too few appearances)
ST Barry Corr (too few appearances, for different reasons than the other two)

I had high hopes for Ryan Donaldson when we signed him from you, but he was absolute shite.

 

[Clarkey_GTFC]

No room for Arnold in either of those?

He'd probably make right midfield but we've had too many good forwards for him to get a proper look in. He could make the bench. I really rated him but he drifted in and out of games too often to be a real contender.

 

[Tom_CUFC]

I had high hopes for Ryan Donaldson when we signed him from you, but he was absolute shite.

He was absolute gubbins for us after the Man Utd cup tie in our first season back, first assumption was he'd had his head turned by some Championship teams, but his career since has just proven his level is really in the Conference (at best now seemingly). Was exceptional for nigh on a year and a half though, and scored the goal that got us promoted, so despite being personally very vocally against him towards the end, he has to be in.

Legge is a weird one as I’m sure we signed him after you released him? But he’s been absolutely immense! Was it a financial decision to let him go?

Legge was a financial decision, he wanted to stay from what I recall and may have even said he'd take a pay cut (I could be making that up though). Definitely didn't work out for us from a playing standpoint, but seeing as he wouldn't have single-handedly got us out of this division in that time it was probably right in the end as I'm sure what we've had since has cost us much less.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Good to see Stacey and Berry in the Exeter and Cambridge teams. I unashamedly adore both players and remember both having great games against us for Exeter and Cambridge so good to see others have similar views of them.

Stacey was just unstoppable last season, hed be relentlessly attacking in the 90th minute as if he hadn't been up and down all game, incredible work rate and lungs on the boy.

Thought Berrys time was up with us but he has returned in from the cold in recent weeks. He is playing as a number 10 unfortunately though and he doesnt really have the quality for it at the championship level. A bit further back as a box to box type hed be good enough though as he is class in that role. He was the signing that really tipped us over the edge into being a quality side IMO and without his injury I think he could have developed still further.

Got some good memories of tussles with most of that Cambridge side Tom!

 

[Laker]

Berry was (is? Depends on recovery from his injury) an exceptional player, far too good for League 2. His finishing was excellent, work rate top notch, his link up with attacks was so good. He scored so many goals from midfield. You’d have to have him in any Cambridge team of the decade. I’m bitter about how he left us twice as we didn’t get value for him but there you go.

Donaldson was brilliant for us for a season and a half. As discussed, he should have been played more centrally as he was at his most effective there, as seen in the play off final where he basically won us the game. Scored two more at Wembley in the FA Trophy, scored a great free kick at Dagenham, a screamer at Salisbury and the winner against Luton in the cup the round before Man U. It was hard not to love him. He then lost his way after Man U sadly. Still have fond memories of him, great signing.

Legge was great and was really loved by the fans. He was just a bit expensive and although losing him probably cost us five or six points, I don’t think it made the difference between us being promoted or not. So on balance it was just about the right call. Still an excellent centre half who chipped in with a fair chunk of goals too.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Berry was (is? Depends on recovery from his injury) an exceptional player, far too good for League 2. His finishing was excellent, work rate top notch, his link up with attacks was so good. He scored so many goals from midfield. You’d have to have him in any Cambridge team of the decade. I’m bitter about how he left us twice as we didn’t get value for him but there you go.

Donaldson was brilliant for us for a season and a half. As discussed, he should have been played more centrally as he was at his most effective there, as seen in the play off final where he basically won us the game. Scored two more at Wembley in the FA Trophy, scored a great free kick at Dagenham, a screamer at Salisbury and the winner against Luton in the cup the round before Man U. It was hard not to love him. He then lost his way after Man U sadly. Still have fond memories of him, great signing.

Legge was great and was really loved by the fans. He was just a bit expensive and although losing him probably cost us five or six points, I don’t think it made the difference between us being promoted or not. So on balance it was just about the right call. Still an excellent centre half who chipped in with a fair chunk of goals too.

Berry has been recovered a year now from injury and is still the same player. Was still good in League 1 and scored a couple of good goals in the run in - including one against your dear rivals that was top class! Without the injury he could I think have got still better but it robbed him at a crucial time and Pelly-Ruddock stepped in to the role who has become something of a club legend now. I believe you were at one point close to signing him a few years back

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

I've seen a few of these knocking around. So go on then, who makes your own team's team of the decade? No rules, can be anyone, including loanees. Any formation you like. Interested to see some lists for sure.

