The top 50 Sheffield Wednesday players of all time..

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The Times August 26, 2009 - The top 50 Sheffield Wednesday players

50. John Fantham

1956-1970, 435 appearances, 167 goals

Football fans have always had a soft spot for the local boy made good - though, with 167 goals during a 14-year spell at the club, Fantham certainly didn't have to rely on his Burngreave roots to get the Wednesday faithful onside. A superb schoolboy cricketer, the 17-year-old Fantham found himself in the enviable position of having to choose between a career of defending the wickets for Yorkshire or attacking opponents' goals in the blue and white stripes. Luckily, he chose the latter and after signing professional forms with the Owls in 1956 he embarked on a free-scoring reign - taking in runners-up medals in both the league and FA Cup, and a solitary England cap - which ended only when he moved down the road to Rotherham United in 1970.

49. Tom McAnearney

1950-1965, 382 apperances, 22 goals

One of three brothers to play for Wednesday, the wing half arrived from Dundee St Stephen's in 1950 and became a regular in the team that won Division Two titles in 1956 and 1959, before going on to captain the club as they became serious top-flight challengers in the early 1960s. A tall and clever player, he is chiefly remembered for his reliability from the spot. Indeed, it was his penalties that sealed victory over Middlesbrough and Manchester United in a thrilling FA Cup run that took Wednesday to within touching distance of Wembley in 1960. Sold to Peterborough after falling out with manager Alan Brown in 1965, McAnearey returned to Hillsborough as a coach in 1968, before going on to briefly manage the team.

48. Mark Smith

1976-1987, 352 apperances, 20 goals

Having grown up within sight of Hillsborough in the Shirecliffe area of Sheffield, it was inevitable that Smith would end up playing for his boyhood heroes. Though there was an early flirtation with Sheffield United - Smith once attended a couple of training sessions and even acted as a ballboy at Bramall Lane - the tall, classy defender was absolved completely when he buried the penalty that gave Wednesday their fourth goal in the 1979 'Boxing Day Massacre' of the Blades. After partnering fellow South Yorkshireman Peter Shirtliff in central defence for most of the early 1980s, Smith was on hand to see Wednesday finally achieve promotion back to Division One under Howard Wilkinson in 1984, and remained a crowd favourite until he left to join Plymouth Argyle in 1987. He is currently working as a development coach with Sheffield United - though we don't like to talk about that.

47. Mark Hooper

1926-1939, 423 appearances, 136 goals

Along with Ellis Rimmer - who received far greater recognition outside S6 - Hooper was one of arguably the greatest pair of wingers playing football in the early 1930s. A diminutive 5ft 6in, Hooper was initially considered too small to compete at the highest level by manager Bob Brown. But after terrorising the Owls defence while playing for Darlington in 1926, the Wednesday boss about-turned and brought the little Geordie to Hillsborough for the not insubstantial fee of £2,000. It's just as well he did, as Hooper contributed a stunning tally of 136 goals from the outside right position over the next 12 seasons - including the strike that put the FA Cup final out of West Bromwich Albion's reach in 1935. He left Wednesday in 1939 to become a coach at near neighbours Rotherham United, before returning to Hillsborough to run a shop next to the ground until his death in 1974.

46. Willie Henderson

1972-1974, 56 appearances, 5 goals

One of the few stars of a Wednesday team in serious decline in the early 1970s, the ageing Scotland international arrived at Hillsborough after garnering awards and medals aplenty in a 12-year spell with Rangers. For two short seasons, he lit up Derek Dooley's team of sloggers and try-hards with breathtaking displays of skill and wing-jinkery, while each one of the five goals he contributed to the cause could easily have been suffixed with "of the season". Famously short-sighted - when with Rangers, he once took a seat on the Celtic bench without realising he was surrounded by hostile stares from those in green and white - he quickly gained a reputation as being a loveable character whose talents were on a different level to those of his teammates. When, in May 1974, he left to ply his trade in Hong Kong, Wednesday fans were only too aware it would be many years before they would see his like at Hillsborough again.

45. Garry Bannister

1981-1984, 142 appearances, 66 goals

The 20-goal-a-season striker has long been seen as a vital component of any club's success, and Bannister, who arrived in 1981 from Coventry City, certainly put the sheen on a Wednesday team that was once again on the rise. The ridiculously consistent 22 goals that he scored in each of his three seasons at Hillsborough helped the Owls climb from mid-table in the second division back up to the top flight, as well as enjoy an FA Cup run that took them all the way to the semi-finals in 1983. And his sleek, stylish partnership with the (almost) equally prolific Imre Varadi was one of the many highlights of the promotion achieved under Howard Wilkinson in 1984. He never appeared for Wednesday in Division One, choosing instead to chase after erratically bouncing balls on the plastic pitch at Queens Park Rangers, who bought him for £200,000 at the start of the 1984-85 season.


