WC Decides: The Greatest Premier League Team - The Left Winger

**Shock** · 10-12-2019, 12:39 PM

WC Decides: The Greatest Premier League Team - The Left Winger

Every Saturday a new thread will be posted and open for the week to discuss the best in that particular position(s). Then I will post the results here before opening up the next position.

The Team So Far:

--- Peter Schmeichel ---
-- Gary Neville -- John Terry -- Rio Ferdinand -- Ashley Cole --
--- Cristiano Ronaldo ---- Paul Scholes --- Roy Keane ---- x ---
----- ---- x ---- x ---- -----

On to the discussion.

Scholes and Keane joined our very Man Utd heavy side, with only a couple of Chelsea players ruining the fun. Now we look at the left wing position and I have a sneaky suspicion that this will again come down to a battle between Man Utd and Chelsea, though there’s a few others that may want to have a say in that.

Just the one position to vote for so back down to three choices.

Please vote with your top three Premier League Left Wingers in history via PM to me by 5.00PM GMT on Saturday 19th October. E.G:

1- Adam Johnson (3 Points)
2- James McClean (2 Points)
3- Charles N’Zogbia (1 Point)

Also use this thread to pitch who you think is the best, or who deserves to be in the discussion.

Ed · 10-12-2019, 12:44 PM

Adam Johnson

Well I think i'd give it giggsy until the end of the season, that much is the slam dunk, and then I'd go with Hazard over Bale I think as my 2nd and 3rd, assuming this is the position I'd expect most to pitch for Eden; I think he showed his quality for longer and contributed to a title winning side.

**Shock** · 10-12-2019, 12:51 PM

I would love to come up with an argument against Giggs but I just don't see it. Giggs was at worst a good player in his old age, and usually a very good player - and sometimes great. But to do that for 20 years is fucking crazy consistency, and he was never a bad player in all that time that I can remember.

His main competition is Hazard. I think Hazard is a better player than Giggs ever was, especially in those title winning seasons and last season I think he was better than any season Giggs had as a player. But that's just a few seasons under his belt whereas Giggs has nearly double the amount of very good seasons. Plus one argument against Hazard is that he had a couple of seasons where he just wasn't very good at all (specifically the 2015/2016 season).

Bale, for me, had the best individual season of any left winger in contention so he may make the tail end of my list. His 2012/2013 season was absolutely crazy and while he did play across the whole midfield in that time, I think he classifies mostly as a left winger.

Finally, the two other guys that I've got in mind are first of all, Robert Pires. Again, I think Pires was better than Giggs just about every season that they were both in the league, but that's only a handful to choose from. Class player though. The other is Alexis Sanchez. I know it's fun to laugh at how he ended up at Man Utd but those seasons at Arsenal he was incredible to watch and really carried a pretty poor Arsenal team on the whole.

Sadio Mane and David Ginola are also worth a shout. Mane is about as good a left winger as there is in world football at the moment and keeps getting better. Plus he was good immediately from when he joined the league with Southampton.

**Baldrick** · 10-12-2019, 12:56 PM

Giggs is obviously number 1. I'd also throw Arjen Robben into the mix, same for Marc Overmars, alongside the names mentioned above.

I don't see how this position isn't for Giggs due to how good he was for so long.

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**Tommy Thunder** · 10-12-2019, 01:59 PM

I'm going to vote for out and out wingers in my vote, so won't be considering players like Hazard, Bale, Sanchez. Just the way I'm placing my vote.

There's an obvious winner to this thread. No argument against it really.

As for who gets my 2nd and 3rd votes, it's hard. There's been so many excellent left wingers in the PL.
Marc Overmars was one of the first players I can member being truly wowed by. He was such a fantastic player. Lighting fast, hell of a delivery and had a rocket of a left foot. I think he's getting my second vote.

Robert Pires was another masterful player and a joy to watch. Robben is another who was fantastic and a key part of the dominating Mourinho Chelsea days. I think it's between these two for my 3rd vote.

Ed · 10-12-2019, 02:12 PM

Totally forgot about Pires, he'd have to make my top 3 for sure.

**MC 16** · 10-12-2019, 03:34 PM

Giggs is #1 for me. Longevity, quality over that time, obvious winner.

**TWG** · 10-12-2019, 04:17 PM

It’s hard to deny Giggs the top spot. Pires is also probably a lock for second place, so it’s the third that I need to have a think about.

I am probably leaning towards Ginola at the moment, but need to think about this one a bit more.