Crewe's(4-3-3):

Steve Phillips(GK) - Played at the highest level of all keepers we had, was rock solid in his first few years here, even if age and immaturity caught up with him eventually. But he was an immense keeper on the whole.
Matt Tootle(RB) - Was excellent during the teams promotion run in 2012 and in the following 2 seasons in League One. Mental issues saw him lose form and he's never been the same player since. But at his peak, he was a top draw League One RB.
Eddie Nolan(CB) - Was brought in as a depth option, quickly turned into our best and most consistent CB. Been the stabilising force of the back line in the last few seasons whilst not having a stable partner for much of it.
Adam Dugdale(CB) - Ok, he was never a great player, but he at least had a good run of form. Probably the pick most Alex fans will disagree with. But he'll always be remembered for his goal in the 2012 play-offs. Heart and soul player.
Harry Pickering(LB) - Pickering is a decent L2 LB currently, with the potential to a bit higher, maybe the top of L1 at a push. His inclusion speaks for how slim the pickings are at this position.
Ashley Westwood(CM) - Always had bags of potential, never saw him turning into a consistent PL starter for several different clubs mind. He's forged a great career for himself. One of our best graduates.
Luke Murphy(CM) - Never kicked on after his move to Leeds, which is a shame. Very talented player and goalscorer, he was immense in 11-12 and 12-13, such a pivitol part of both those teams. Pretty much carried us by himself in 12-13. Sad that his career hasn't exactly taken off since he left.
Anthony Grant(CM) - Excellent player in his 2 seasons with us, shame his attitude was a bit suspect off the pitch, as he was superb on it. Think the club got pissed off with his antics, hence why they bombed him out. No surprise we turned to complete dogshit the moment he left mind.
Chuks Aneke(ST) - Such a talented player, can see why Arsenal liked him as a youngster and why he's back in the Championship right now. Big, powerful, got great feet, can finish. I hope he can realise his potential, he could easily boss the Championship if he puts it all together.
Nick Powell(ST) - Easily the most gifted player to ever grace an Alex shirt. Never seen such an incredible run of form as the one he showed during the 11-12 promotion season. Shame he doesn't seem to care about football, because if he was motivated, he would be in the PL now. Wasted ability.
Clayton Donaldson(ST) - Best goalscorer this club has had since Nicky Maynard and Luke Varney. Nobody has come close since. Won the golden boot in 10-11, shame his best season came in a year when he was out of contract. He's had an excellent career as a lower league goalscorer. I miss him.

Would agree with this in its entirety bar one player.

I was one of Anthony Grant's biggest fans, but given how Grant was part of two seasons of struggling to stay up, I'd genuinely replace him for Paul Green.

It's no coincidence since Paul Green came to the club, we as a club and players such as Ryan Wintle, Oli Finney and Tommy Lowery have improved significantly. I believe that, along with Eddie Nolan and Chris Porter, he's one of the most important players this club has signed this decade, possibly the most important signing in Artell's reign. We looked down and out and spineless at times in 2017-18 during the first half of the season, but Greeny came in from Oldham and, whilst it took him a month to get match fit, we reaped the rewards as he starred in a 4-1 demolition of Lincoln and we pushed on towards mid-table.

Then there was last season, Greeny missed half the season after breaking his leg at Carlisle, we were absolutely abysmal for that first half of the season. And then Greeny came back, against Lincoln on Boxing Day and we beat the league leaders comfortably. Our current run of form started with that Lincoln game and we've never looked back since. Okay so our young lads are probably more creative and mobile than Greeny these days, but players like him have improved the football club and its players with his experience and knowledge. When he eventually leaves, we'll look back and realise he's played a pivotal role in the foundations for this club to finally push on again after years of its wasted talents and crap signings of the Davis era.

 

[Semi-skimmed Silk]

Decided to do this just to remind myself of better times. Mildly shoe-horned into a 4-3-3 formation. Mixture of players of importance, quality and longevity. Hard to have people who fit all three as we’re never able to keep the best players, couple of exceptions in this 11 though.

GK – Rhys Taylor
O’hara was excellent last season, was a huge part of keeping us up and rightly got a clean sweep at the end of season awards but was really between Taylor and Jalal for their more extended services under Askey. Despite Jalal’s role in promotion, Taylor clinched it by being the better keeper (before he lost interest in football), delaying his departure in 2015 to try and help us reach the playoffs, and also calling out Amar.