44. Thomas Crawshaw

1894-1908, 465 appearances, 24 goals

A beefy centre-half in an era when footballers looked more like butchers or dock hands than the lithe athletes of today, Crawshaw was one of the stars of an exceptional Wednesday team that won the FA Cup in 1896 and 1907 and the league in 1903 and 1904. Nowadays those sort of stats - combined with his 10 England caps and multiple selections for the Football League XI - would have the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid waving chequebooks in his direction but Crawshaw, a Sheffielder by birth, never had any inclination to leave his hometown club. His remarkable 465 appearances over 14 seasons in the blue and white make him one of the greatest-ever servants of The Wednesday - as the Owls were known in those days. He is also fondly remembered by older city dwellers as the landlord of Sheffield city-centre pub, The Yorkshireman.

43. Lawrie Madden

1983-1991, 266 appearances, 5 goals

He may not have been the most accomplished defender to ever play at Hillsborough, but Madden's cool head and seasoned professionalism helped the Owls out of many a tight spot during the 1980s and early 1990s. Signed on a free transfer from Millwall in 1983, Madden was a consistent performer for Howard Wilkinson's team as they finished runners-up in the second division that season. Between then and his departure to Wolves eight years later, he played under three different managers in the first division before ending his Wednesday career at Wembley in 1991. Along with fellow Wilkinson signing Nigel Worthington, Madden is symbolic of Wednesday's ascent during this period, as the club gradually transformed themselves from being lower-division underachievers to cup winners and eventual title challengers. And the fact he did it all while gaining an economics degree and running a restaurant on the side shows he was far, far cleverer than most of those he shared a pitch with. He's now a freelance journalist and part-time lecturer at Staffordshire University.

42. Alan Finney

1950-1966, 503 appearances, 90 goals

Inextricably linked in Wednesday fans' minds with Albert Quixall - the pair made their debut together, did National Service in the same unit and dominated the Owls' right flank for the best part of a decade - Finney is remembered as the dowdy Gary Neville to his more flamboyant, Beckham-like best friend. Not afraid of hard work, Finney put in the graft that allowed Quixall to flourish - and when the England international became Matt Busby's first post-Munich signing for Manchester United in 1958, Finney stayed on at Hillsborough to put in consistently strong performances for another eight seasons. His unselfishness and ability to create goals for others - not to mention a more than decent strike rate of his own - helped Wednesday win Division Two championships in 1952, 1956 and 1959, as well as finish runners-up in the first division in 1961. He moved to Doncaster Rovers in 1966 after 16 years in blue and white.

41. Jack Sewell

1951-1955, 175 appearances, 92 goals

Bought from Notts County for a then British record fee of £35,000, the inside forward was one of Wednesday's more illustrious players of the early 1950s. Despite having made his name playing alongside the legendary England striker Tommy Lawton and scoring more than 100 goals in the process, Sewell still arrived at Hillsborough with a lot to prove. He set about doing that immediately with a debut goal at Anfield, before notching up 91 others for Wednesday over the next four years. Part of the England team that were famously trounced by Ference Puskas's Hungary over two games in 1953, he is better remembered in S6 for his devastating partnership with Derek Dooley that, in 1951-52, produced a staggering 70 goals in one season. It was that contribution which helped secure the second division title, and by the time Sewell left for Aston Villa in December 1955, the Owls - thanks to the 13 goals he'd banged in by Christmas - were well on their way to securing promotion again.

40. Lee Bullen

2004-2008, 134 appearances, 8 goals

There may be far more gifted players on this list than the centre back, but, as the last Wednesday captain to lead the club to any silverware, his inclusion is more than justified. A granite-faced journeyman who had done his time in the Scottish lower leagues, Bullen worked tirelessly for the cause - getting his head to anything within jumping distance and throwing himself wholeheartedly into the sort of tackles Graeme Souness would have chosen to wimp out of. Under the stewardship of fellow Scot Paul Sturrock, his reward was to lead Wednesday to victory in the 2005 League One play-off final at Cardiff, and lift the Owls' first trophy since 1991. After one season in the second tier (rebranded as the Coca-Cola Championship), his ageing legs were deemed surplus to requirements and he was allowed him to join Falkirk on a free transfer. The Hillsborough crowd had waited a long time for a player worthy of the "hero" tag, and the applause Bullen received when he came onto the pitch to say goodbye to the crowd at the end of the 2007-08 season was every bit as loud as it had been for the "glory" players of the early 1990s. He may well be back.

