Your All-Time Villa XI 2024

[tomav84]

so chris heck has announced that we will be given a chance to vote for our all time villa XI so giving this thread a bump. i was born in 84 so it's difficult for me to select players before my time:

GK - Emi

RB - i'll go mellberg as he seemed to play there a lot

CB - McGrath

CB - Mings

LB - Staunton

RM/RW - Milner

CM - Petrov

CM - Barry

LM/LW - Jack

CF - Ollie

CF - Yorke

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

                             Martinez

Konsa--------McGrath---------Laursen------Barry

                     Milner------------McGinn

Young--------------------------------------------Grealish

                         Benteke   Watkins

[villa4europe]

also born in 84, there are some very obvious answers here that im going to miss because as ive said before the reality for me is football wasnt on tv that often, i didnt start going to VP until i was older, i saw mcgrath play for ireland more times than villa, i reckon i saw him maybe 5 or 6 times tops

4-4-**** 2

emi, mellberg, laursen, mings, Bouma maybe, Young, Barry, McGinn, Grealish, Ollie, Benteke 

RB and LB are hard

[OutByEaster?]

The bias for the more recent is going to make this very difficult - it'll be interesting to see whether some of those that really should be in like Billy Walker and Joe Bache, or even the slightly more recent equivalents like Johnny Dixon and Peter McParland make it.

I'm looking forward to it, I think it'll spark a lot of interesting conversation and highlight just how rich our history is.

 

[villa4europe]

10 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

The bias for the more recent is going to make this very difficult - it'll be interesting to see whether some of those that really should be in like Billy Walker and Joe Bache, or even the slightly more recent equivalents like Johnny Dixon and Peter McParland make it.

I'm looking forward to it, I think it'll spark a lot of interesting conversation and highlight just how rich our history is.

even side stepping the recency bias i'll add that im guessing it will be an online vote and the majority of 60-80 year olds who say brian little is the best villa player of all time might not be as likely to take part as 20 year olds who think its grealish, conversely how many 20 year olds will vote for mcgrath because they know its the right answer despite the fact that they werent born when he played for us

its going to be a weird mix of recentcy bias and reputation

[OutByEaster?]

Just now, villa4europe said:

even side stepping the recency bias i'll add that im guessing it will be an online vote and the majority of 60-80 year olds who say brian little is the best villa player of all time might not be as likely to take part as 20 year olds who think its grealish, conversely how many 20 year olds will vote for mcgrath because they know its the right answer despite the fact that they werent born when he played for us

its going to be a weird mix of recentcy bias and reputation

It is - I think there will be some shortlisting and hopefully lots of info for players in each position, who they are, what they achieved, video, all that sort of stuff - done right, this will be a great history lesson on some of the truly great players we've had. 

[bobzy]

24 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

also born in 84, there are some very obvious answers here that im going to miss because as ive said before the reality for me is football wasnt on tv that often, i didnt start going to VP until i was older, i saw mcgrath play for ireland more times than villa, i reckon i saw him maybe 5 or 6 times tops

4-4-**** 2

emi, mellberg, laursen, mings, Bouma maybe, Young, Barry, McGinn, Grealish, Ollie, Benteke 

RB and LB are hard

I'm actually really struggling for a decent RB in my lifetime.

LB had Staunton and Wright who I remember being OK (but I was a child, so... who knows) but RB?  Charles, Delaney or Hutton basically the recent-history choices?  Is there anyone else?

[PaulC]

Difficult to pick a team really as many of the title  and European winning team were not the best players we ever had but were better than the sum of its parts. I wouid always have Cowans, Platt and Mcgrath in my best ever team. To me they were world class footballers. 

[ferguson1]

I think it’s very difficult to pick players that you haven’t seen play or watched a lot? I only really started supporting and watching Villa from 1986 onwards maybe and even then I was only ten.

So from players I’ve watched and enjoyed: 

                           Martinez

Mellberg      McGrath    Laursen     Staunton

                     Barry        Cowans

                              Platt

          Yorke       Watkins      Young

Subs: Bosnich, Delaney, Wright, Ehiogu, Teale, Milner, Taylor, Benteke, Saunders

Probably some glaring omissions here and I’ll kick myself but the team above is what I’m going with for now.  

[Cizzler]

Best I've actually seen/remember, so heavy year 2k onwards PL bias:

-----------------------Martinez-------------------------

Walker------Laursen-------Konsa-------Bouma

------------Milner----Barry----Grealish----------

-----------Young------Benteke-----Watkins---------

Edited September 13 by Cizzler

[SuffolkVillan]

Not easy! Have to go 4-3-3 to get Shaw, Yorke and Little in. Don't think anyone can omit Sid or God.

[Adbo9]

3 - 5 - 2 - a couple slightly out of position to accomadate !

 

GK:  Mark Bosnich

RWB: Ashley Young

LWB: Steve Staunton

DC: Ugo Ehiogu

DC: Paul McGrath

DC: Gareth Barry

Mid: Ian Taylor

Mid: Andy Townsend

AMid: Paul Merson

Str:  Dwight Yorke

Str: Christian Benteke

 

[alreadyexists]

It’s so hard to do an ‘all time’ eleven… I was born in 1985 so I know some players from before that mainly because of the European victory. But there might have been a great striker from 1912 for all I know… 

[Mantis]

Not necessarily the best in every position, but my favourite from my time watching Villa since the very early 2000s (have added McGrath even though he was before my time because you can't leave him out)

[MikeMcKenna]

 

GK - Emi Martinez

RB - John Gidman

CB - Paul McGrath

CB - Martin Laursen

LB - Wilfred Bouma

RM/RW - Brian Little

CM - Sid Cowans

CM - Gareth Barry

LM/LW - Grealish

F - Andy Gray

F - Christian Benteke

[villa4europe]

48 minutes ago, Mantis said:

Not necessarily the best in every position, but my favourite from my time watching Villa since the very early 2000s (have added McGrath even though he was before my time because you can't leave him out)

Young at FB seems like cheating to get him in, I like it though 

[thabucks]

Right wing is tricky but here’s mine based on my time as a Villa fan since 89 

[CarryOnVilla]

So hard to pick 

Martinez 

Young

Mellberg

Mcgrath

Bouma

 

petrov

Barry

Platt

 

Milner

Watkins

Grealish

 

 

 

[Xela]

Martinez

Mellberg, Laursen, McGrath, Staunton

Milner, Barry, Platt, Grealish

Yorke, Benteke

[GarethRDR]

Bonkers to me that our current goalkeeper is probably, arguably (and even then I'd say it's not particularly arguable) the legitimate and correct pick for this.  Let's enjoy these days for as long as they may last.

Edited September 13 by GarethRDR