RB – Ryan Jackson
Maybe a surprising one. Feels like Andy Halls was RB for half the decade and he was largely solid; also harshly treated by fans for publicly criticising lack of payment before it was a more regular thing. Felt like one player should be in from the King era as a lot of the players were actually good for that level (despite the who affair crippling us financially and being a disaster we’re still suffering from), and both Jackson and CBB were great going forwards. Jackson has since proven himself as a league player since.

CB – George Pilkington
Ridiculously good signing and first name on the teamsheet. Made a lot of partnering CBs look a lot better when played alongside him (who always looked less solid when Pilks was absent) through his quiet organising and his exceptional positioning. Read the game like no other.

CB – Shaun Brisley
Quite a few candidates to go alongside Pilks (Waterfall, Lowe, Hogan), but as mentioned above their quality partly came from who they were playing with. Local lad, came through the youth team and developed from an awkward, lanky defender to one who was extremely important up until we sold him; failing to replace to him got us relegated.

LB – David Fitzpatrick
After years of struggling for quality at LB (from a great season by a certain Graham Potter in 04-05 onwards) we then went through a great run of signing quality LBs, largely due to Askey. Danny Andrew and Scott Barrow were both excellent and left us to higher teams, but Fitz was an extremely astute signing. The improvement from several weeks of Tony Diagne at LB to Fitz was remarkable right from his debut, and he’s been Mr. Dependable ever since. Loves a dummy clearance to turn away from a charging winger; key to promotion and his goal at Vale last season was both vital and a rare bit of brightness in our otherwise dark return to league football.

CM – Danny Whitaker
Club legend, testimonial last season, perhaps the next Askey? Most importantly scored on his 400th appearance at Guiseley, you know. Nothing else needs saying.

CM – Hamza Bencherif
Goal scoring midfielder who also played CB. Covered a lot of ground, was strong on the ball and scored some great goals. Was just an enjoyable player to watch during his time with us early on in the decade.

CM – Danny Whitehead
The second of the two Dannys who ruled our midfield and were key to our promotion. Very comfortable on the ball and great passing that was essential to our possession-based football, always capable of scoring from range too. West Ham signed him when they were in the premier league (before coming to us) and Wigan signed him from us for the championship. His resigning was amazing for us, especially as we were paying him pennies due to his wage from Wigan. Ultimately, couldn’t get anywhere near what Salford offered him.

RW – Danny Rowe
Developed a huge amount over his two slightly separate spells with us from looking OK to be pursued by a huge amount of league clubs and signing for Ipswich. Unplayable by the end in the conference, cutting in and scoring goals like a non-league Robben. A joy to watch.

ST – Tyrone Barnett
We’ve really struggled to get a good, effective “big man” as a striker for years and years, with plenty of attempts from Jon Parkin onwards. Barnett was a long way off the biggest of our attempts, but was superb at holding up the ball and offered a target for crosses to aim at. Scored on his debut, had a great season and then we couldn’t hold on to him.

LW – Kristian Dennis
Not a winger, admittedly, but was left-footed…would be better playing off Barnett in a 4-4-2 but that would mess up my other choices. Another to come through our youth team, but left us in 2010 before being brought back by Askey (who I believe had always rated him highly from his time as youth manager) years later. We actually signed him on a season-long loan from Stockport who were a league below us. He then had an amazing season, scoring goals for fun. Obviously then attracted a lot of attention from league clubs who made offers to Stockport in the January window; however, Stockport hadn’t put a recall option in the loan at all so we kept him for the season, which pissed them off a huge amount (think his contract then ran up in the summer). Scored all sort of goals despite often being a very lonely figure up front; brace at Grimsby and hattrick at Woking stick out in memory.

Manager – Sol Campbell
Just kidding, it’s obviously Sir John Askey. Decades of service for the club taking on every role, eventually given the manager position on a permanent basis as he was the cheapest option. Steadied the ship following the chaos of the King era, build squad after squad that were greater than the sum of their parts all with next to no money. Took us to Wembley and then to the title, with the smallest budget in the league (at least to start with), only to eventually be forced out the club as he repeatedly called out the mismanagement and lack of support from above.

Sol Campbell is currently reading this and trying to sign them all.