39. John Harkes

1990-1993, 118 appearances, 11 goals

Born to Scottish parents on the edge of New York City, the United States international was a popular member of Wednesday's thrilling team of the early 1990s. Arriving at Hillsborough on the back of a disappointing World Cup campaign - "he thinks he's Maradona, this lad," I remember one gruff Sheffielder saying to me as we watched the mulleted youngster in Italia 90 - Harkes quickly settled in English football. In one of his very first games for the club, he lashed a 30-yard drive past then-England goalkeeper Peter Shilton to set the Owls on their way to a League Cup victory against Derby County, and he ended the season as the first American to play - and win - in a major final at Wembley. Always hovering around the fringes of the first team, Harkes nevertheless featured in two more cup finals for Wednesday and continued to put in hardworking, loose-limbed midfield performances for the club until his one-time idol Trevor Francis (who Harkes grew up watching play for Detroit Express) sold him on to Derby in 1993. He now works as a commentator on American television.

38. Fred Spiksley

1891-1903, 324 apperances, 116 goals

A speedy left-winger from the period when The Wednesday moved from their city-centre Olive Grove ground to the stadium they presently occupy in Owlerton, "Flying Fred" Spiksley was one of the first true stars to wear the blue and white. His two goals secured Wednesday their first FA Cup win in 1896, while his habit of scoring exactly when his team needed it most was vital to the club as they went on to top the second division in 1900 and claim the league title in 1903. Having being capped seven times for England - for whom he scored hat-tricks in his first and second matches - he developed a cosmopolitan streak that was extremely untypical of the era. After leaving the Owls in 1903, he went on to manage clubs in Sweden, Spain, Switzerland and Germany (where he was imprisoned during World War One), and even briefly took control of the Swedish national side before returning to Sheffield to coach the King Edward VII school football team. He died in 1948.

37. Peter Shirtliff

1977-1993, 355 appearances, 11 goals

A towering central defender who had two successful spells at Wednesday, Shirtliff was the only member of the 1991 promotion- and cup-winning team that had played for the club during the dark days of the third division. Hailing from Hoyland, near Barnsley, he joined the Owls as a 16-year-old in 1977 and went on to rack up 223 appearances before heading south to Charlton Athletic in 1986. Three years as captain there put the finishing touches to his powerful but astute commanding of the back line - and, in 1989, Ron Atkinson brought him back to Hillsborough to become the bedrock of his stylish, new-look Wednesday team. Along with Nigel Pearson, he reliably blocked, parried and headed away danger for the next four years, as the club began to re-establish themselves as genuine title challengers. And when he finally left to go to Wolves in 1993, it took the signing of seasoned England centre-back Des Walker to plug the gaping hole he left in the Wednesday back four.

36. Redfern Froggatt

1942-1962, 458 appearances, 149 goals

Son of former Wednesday captain Frank Froggatt, the wonderfully named Redfern was one of the club's most consistent forwards throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Signed from Sheffield YMCA in 1942, he broke into the first team after World War Two, and quickly gained a reputation for unselfishness and keeping a cool head in front of goal. Froggatt's inventive wingplay, in which he regularly created chances for team-mates such as Derek Dooley and Jack Sewell, was a major factor in Wednesday's table-topping promotion seasons in 1952, 1956 and 1959 - and his intelligence and strength earned him four England call-ups in the mid-1950s. A one-club man, Froggatt spent his entire career at Hillsborough, and he even spurned Sheffield United's promise of first-team football when he dropped down the Wednesday pecking order in the early 1960s. Good lad.

35. Ernest Blenkinsop

1923-1934, 424 appearances, 5 goals

Hailing from Cudworth, near Barnsley, the left back and erstwhile miner Blenkinsop was originally spotted by Hull City, who bought out his contract at Brierley Colliery for £100 and 80 pints of bitter. Wednesday brought him back to South Yorkshire in 1923 for the more sensible-sounding fee of £1,000, and the calm, composed defender went on to become a regular in the side that gained promotion from Division Two in 1926 and won back-to-back league titles in 1929 and 1930. Noted for his ability to read the game as well as his expert distribution, Blenkinsop was also capped 26 times by England (twice as captain) and represented the Football League on eight occasions. In 1934, manager Billy Walker sold him on to Liverpool for £6,500, but Blenkinsop never achieved the same degree of success in red as he had in blue and white. He died in 1969.

