Diego_Sideburns Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 It's gotta be Ricky for me. Amongst many highlights: - Overhead kick at Newcastle Throwing the ball against Mike Phelan's back during one of the FA Cup semis Shoving Lee Dixon at BP and me thinking that he must have been really strong! His mumbling 'A Question of Sport' appearance. Playing against us for Citeh at Maine Road, he dived and was booed by Latics fans. He leaned on one elbow, looked at us and winked, for which the booing turned into a round of applause. His spoof Smith & Jones sketch with Andy Rhodes as part of the League Cup Final build-up. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bZty8mCCuto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 barely remember groves,i was knocked off the wall at the front of the chaddy by him on 2 occasions though. I was knocked off the wall at the RRE by the legendary John Charles playing for Leeds before they became "dirty". Happy days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP1960 Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) Plenty of good replies, the reason I didn't include Colin Whittaker is because I didn't think many members were older than me, so very few would remember him. Chris Taylor was included as younger members may not have seen much of the others thus it gave them a chance to vote. As for Tommy Wright, I liked him too, but I honestly didn't think he would receive too many votes, however I hold my hands up on than one and will bear your thoughts in mind for my next poll. Perhaps you could all help me out here by naming a short list of of best ever Latics youth products ? Just names will do, not reasons, as these can be given after I produce the poll. BP1960. Edited January 30, 2009 by BP1960 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astottie Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) WTF!!!! WTF is Thomas Elliott Wright? Boooooooo! Ok not as much as end product as Tricky Ricky, but such an exciting player to watch leaving full backs for dead before whipping over a cross for Stich or Frankie Bunn to bury. Gutted! You must have gone to the games I missed Prozac because my memory of the legendary Tommy, apart from crying with him after the Leeds game. is of him racing down the wing every week with his oversize shirt billowing in the wind like a tea clipper in full sail, and then firing his cross unerringly up the full backs arse! Edited January 30, 2009 by astottie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmer1 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 You must have gone to the games I missed Prozac because my memory of the legendary Tommy, apart from crying with him after the Leeds game. is of him racing down the wing every week with his oversize shirt billowing in the wind like a tea clipper in full sail, and then firing his cross unerringly up the full backs arse! what about gary williams? he was on the bench at the littlwoods cup final for us. not many left wingers can say that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy_Fent Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Rick Holden for me, I was only young when he used to play but from what I remember and from what I've seen off videos he could put in as good a cross with his left as he could with his right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 You must have gone to the games I missed Prozac because my memory of the legendary Tommy, apart from crying with him after the Leeds game. is of him racing down the wing every week with his oversize shirt billowing in the wind like a tea clipper in full sail, and then firing his cross unerringly up the full backs arse! Heretic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcowl Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 It's gotta be Ricky for me. Started going to BP in 1987 so struck lucky with the 'pinch me years'. Amongst many highlights: - Overhead kick at Newcastle Throwing the ball against Mike Phelan's back during one of the FA Cup semis Shoving Lee Dixon at BP and me thinking that he must have been really strong! His mumbling 'A Question of Sport' appearance. Haha!! I remember all of those, Rick Holden for me, effortless!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinchme Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Ricky Holden 100% "Skin em Rick" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Damage Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Rick holden for me. No pace but he didn't need it with his ability to just curl the ball in from anywhere. Having said that his goal against birmingham I think it was in the cup was more luck than judgement as he stumbled and tripped his way through the defence before falling over as he scored the goal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BucksBlue Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 This is one of the best threads for a while. For me only being a semi oldie and not really remembering much of the 60's, Don heath excepted, I have to go for Groves. Holden was absolutely fabulous for us in the Royle era, but Groves was just different class. On his day he was absolutely unplayable and that is not an exaggeration. A little known fact is that Groves almost went to United. If Docherty hadn't signed Gordon Hill from Forest, then Groves was the man he wanted. No emotion on my part with this. His death, whilst tragic, went with his flamboyance. He died of a large heart. Sums him up really as week after week he would get kicked by his full back yet get up and go past him again and again and again. A character in every sense of the word. Given the chance I am convinced that he could have graced the top league in this country. The fact that his off field issues took prominence didn't help his cause and possibly caused him to lose a little focus. Holden was a top winger, but all based on Royle getting the best out of him with the provision of top service from Milligan & Henry - Note to all those criticising Maher and Allot for sideways passing, how do you think Holden and Adams got as much ball as they did - Holden had the ability to cross the ball with either foot from anywhere from the half way line to the dead ball line. The one thing he lacked was pace, something Groves was blessed with. The only fullback I ever saw properly tame Groves was Viv Anderson who went on to be the 1st black player to represent England. Eyers was good for us and we got him at the right time. He, together with the class of Sheridan and the workrate of Carrs saved us from the drop during Stitch's early days and his professionalism was a credit to the man, but for me, with respect, not a patch on Groves or Holden. Chris Taylor is a young man who looks like he has a good future in the game. BUT and this is a big but, he has a long way to go to deserve the same legend status of the 3 mentioned above. Cheers, Harry Harry - you said it all, and far more eloquently than I can (after a night on the town in Madrid). My additional observation is on "votes", where it is generally accepted that the "oldest stories" are the hardest to tell. So for example, in a vote for the "best ever single released" you will find the newer group etc well ahead of the classic greats Stones / Beattles etc etc. NOTHING wrong with that at all, because the pole reflects the views of today's voters. The point I am rambling to make is that if 1000 latics supporters today could see Alan Groves at his peak, as I had the joy to see, then they would NEVER vote any of the other candidates (much as each gave/give their best). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudemedic Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Not old enough to remember Groves but I can just about remember Holden and its Ricky Holden I'd vote for. Having seen David Eyres in his pomp (not for Latics) he'd have given Holden a run for his money but when he was at Latics he was past his best. Taylor is a player who I think could go as far as Holden (i.e. play in the Prem) but he isn't there yet. One criticsm I have of Ricky Holden is he always seemed to want to beat his man more than once before he got his cross in, turning them inside-out and back to front before delivering a quality cross and this had its downsides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiLatic Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Alan Groves for me. Genius! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L1onheart Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Alan Groves for me. Genius! Alan Groves without a shadow of a doubt. More love beads than any man I have ever seen !!! If we had him today, where would we play Taylor?....probably on Leeds's left wing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 You must have gone to the games I missed Prozac because my memory of the legendary Tommy, apart from crying with him after the Leeds game. is of him racing down the wing every week with his oversize shirt billowing in the wind like a tea clipper in full sail, and then firing his cross unerringly up the full backs arse! Whilst I've been taught to respect the opinion of my elders (I was 12 when Tommy Wright signed for Leicester in 1989) and I suppose we are guilty of putting our childhood heroes on a pedestal, I think you are being overly harsh on the wee man. Were you ot at Maine Road in '87 when he bagged the winning brace or at Maine Road in '88 when he set or had a hand in the final three goals (The Dodger's hat-trick) and countless other games. If I had a gripe with tommy it was that he didn't score enough goals, but when he did they were usually beauties. Sheff Utd (H & A ) one a 25 yard curler the other a 20 yard chip. The flying scissor kick v Brighton, the impossible angle v Leeds and the similar goal v Portsmouth. as for his end product Stitch and Palmer both bagged 20 goals in all competitions in 87/88, Tommy's crossing can't have been that bad and Stitch himself commented many times on the service recieved from him. having said that Ricky was head and shoulders above ANY winger I have seen at BP and that includes Eyresy who was a cracking lower league winger but Ricky did it against the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Since I go way back it's Alan Groves for me. Groves was well before my time and going even further back how would you compare say someone like Keith Bebbington? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I was fortunate enought o jus catch the tail end of Groves' time with Latics and also remember him playing for Blackpool against us at Bloomfield Road. Whilst I can't really regail any great stories about him , the very mention of his name still excites and upsets me - it is a crying shame to the game of football that he died so young thereby denying many the joy of seing him play. Tricky Ricky was fantastic as well. Not in the same league as Grovesey and a different player, but still fantastic to watch and highly effective - I actually preferred him to go back and take his full back on again. It was like he was rubbing in is superiority Eyrsey was good for us, but we were not playing at the same level as previously, so difficult to judge. Taylor will hopefully make it to the Premier League ( with Latics) but is far far far from the standards of Groves and Holden So for me, as there is some kind of animal stirring in me when his name is mentioned - it has to be Groves - despite me watching Ricky Holden in awe and remembering much more of him than Grovesey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Dowds Green Shirt Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Groves was well before my time and going even further back how would you compare say someone like Keith Bebbington? Unless my memory is deserting me, Keith Bebbington was a right winger. Good player that he was, he certainly wasn't in the class of Groves or Holden and I would put Eyres a distance above him as well. Cheers, Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 You must have gone to the games I missed Prozac because my memory of the legendary Tommy, apart from crying with him after the Leeds game. is of him racing down the wing every week with his oversize shirt billowing in the wind like a tea clipper in full sail, and then firing his cross unerringly up the full backs arse! Now this is bizarre, but I remember reading pretty much that sentence in a fanzine, I guess BTB, after he left us! Wasn't you who wrote it was it? I remember it struck me as sour grapes at the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP1960 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Now this is bizarre, but I remember reading pretty much that sentence in a fanzine, I guess BTB, after he left us! Wasn't you who wrote it was it? I remember it struck me as sour grapes at the time Tommy used to send over some terrific nasty, vicious, bending corner kicks, strange seeing as he is now coach and Latics are hopeless at taking them. PS. Leeslover, I think Tommy has not got more votes in messages than Chris Taylor, so you were right in pointing out my oversight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMAX Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Hi, my first ever posting as a new member! I wish this particular debate had gone back to the 60s because then we would create the dilemma of including Colin Whitaker in this impressive list. Always a cert to beat the right back, a good cross assured and ace strikers like Bert Lister served on a plate. Ah, the memories. Incidentally Latics had a great right winger called Bob Ledger in those days so they were very well served. And the crowds...14,000 or so for a lowly and relatively unattractive fixture! Remember Bob Ledger living on Dogford Road in Royton when I was at Infant School,his lad was a mate of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sheridans_world Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Having only seen two of the above, I've had to vote for one of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonesyOAFC Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Ricky Holden for me. Before my time, but i've seen enough of him on videos etc to appreciate him. Best i've seen in my time is Eyresy though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EASTLEY Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I don't remember Groves too well, though heard a lot about him and was sad to hear of his demise as a kid. Has to be Tricky Ricky Holden - Just brilliant particularly on the post for Man City when Milligan(I think) scored at Maine Rd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futchers briefs Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Tricky Ricky...though as someone has already mentioned, I also had a soft spot for the Paul Atkinson/John Ryan partnership going on down the left.. But who the feck mentioned Gary Williams... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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