Another couple that are worth a shout out at least are Damien Duff and Harry Kewell.

**Shock** · 10-12-2019, 05:39 PM

Like the Duff and Kewell shouts. People don't think much of them because their Newcastle and Liverpool stints were poor. But for Blackburn and Chelsea, Duff was electric and Kewell was a favourite of mine growing up.

**Baldrick** · 10-13-2019, 03:12 AM

Duff is a fair shout, but Kewell was so hot and cold I'd find it hard to fit him into this kind of list.

**Shock** · 10-16-2019, 02:07 PM

Not many lists in so far, get them in.

**TWG** · 10-16-2019, 02:36 PM

Sorry mate, completely forgot. Just sent mine in.

**Shock** · 10-19-2019, 12:05 PM

Thanks to the following voters who chimed in to the greatest Premier League Left Wingers list: PS, Wolf Beast, Baldrick, TWG, MC16, Sykotic, Shock

The Honourable Mentions

Arjen Robben - 1 Point
Damien Duff - 2 Points
Marc Overmars - 2 Points
Gareth Bale - 4 Points

I think this is a case of players that didn’t shine for too long but when they did they shone brightly. I’ll always remember Duff and Robben as one of the more dynamic pair of wingers in Mourinho’s early seasons and causing all sorts of problems for defenders. Marc Overmars is a lot like Robben - he was arguably the best winger in the league when he was there, but longevity let him down. As for Bale, he was around a little longer than the others (except Duff), and his 2012/2013 season is one of the best individual seasons any player has seen in the league.

3rd Place

Robert Pires - 7 Points

A delightful winger, and again another member of the invinicbles gets an honourable mention. A phenomenal passer and dribbler, with some fantastic finishing also.

2nd Place

Eden Hazard

One of the best talents the league has ever seen. He’s a man with an argument for being the best player of the last half decade, and was instrumental in two title wins for Chelsea. His dribbling, control, and ability to unlock defences was a joy to watch. Well worth his runner up place.

1st Place:

Ryan Giggs - 18 Points

The most decorated player in Premier League history and one of the most successful footballers of all time. Ryan Giggs rounds out an all-Manchester United midfield. A player whose longevity is unrivalled in the history of the Premier League. He was a blistering winger with fantastic dribbling ability, and holds the record for most all time assists in the league (by some distance too!). In his later years he slowed down and managed to convert himself into a pretty respectable central midfielder - showcasing his passing ability.

The Team So Far:

--- Peter Schmeichel ---
--- Gary Neville ---- John Terry --- Rio Ferdinand ---- Ashley Cole ---
---- Cristiano Ronaldo ---- Roy Keane --- Paul Scholes ---- Ryan Giggs ----
---- ---- x ---- x ---- -----

Next part we’ll be looking for the best Strikers in Premier League history. Thread to be posted soon.

Ed · 10-19-2019, 12:38 PM

Apologies for missing this, but you had the top 3 I would of gone for.

**MC 16** · 10-19-2019, 12:51 PM

When in doubt, give it to Giggsy.

**Shock** · 10-19-2019, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by MC 16

When in doubt, give it to Giggsy.

Fuck I wish I'd thought of that joke when doing my write up

**Tommy Thunder** · 10-21-2019, 02:53 AM

Totally forgot to actually submit my vote! Wouldn't have changed anything though, though how many votes/points did Hazard get?
I had: 3rd Overmars, 2nd Pires, 1st Giggs. Not sure of that would have changed anything.

Top 3 are pretty solid though, Giggs being the deserved winner.

**Shock** · 10-21-2019, 04:26 AM

Originally Posted by Tommy Thunder

Totally forgot to actually submit my vote! Wouldn't have changed anything though, though how many votes/points did Hazard get?
I had: 3rd Overmars, 2nd Pires, 1st Giggs. Not sure of that would have changed anything.

Top 3 are pretty solid though, Giggs being the deserved winner.

Forgive to put in Hazard's points. He got 8, so Pires would have overtaken him with your vote, but others have said they'd have voted Hazard 2nd so I don't think it would have changed much.

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**Tommy Thunder** · 10-21-2019, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by Shock

Forgive to put in Hazard's points. He got 8, so Pires would have overtaken him with your vote, but others have said they'd have voted Hazard 2nd so I don't think it would have changed much.

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That's fair enough, negligible really as there's so many wingers that could have been in that top 3. Only one Giggsy though!