 

[Casey]

Well, for Crawley it's got to be the side that got us promoted from the conference and then to league one the next season...with a few alterations.

GK, Glenn Morris. I think we may have had better keepers but none of them have played behind such woeful defences as this man. Joined as a coach but displaced the man Liverpool paid over a million for. Been ever present ever since and a true fans favourite.

RB, Glenn Wilson. Only position where I'm having issues with the lack of players. Liked Barry Hunt but he was a converted midfielder who forced his way into the team because of his long throws and Lewis Young has been a stalwart for the club in the position but he is always getting caught upfield (converted winger). I'll stick with Glenn who was a good player, kept things simple and could produce crosses that Beckham would be proud of.

LB. Dean Howells; ran up and down the line like a Trojan. Decent crosses, good tackler. He put it down to his vegan lifestyle and supplements. He left football to start his own business selling the stuff.

CB. Kyle McFadzean; quick, strong centre back who could play more than given credit for. Rose to championship level but now back in league one with Coventry.

CB. Pablo Mills; I was tempted to go with Joe Walsh but Pablo was such a good leader in the pitch. Being honest, he was slow, not a great tackler and weak in the air but somehow he was just "in the way" when it mattered.

CM. Dannie Bulman; 40 years old now and still running around like a teenager. Up and down the pitch every game hustle and bustle and no little skill.
Club legend without a doubt and a genuine, decent bloke too.

Cm, Hope Akpan; we signed him from Everton on a free. He took a bit of time but he suddenly became the best player in our team. I think he only played about fifty times for us but he was class. Not sure why he is back at this level with Bradford...not sure why Bradford are back at this level.

LW/F, Karlan Ahearne-Grant; we signed a kid on loan from Charlton who according to Charlton supporting friends was going to be out the door in the summer as he really wasn't up to their standard. Couldn't hit a barn door for them apparently. He was sodding great for us! Cutting in from the left and smashing shots in from all angles. Went back to Charlton who then sold him for OVER five million. We didn't get a penny of it though. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if we had signed him instead of loaning him.

RW, Gwion Edwards; give it to the boy. Quick, direct could cross with either foot. Terrorised defenders for fun. Simply to good for the team at the time. We sold him to Posh , who sold him to Ipswich where he still plays.

CF, Matt Tubbs; 49 goals in 65 appearances. Goal hanger supreme but he also liked chasing down defenders. A bloody nuisance. We sold him to Bournemouth for 800k. They got a bargain but didn't know how to use him.

CF, Tyrone Barnett; The six months he spent here were among the best of his career. By all accounts he totally cocked up his chance as a championship player at Ipswich. The double act he formed with Tubbs was awesome. Sold for over a million. I honestly wish him well but have yet to fathom what exactly went wrong.

Honourable mentions to Ben Smith, cultured midfielder, Joe Walsh, decent left footed CB, Izale McLeod, his goals almost kept us in league one. Notts County paid money for him and Scott Shearer, decent keeper.

Probably many I've missed that will come back to me at some point.

Casey

 

[Laker]

Berry has been recovered a year now from injury and is still the same player. Was still good in League 1 and scored a couple of good goals in the run in - including one against your dear rivals that was top class! Without the injury he could I think have got still better but it robbed him at a crucial time and Pelly-Ruddock stepped in to the role who has become something of a club legend now. I believe you were at one point close to signing him a few years back

Yeah the injury was unlucky timing and horrendous tbh. Wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I wouldn’t want him back now, even if he is too good for us. We need to move on, not back, and he’s already left us twice.

He won’t go far from Luton geographically though, he struggled to settle when he moved to Barnsley and I know he had a kid on the way so he’ll want to stay local. I’m gonna say he’ll end up at MK Dons, Northampton or, dare I say it, Peterborough. Though frankly if Luton do go down then they could do worse than holding on to him for League 1.

 

[denzel ecfc]

This is my take on our team of the decade 4-3-3 but others may disagree:

GK - Christy Pym - I’ve never been a massive fan of Pym but he was decent during his time with us, and his competition wasn’t the strongest to be honest.

RB - Jack Stacey - Had him on loan during our 16/17 season and Tisdale converted him to full back from a winger. He quickly became a key player and scored a screamer to send us to Wembley. We nearly signed him permanently but couldn’t find the £80k fee so he went to Luton and later went for over £2m to Bournemouth. Arse.