34. Lee Chapman

1984-1988, 184 appearances, 78 goals

Something of a journeyman, even before he arrived at Hillsborough, this old-fashioned centre-forward had a highly effective spell with Wednesday in the mid-1980s as the club began to re-establish themselves in the top flight. Rescued by Howard Wilkinson after dismal spells at Arsenal and Sunderland, Chapman benefitted from the manager's long-ball tactics, as well as the pinpoint crosses of Mel Sterland and Brian Marwood, to transform himself into a reliable 20-goal-a-season striker. Vital winners against the likes of Manchester United and Aston Villa made "big Lee" a crowd favourite, and he only sullied his reputation with Owls fans by joining Leeds United - loathed every bit as much as the Blades in S6 - with whom he had the audacity to win the league title in 1992. Married to actress Leslie Ash, he is now a restaurateur.

33. Albert Mumford

1888-1894, 43 appearances, 7 goals

An explosive forward in the days when football players wore knickerbockers and sported moustaches like the leatherman from the Village People, Albert Mumford was one of the greats of Wednesday's pre-professional era. Epitomising the Corinthian spirit of the time, he played in every position for the club - conceding only once when he took his turn as goalkeeper in an Alliance Championship match against Sunderland Albion - though it was as a striker that he excelled. It was Mumford's goal that won the 1890 FA Cup semi-final, and he also went on to score in the final at Kennington Oval - though Wednesday eventually lost the match 6-1 to Blackburn Rovers.

32. Ellis Rimmer

1928-1938, 418 appearances, 140 goals

Widely regarded as the finest winger of his era, Rimmer was the most dynamic component of an exceptional Wednesday team that won league championships in 1929 and 1930, and the FA Cup in 1935. Things weren't so rosy, though, when he joined the club from Tranmere Rovers in 1928. The Owls were seven points adrift at the bottom of Division One and had to pull off the miraculous feat of picking up 17 points from their last 10 games to survive. They did - and, with Rimmer and fellow winger Jack Hooper contributing 63 goals between them over the next two seasons as well as creating chances aplenty for their teammates, Wednesday became indisputably the best team in the land. A popular figure with both players and supporters, Rimmer was also a keen amateur musician, who would regularly oblige drinkers by playing the piano in Sheffield pubs. He was capped four times by England.

31. Peter Swan

1952-1972, 301 appearances

A controversial figure, who was given a four-month jail sentence and a life ban from football for agreeing to throw the Owls' match against Ipswich Town in 1962, Swan was nevertheless one of the most gifted players to wear the blue-and-white stripes. A tall, elegant centre-back who joined Wednesday as an amateur in 1952, he made his first-team debut three years later and went on to become a regular in the side as they won the second division title in 1959 and finished runners-up in the top flight in 1961. Swan's performances for the club meant that he became a first-choice player for England, and he would have surely been selected for the 1966 World Cup had his part in the betting scandal not come to light two years beforehand. After his life ban was lifted in 1972, he returned to Hillsborough and put in 17 more appearances before moving on to Bury.

30. Gary Megson

1981-1989, 286 appearances, 33 goals

Easy to pick out on the pitch because of his bonfire-bright ginger barnet, defensive midfield player Megson was one of the Owls' most consistent performers throughout the 1980s. Son of former Wednesday captain Don Megson, Gary grew up supporting the club and got his dream move to Hillsborough in 1981 when Jack Charlton signed him from Everton. Almost ever-present over the next few seasons, Megson bustled around the pitch, tackled wincingly hard and weighed in with valuable goals as the team achieved promotion in 1984. Despite leaving for Nottingham Forest that summer, he returned to Wednesday 18 months later to once again become a first-team regular under Howard Wilkinson and Peter Eustace. He has since made a name for himself in management and, as a confirmed Wednesdayite, is extremely likely to take control of the club one day.

29. David Layne

1962-1964, 81 appearances, 58 goals

'Bronco' Layne may have been a Sheffielder, but it wasn't until he'd begun carving out a reputation for himself as a free-scoring centre-forward with Bradford City - 44 goals in 65 games - that he appeared on his hometown club's radar. Any fault of Wednesday's scouting system was rectified in the summer of 1962, though, when Vic Buckingham paid £22,500 to bring him to Hillsborough. Layne settled immediately, scoring 30 goals in his first season and 28 in his second as the Owls claimed consecutive top-six finishes; and with the powerful and courageous striker leading the front line, the club seemed destined to become serious title challengers. But Layne's involvement in the infamous betting scandal of 1964 killed off those hopes entirely. Jailed and then banned from football for life for placing money on Wednesday to lose an away game at Ipswich Town, he drifted out of the game while the Owls started to slip down the league. By the time his ban was rescinded in 1972, the club were in the second division and Layne was a shadow of his former self. Unable to regain a first-team place at S6, he briefly joined Hereford United before retiring. A wonderful talent, who could have gone on to dominate the English game, he threw it all away for the sake of making a few quid at the bookies. Daft sod.

