Best Premiership XI

[Pesci]

I'm gonna try to pick the 11 players I'd like to see play together... so I could have Henry and Shearer, Ronaldo and Giggs etc... but I won't basically players I really like, without giving too much of an imbalance to the attackers which usually happens in these teams.

GK: Reina

DR: G Neville

DL: Cole

DC: Hyypia

DC: Albert

MR: Beckham

ML: Pires

MC: Makelele

MC: Keane

ST: Bergkamp

ST: Shearer

I chose Reina because his skill on the ball is unrivalled in goalkeepers what I've seen and I'm too much of a prick who tries to be different in these situations... I should've chose Schmeichel but whatever. Neville at RB pains me but there hasn't been any better and even now he's still doing a job at the age of 87. It was a toss-up between Cole and Evra and Evra's been better since he arrived all in all but Cole had so many great seasons before Evra came that it had to be him. It was hard to choose between Hyypia and Carvalho as well but like Cole, Hyypia was so good for so long I had to go with him. Albert is in defence purely to bring the ball out and maybe lob the goalie every now and then. Beckham at RM to plop the ball nicely onto Shearer's head/take awesome corners and free kicks... Ronaldo is undoubtedly the best at RM for me but he'd definitely upset the balance here and make the team about him, which I wouldn't want. Pires on the left as opposed to Giggs because I want a right footer who can drift in and out and interchange well with Bergkamp. He got the nod over Ginola because I've seen more of Pires at his peak. Makelele to provide cover when Albert goes on adventures and do what he did to inspire a role to be named after him... then pass sideways or backwards to keep the ball. With Makelele doing that, Keane would be free to swashbuckle forwards more than he did at Man Utd, but I'd trust him to get back in time being an awesome box to box guy. Bergkamp was the first player I identified because his touch and finesse make me hot. And I wanted Shearer because the man's the best goalscorer I've seen and it would seem foolish not to. So 3 Man Utd, 3 Arsenal, 2 Liverpool and 2 Newcastle and 1 Chelsea... seems fairly even.

[Lineker]

GK: Schmeichal

DR: G. Neville

DL: A. Cole

DC: Adams

DC: Stam

MR: Ronaldo

ML: Giggs

MC: Makelele

MC: Lampard

ST: Cantona

ST: Henry

I know you said no subs, but honourable mentionables who would be on the bench are Friedel, Terry, Carragher, Keane, Ginola, Shearer, Fowler.

...I hate how "top 4" this team is

[Marcos]

GK: Shay Given

DC: Tony Adams

DC: Colin Hendry

DC: Sami Hyypia

ML: Ryan Giggs

MC: Patrick Vieira

MC: Roy Keane

MC: Frank Lampard

MR: David Beckham

FW: Thierry Henry

FW: Alan Shearer

[IAceI]

Ok, stick Matt Le Tissier in the midfield too as my team sloooooowly takes shape.

I omitted Le Tissier from my team on an account of him being more an AMC or ST than an out and out MC. But I did consider it for a long time.

[ZJ Penn]

GK: Schmeichel

DR: Neville

DC: Campbell

DC: Stam

DL: Evra

MR: Ronaldo

MC: Vieira

MC: Gerrard

ML: Giggs

FC: Henry

FC: Shearer

[new_era]

GK: Schmeichel

DR: Dixon

DL: Cole

DC: Terry

DC: Adams

MR: Beckham

ML: Giggs

MC: Keane

MC: Lampard

ST: Shearer

ST: Henry

[YI]

Some really tough ones to leave out and a couple of times I basically wandered into nostalgia territory. A few tough decisions, the wings especially being a total bitch.

GK: Peter Schmeichel

DR: Lee Dixon

DL: Denis Irwin

DC: Philippe Albert

DC: Tony Adams

MR: Steve McManaman

ML: Ryan Giggs

MC: Rob Lee

MC: Patrick Vieira

ST: Andy Cole (not fucking 'Andrew' )

ST: Niall Quinn

YES! Niall FUCKING Quinn! I'm sorry, but name me one other player EVER, who played his role as good as him? And toss him up front with Cole who basically scored for fun, and fuck yeah! Sorted.

[therockbox]

I'm surprised how many people have put Carragher in their teams. As good as he was in the first three seasons under Rafa (and he was one of the best defenders in Europe for a season or two) he generally saved his best performances for the Champions League, and for a long time he was seen as a below average utility player who we only kept because he could cover multiple positions (how things have come full circle, eh?) Anyway, here's mine:

GK. Peter Schmeichel

DR. Gary Neville

DL. Ashley Cole

DC. Sami Hyypia

DC. Tony Adams

DMC. Claude Makalele

MC. Roy Keane

MC. Steven Gerrard

AMR. Cristiano Ronaldo

AML. Thierry Henry

FC. Didier Drogba

[YI]

Someone needs to put together a Worst Premiership XI/

I nominate Laurent Charvet at right back and Danny Cadamarteri up front.

Edited May 11, 2010 by YI

[Rich]

Ali Dia <- Worst Prem player ever

And Abbiati in goal

[YI]

Francis Jeffers.

Sean Dundee...haha at Leeds Fest last year we passed a tent with "Sean Dundee" on it, which spawned like a 20-minute conversation where I tried to convince people he was actually a real person and once played for Liverpool.

Edited May 11, 2010 by YI

[badotori]

And Abbiati in goal

I see your Abbiati, and raise you either Massimo Taibi or Gabor Kiraly.

[Rich]

Kiraly wins, he was AWFUL.

[Rich]

Torben Piecnick (sp?) has to be in defence somewhere as well, he was awful for Liverpool.

[METALMAN]

Was Kiraly the guy who played in his jammies? That was amazing.

[YI]

Des Hamilton.

[Rich]

Paul Dalglish

[badotori]

Was Kiraly the guy who played in his jammies? That was amazing.

Fuck yes.

Edited May 11, 2010 by badotori

[Rich]

Amazing

[therockbox]

Did Dong Fangzhuo ever play in the Premier League?

If he did then stick him up top alongside Ali Dia.