CB - Matt Taylor - Now our manager but in his playing days he was a class act, despite being so slow. Won everything in the air and was so solid. Not bad for someone that started life as a goalkeeper.

CB - Jordan Storey - he only played 17 games but was instantly a class above and PNE picked him up soon after. Expect him to be an established Championship player for years to come.

LB - Dean Moxey. We’ve had some very good ones but going for Deano despite him now being converted to a CB. In his younger days he could get up and down the flank all day and had an eye for goal too. City legend with 300 games to his name.

CM - Ethan Ampadu - another product of our academy. Only played 10 games but as with Storey he was way too good for us. Made his debut at 15 and bossed the game. He will be a top Premier League player in the future.

CM - Matt Grimes - Class player with an excellent left foot. Sold him to Swansea for £1.7M, perhaps too soon for him but is now a key player for them in the Championship.

CM - Nicky Law - I cant not include him, he’s been total class since Matt signed him. Scores goals and creates goals plus never stops running. We must do all we can to keep him beyond this season.

RF - David Wheeler - he had a superb scoring season for us in 16/17 and has the leap of a salmon and ran all day. Probably not Championship standard but a very good L1 player

CF - Jayden Stockley - probably my favourite city player. His goal scoring record was superb and had we kept him last season we’d have pushed top 3 but instead we missed out on the play offs. He had the knack of popping up with key goals to win games on his own. Keeping a keen eye on his progress at Preston.

LF - Ollie Watkins - This lad is now hot property at Brentford and they reportedly want £25M for him, which will send us a huge pay day. Two great feet, athletic and can score with his head as well as his feet. Can see him becoming a decent Premier League striker in years to come.

Honourable mentions to:

Christian Ribeiro
Troy Archibald-Henville
Ryan Harley
David Noble
Jamie Cureton
Reuben Reid

I think that's a great side, much better than the one on our website which includes Jake Taylor (!!!) and Harley, whose best games for us were in the last decade.

 

[hellogregory]

We’ve had some quality loans so this is difficult. I mean on ability Jordan Pickford should be our goalkeeper, but he played in a terrible Carlisle team so I don’t think he makes the team as ridiculous as that sounds.


GK: Mark Gillespie

RB: Frank Simek
CB: Richard Keogh
CB: James Chester
LB: Ian Harte

RCM: Jon Paul McGovern
CM: Adam Clayton
LCM: Kyle Dempsey

RW: Ben Marshall
ST: Lee Miller
LW Francois Zoko

Subs:
Adam Collin
Clint Hill
Peter Murphy
Nicky Adams
Jabo Ibehre
Charlie Wyke
Tom Lawrence

It probably wouldn’t work as an actual team, particularly that midfield, but certain players I had to fit in somehow. I’ve probably forgot a few.

 

[Laker]

Ours

Tried to factor in a combination of ability plus overall contribution, otherwise a few of the Conference players would be left out on an ability basis:

GK - Will Norris
RB - Brad Halliday
CB - Ian Miller
CB - Josh Coulson
LB - Greg Taylor
RM - Ryan Donaldson (shoehorning him in here as Richard Money did, was 100% not his best position, but he needs to be in there)
CM - Luke Berry
CM - Tom Champion
LM - Harrison Dunk
ST - Uche Ikpeazu
ST - Tom Elliott

Subs would be:

GK Chris Maxwell (too few appearances)
CB Leon Legge (better than Coulson and Miller but less overall impact)
RB Kevin Roberts (better at full back than Taylor, but right sided and Taylor deserves a starting spot)
GK/RB/CB/RM/LM/CM/ST Liam Hughes
RM Piero Mingoia
ST Kwesi Appiah (too few appearances)
ST Barry Corr (too few appearances, for different reasons than the other two)

Tom was very close, only changes in the first 11 are Appiah in for Elliott and Legge in for Miller. Appiah was only with us for two half seasons but my god was he good. If we’d had him for the whole season in the conference I’m sure we’d have run Luton close (they beat us by like 20 points!). Legge and Miller were great in different ways. Miller had one amazing season where he was a key part in our promotion but Legge was good for a few seasons. You could make a case for either, and in some people’s eyes they both come above Coulson. No issue with any two of those three.

Otherwise the team picks itself to be honest. I think most people agreed on 9 of the 11 spots.

 

[GTFCfish]

Well, for Crawley it's got to be the side that got us promoted from the conference and then to league one the next season...with a few alterations.