28. Benito Carbone

1996-1999, 107 appearances, 26 goals

He may have been the Italian equivalent of Dean Windass - with at least seven clubs on his CV before he arrived in S6 - but attacking midfield player Carbone was a damn sight more glamorous. For a start, no Wednesday player had ever played in an Alice band before. Signed from Inter Milan for £3 million in 1996, the skilful Calabrian quickly won over the crowd with the way he married his obvious class to a workrate that would have put an Attercliffe steelworker to shame. And, though he may not have scored many goals during his three seasons at Hillsborough, those he did - including a delicate chip against Nottingham Forest and an absolute pile-driver away at Blackburn Rovers - are still remembered with great fondness by Owls fans. After almost single-handedly keeping Wednesday in the Premier League in 1999, he fell out with manager Danny Wilson and flounced off to Aston Villa. His journeyman career then took him to three more English clubs, four in Italy and one in Australia. He was never as good for any of them as he was for Wednesday.

27. Ted Davison

1908-1925, 424 appearances

He may have gone on to successfully manage Sheffield United for the best part of 20 years, but Davison was a Wednesday man at heart. Arriving at Hillsborough in 1908 after impressing in a trial game, Davison went on to become the Owls' first-choice goalkeeper for the next 17 seasons - though he did take a break from football when he went off to fight in World War One. He brought steadiness and composure to a team that were beginning to morph into the all-conquering outfit that would go on to claim two league titles in the late 1920s, and his penalty-saving record was admired throughout football. He played once for England in 1922, though undoubtedly his greatest contribution to the national team came when he was managing Chesterfield in the 1950s - it was there he discovered and nurtured the talents of World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks. He died in Sheffield in 1971.

26. Martin Hodge

1983-1988, 249 appearances

Despite promising much in his early career, goalkeeper Hodge had drifted to football's fringes by the time Howard Wilkinson signed him from Everton for £50,000 in 1983. Hodge was originally intended as cover for Iain Hesford, but a combination of excellent pre-season form and Hesford's spiralling weight problems meant that the former Plymouth Argyle player became first choice instead. Ever-present over the next 214 games (an all-time Wednesday record), Hodge provided valuable stability as the club gained promotion in 1984, and went on to achieve top-half, top-flight finishes in subsequent years and reach an FA Cup semi-final in 1986. Eventually displaced by Kevin Pressman, he accepted a transfer to Leicester City in 1988 - and, on his return to Hillsborough for a league match in April 1991, was met by a standing ovation from the entire stadium. Though Bobby Robson placed him on standby for Mexico 86, Hodge never received a full England cap.

25. Rodger Wylde

1972-1980, 193 appearances, 66 goals

A somewhat controversial figure, who made as many enemies in the game as he did friends, Wylde was one of Wednesday's most popular players in an era when the club weren't exactly setting the world alight. Hovering around the lower reaches of the second division in the early 1970s, the Owls searched far and wide for a quality goalscorer to propel them up the leagues. They eventually found one in the midst of their own ranks, and Wylde, a lanky former Sheffield Boys' striker from the city's Frecheville district, set about making the number seven shirt his own. A 25-goal haul in 1976-77 was followed by returns of 14 and 17 in subsequent seasons, and by the time Jack Charlton sold him to Oldham Athletic in 1980 - Wylde, who had grown up a Sheffield United fan, had angered his manager by bragging to teammates that the Blades were interested in signing him - he'd scored enough to set Wednesday well on their way to promotion. A clever, skilful player, who shone out among the dross of the lower leagues, he can just about be forgiven for his unfortunate red-and-white leanings.