GK, Glenn Morris. I think we may have had better keepers but none of them have played behind such woeful defences as this man. Joined as a coach but displaced the man Liverpool paid over a million for. Been ever present ever since and a true fans favourite.

RB, Glenn Wilson. Only position where I'm having issues with the lack of players. Liked Barry Hunt but he was a converted midfielder who forced his way into the team because of his long throws and Lewis Young has been a stalwart for the club in the position but he is always getting caught upfield (converted winger). I'll stick with Glenn who was a good player, kept things simple and could produce crosses that Beckham would be proud of.

LB. Dean Howells; ran up and down the line like a Trojan. Decent crosses, good tackler. He put it down to his vegan lifestyle and supplements. He left football to start his own business selling the stuff.

CB. Kyle McFadzean; quick, strong centre back who could play more than given credit for. Rose to championship level but now back in league one with Coventry.

CB. Pablo Mills; I was tempted to go with Joe Walsh but Pablo was such a good leader in the pitch. Being honest, he was slow, not a great tackler and weak in the air but somehow he was just "in the way" when it mattered.

CM. Dannie Bulman; 40 years old now and still running around like a teenager. Up and down the pitch every game hustle and bustle and no little skill.
Club legend without a doubt and a genuine, decent bloke too.

Cm, Hope Akpan; we signed him from Everton on a free. He took a bit of time but he suddenly became the best player in our team. I think he only played about fifty times for us but he was class. Not sure why he is back at this level with Bradford...not sure why Bradford are back at this level.

LW/F, Karlan Ahearne-Grant; we signed a kid on loan from Charlton who according to Charlton supporting friends was going to be out the door in the summer as he really wasn't up to their standard. Couldn't hit a barn door for them apparently. He was sodding great for us! Cutting in from the left and smashing shots in from all angles. Went back to Charlton who then sold him for OVER five million. We didn't get a penny of it though. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if we had signed him instead of loaning him.

RW, Gwion Edwards; give it to the boy. Quick, direct could cross with either foot. Terrorised defenders for fun. Simply to good for the team at the time. We sold him to Posh , who sold him to Ipswich where he still plays.

CF, Matt Tubbs; 49 goals in 65 appearances. Goal hanger supreme but he also liked chasing down defenders. A bloody nuisance. We sold him to Bournemouth for 800k. They got a bargain but didn't know how to use him.

CF, Tyrone Barnett; The six months he spent here were among the best of his career. By all accounts he totally cocked up his chance as a championship player at Ipswich. The double act he formed with Tubbs was awesome. Sold for over a million. I honestly wish him well but have yet to fathom what exactly went wrong.

Honourable mentions to Ben Smith, cultured midfielder, Joe Walsh, decent left footed CB, Izale McLeod, his goals almost kept us in league one. Notts County paid money for him and Scott Shearer, decent keeper.

Probably many I've missed that will come back to me at some point.

Casey

No room for Scott Neilson?

 

[HutchECFC]

4-3-2-1

GK - Ben Hamer
RB - Jack Stacey
CB - Matt Taylor
CB - Jordan Moore-Taylor
LB - Dean Moxey
CM - Nicky Law
CM - Ryan Harley
CM - Matt Grimes
LF - Ollie Watkins
RF - David Wheeler
ST - Jayden Stockley

Bench - Christy Pym, Christian Ribeiro, Ethan Ampadu, Jordan Storey, Liam Sercombe, David Noble, Jamie Cureton

 

[Trapdoor]

Why no george friend hutch?

 

[Casey]

No room for Scott Neilson?

Quite like Nielson but after leaving us he seems to have disappeared.

Ahern-Grant was sold for over five million and is still Huddersfield's best player.

Casey

 

[Bantamigo1]

GK: Matt Duke

RB: Stephen Darby
CB: Rory McArdle
CB: Andrew Davies
LB: James Meredith

RW: Mark Marshall
CM: Josh Cullen
CM: Gary Jones (C)
LW: Kyel Reid

ST: James Hanson (as much as I can’t stand him)
ST: Nahki Wells

Cant argue with that. Theres a case for McLaughlin in net, thought he was better in the league than Duke who made himself a hero in the cup run.
Pickford, Burke and Reach were all great on loan. Then the likes of Nathan Doyle, Jon Stead, Garry Thompson and Charlie Wyke in a short spell.