24. Nigel Worthington

1984-1994, 417 appearances, 15 goals

Arriving from Notts County at the tail-end of Wednesday's promotion-winning season in 1984, the Northern Ireland international went on to become one of the club's longest-serving players of the modern era. Initially signed as a left-back, "Irish" gained a reputation as a solid if unspectacular defender in his early years at Hillsborough. It was only after the arrival of Ron Atkinson in 1989 that Worthington was converted into a left-sided midfield player, and given free rein to gallop forward, take players on and whip in crosses for the likes of David Hirst, Paul Williams and Mark Bright. Quiet and unassuming, Worthington made an unlikely midfield marauder - but his leggy runs and miraculously improved passing made him one of Wednesday's deadliest weapons as the club rose from Division Two and started challenging for the league title again. Still the club's most-capped player (he played 50 times for his country while at Hillsborough), he is presently in charge of Northern Ireland and is widely seen as another Owls manager-in-waiting.

23. Andrew Wilson

1900-1920, 545 appearances, 216 goals

Even at a time when footballers would spend their entire careers at one club, Wilson's 545 appearances over 20 years for Wednesday (a club record) are still nothing short of staggering. Signed from Glasgow Clyde in 1900, the centre forward immediately set about terrorising Sassenach defences for fun, firing Wednesday to league titles in 1903 and 1904, and an FA Cup victory in 1907 - in which he was responsible for setting up the goal that beat Everton in the final. Shamefully overlooked by Scotland - for whom he won only six caps during his most successful years - Wilson concentrated instead on the domestic game, racking up more than 200 goals in the blue-and-white stripes and ending up top scorer in eight of the seasons he spent in S6. He retired as a player in 1920, and went on to manage several other English clubs.

22. Tommy Craig

1969-1974, 233 appearances, 39 goals

Arriving from Aberdeen for what was then Wednesday's record fee of £100,000, 18-year-old Craig, already a fixture in the Scotland senior team, was described by manager Eric Taylor as "Alan Ball, Billy Bremner and Tony Kay rolled into one". Nowadays, no manager would dream of heaping such pressure and expectation onto the shoulders of a precocious teenage star, but this was 1969 and the Owls - a rapidly waning force - were desperate for someone to come in and spark a revival. Thrust into a team that placed far more emphasis on graft than style, it's amazing that the skilful and intelligent midfield player did so well on second and third division pitches dominated by mud-clagged Neanderthals. His famous left foot, particularly deadly from set pieces, and non-stop midfield bustle were just about the only things worth paying to see at Hillsborough in the early 1970s, and when Craig was sold to Newcastle United at the end of 1974 it felt to fans as though Wednesday had given up any hope of returning to the top flight.

21. Trevor Francis

1990-1994, 89 appearances, 9 goals

Yes, he'd done it all - European Cup wins, World Cup appearances, million-pound transfers - before he signed for Wednesday, but Francis still managed to motivate himself to do it all again. He may have had a receding hairline, carthorse-like pace and the first blot on his managerial CV by the time Ron Atkinson brought him in to help out his relegation-doomed Wednesday team in 1990, but Francis was an unbelievable asset the following season as the club achieved promotion at the first attempt and won the League Cup. Atkinson's tactic of bringing on the ageing star for the last 15-20 minutes of games meant that the Owls were almost guaranteed a late goal, as he would dispense inch-perfect passes and crosses to feed his younger team-mates. Awarded the job of player-manager when Big Ron departed, Francis then guided Wednesday to within one game of the league title in 1992, and FA and League Cup finals the following year. Despite this, his managerial stint tends to be remembered less than fondly by Wednesday fans - due in part to his insistence that French triallist Eric Cantona, who'd arrived in a snowbound Sheffield in 1992, proved his worth to the manager on grass. Cantona, incensed, stormed off to win back-to-back titles for Leeds United and Manchester United, while Wednesday began a decline from which they're still yet to recover.


20. Ambrose Langley

1893-1903, 317 appearances, 14 goals

A tough, moustachioed full back who played for Wednesday in their baggy-shorted, stiff-shirted days at the end of the 19th century, Ambrose Langley was one of the club's most high-profile players during an incredibly halcyon era. His hard tackling and no-nonsense heading ability were vital components of the team's success as they won the FA Cup in 1896, and league titles in 1903 and 1904. And though he was club captain for much of that time, and supposedly setting an example to others, Langley still allowed his temper to surface on occasion - most spectacularly when he was sent off in a 1900 Steel City derby for flattening a Sheffield United player with such ferocity that he was forced out of the game (a feat that, had it happened today, would have guaranteed him a supporters' player of the year award). Struck down with a chest injury midway through the 1903-04 season, he was forced to retire from football. He died in 1937.

19. Mike Lyons

1982-1985, 164 appearances, 16 goals

One of a long line of Owls captains who've fearlessly marshalled the back line and put the fear of God into any striker who's had the misfortune to be marked by them, Lyons simply gave everything for Sheffield Wednesday. Signed from Everton by Jack Charlton in 1982, Lyons had amassed 11 years of experience on Merseyside and immediately started putting them to good use at Hillsborough. His willingness to put his leg, head or face in the way of anything that threatened his team's goal meant that he was virtually impossible to get past, and he was more than happy to shed blood for the cause - he memorably limped off to get stitches during a League Cup tie against Liverpool before returning to the pitch for another 80 minutes of full-blooded action. A talismanic figure in the FA Cup semi-final and promotion-winning teams of 1983 and 1984, he only played one full season in the first division for Wednesday before opting to take up the first of many managerial roles at Grimsby Town in 1985.

18. Paolo Di Canio

1997-1999, 48 app, 17 goals

A genuine trophy signing made in an era when Wednesday were still competing financially with the very top teams in the land, the forward arrived from Celtic for £4.2 million in the summer of 1997. One of the most exciting players ever to wear the blue and white, he was an explosive and unpredictable presence on the pitch, which when he was at his best - rounding the keeper to claim the winner against Barnsley, dribbling past way more Southampton defenders than necessary just to make his goal more interesting - made him a delight to watch. Even at his temperamental worst - such as the famous red-mist incident against Arsenal in 1998 when he tried to gouge out Martin Keown's eyes before pushing over referee Paul Alcock and then squaring up to Nigel Winterburn - he was still magnificent value. Having received a lengthy ban for that moment of madness, Di Canio then went on strike in protest at the lack of support offered to him by the club, forcing Wednesday to offload their undeniably most gifted player for a fraction of his true worth. He may have been, in Sheffield parlance, a mardy get. But at least he was a brilliant one.

17. David Ford

1965-1969, 135 appearances, 37 goals

Hailing from Sheffield's Wybourn estate, this inside-forward grew up a confirmed Wednesdayite and spent his youth idolising the players with whom he would later share a dressing room. He made his senior debut as a teenager in 1965 - coming on as the Owls' first-ever substitute - and became a regular presence in the team as they progressed towards the FA Cup final at the end of that season. Ford scored vital goals in the run-in, including two at Blackburn Rovers in the sixth round, and even put Wednesday 2-0 up at Wembley before Everton staged their famous comeback to win the trophy. Powerful, speedy and blessed with the ability to score spectacular goals, Ford seemed to have everything on his side, but a car accident in 1967 halted his apparently unstoppable progress and he was never quite the same again. Despite playing for Sheffield United towards the end of his career, he is remembered with incredible fondness by the Hillsborough crowd, who continue to sing his name 40 years after he last turned out for the club.

16. Jim McCalliog

1965-1969, 174 appearances, 27 goals

Another member of the 1966 FA Cup Final team whose name is still sung at matches, Glaswegian inside forward McCalliog was just a teenager when he joined Wednesday from Chelsea in 1965. Partnering the similarly youthful David Ford, he began to make a name for himself as a clever, tricky player in an Owls team associated with fast-flowing, skilful football, and scored several goals as Wednesday surged towards Wembley - most notably against his old club in the semi-final, and the first in the final itself. Despite the club coming so close to a trophy that season, a lack of investment and ambition meant that, by the late 1960s, the Owls were on the wane. And McCalliog, now a Scotland international, became one of the few shining lights in a dull and predictable team. He joined Wolves in August 1969, and Wednesday were relegated eight months later.

15. Kevin Pressman

1984-2004, 478 appearances

"He's not fat," I used to tell my Pressman-baiting, Blades-supporting friends. "He just looks huge because he's surrounded by athletes." I take it back. I once sat on the next table to him in a restaurant, and watched the enormous goalkeeper put away enough food to feed the whole Wednesday first-team squad. No matter. Big Kev may have been, erm, big, but he's still one of the best goalkeepers to have ever played at Hillsborough. Hailing from Dronfield, on the edge of Sheffield, Pressman became a Wednesday apprentice in 1984, and stayed at the club until he left for Leicester City in 2004. Initially displacing the legendary Martin Hodge, he spent the next 20 years seeing off challenges to the No 1 shirt from such quality keepers as Chris Turner, Chris Woods and Pavel Srnicek - all of whom he eventually triumphed over. Quick, deceptively nimble and a wonderful shot-stopper, Pressman happily seemed to save his best performances for the games against Sheffield United. His heroics in a 2-0 win over the Blades in 2002 were enough to elevate him to hero status alone.

14. Albert Quixall

1951-1958, 260 appearances, 65 goals

Wednesday haven't had many pin-up boys on their books, but right winger Quixall, with his silky skills, shock of blond hair and film-star looks, certainly adorned many a young lad's bedroom wall in the mid-1950s. Having grown up just up the road from the Owls' ground, Quixall was always destined to play for the club - and when he made his debut in 1951, alongside good friend and fellow 17-year-old Alan Finney, it marked the beginning of a Hillsborough career that took in two Division Two championships and an FA Cup semi-final, as well as five call-ups for the England team. His natural exuberance and sense of style - Quixall was famous for choosing to wear short shorts in an era when most spud-faced pros preferred to keep their knees warm while playing - brought a touch of much-needed glamour to a city that had been all but flattened by Second World War bombs. But it was inevitable that Wednesday, who were yo-yoing between the top two divisions for much of the 1950s, would eventually prove too small a stage for his talents. He joined Manchester United for £45,000 in 1958 - Matt Busby's first post-Munich signing - and went on to win an FA Cup winner's medal with them in 1963.

13. Des Walker

1993-2001, 362 appearances

Discovered by Brian Clough and thrust into the Nottingham Forest team at the tender age of 18, Des Walker was already a consummate defender long before he arrived at Hillsborough in 1993. Signed from Sampdoria for £2.7 million, Walker may not have had the pace he possessed in the days when he was England's first-choice centre back, but his positional sense meant he was always in the right place at the right time. Blessed with a game-reading ability that was simply on a different level to everyone else on the pitch, he rarely broke sweat in the eight seasons he spent at Wednesday and was able to call upon a formidable armoury of defensive skills - effortless marking ability, perfect timing in the tackle and a superhero-like jump - to thwart even the most explosive and skilful of opponents. Though Walker's eight-year spell with the Owls coincided with a waning of the club's fortunes, and he ended his career lining up against the likes of Grimsby and Crewe in the second tier, he never put in a performance that was less than excellent. "You'll never beat Des Walker", the song that celebrated the defender well into his mid-thirties, was one of football's absolute truisms.

12. Ron Springett

1958-1967, 384 appearances

The only Sheffield Wednesday player to hold a World Cup winners' medal, Ron Springett - second-choice goalkeeper in England's 1966 squad - was finally given his award by Gordon Brown earlier this year. Though it arrived more than 40 years late, it is a fitting tribute to a fine keeper who still remains the Owls' most-capped England player. Springett made his name in the late 1950s at Queen's Park Rangers, before moving north to Wednesday in 1958. Though his first season at Hillsborough coincided with the club's relegation to the second division, Springett brought a much-needed stability to the Owls' defence as the club won promotion at the first attempt and went on to record five consecutive top-six finishes in the first division. That during this period they only once conceded more than 40 league goals in a season was testament to their goalkeeper's expertise. A commanding presence in the penalty area, and as nimble and dextrous as a squirrel, Springett was about as hard to beat as keepers got. He returned to QPR in 1967, with his brother Peter coming to S6 in a unique swap deal. When Peter pulled off a magnificent save in one of his first games at Hillsborough, tipping a goalbound shot over the bar for a corner, he was surprised to be met with derision from those at the front of the Kop. "Tha's not as good as your Ron," one fan shouted. "He'd have caught that."

11. Jack Allen

1927-1931, 114 appearances, 85 goals

A solid if unspectacular inside-forward, who joined Wednesday from Brentford in 1927, Allen hardly set the world alight in his first year or so at Hillsborough. But in October 1928, when both of the club's first-choice strikers called in sick on the eve of an away game at Portsmouth, Allen was asked to play out of position and lead the attack. While the goal he scored in a narrow defeat may have hinted at a previously untapped ability, the seven that he banged in as Wednesday steamrolled the opposition during the next two games proved beyond all doubt that he was one of the finest natural centre-forwards to have ever worn the blue-and-white stripes. Allen added another 28 goals that season as the Owls surged towards their first league title for 25 years, and scored 39 in 1929-30 - including four in a 7-2 win over Manchester United - as the club finished 10 points clear of Derby County to once again be crowned English champions. Then, those two blistering seasons behind him, he returned to his native northeast to sign for Newcastle United, for whom he scored both goals in the 1932 FA Cup final. Allen's stay at Hillsborough may have been brief, but few players can claim to have made such a valuable contribution to the club as he did.

10. Terry Curran

1979-1982, 138 appearances, 39 goals

A moustachioed maverick from the tail-end of the 1970s, winger Curran was undoubtedly Jack Charlton's most audacious signing for the Owls. Curran was playing for Southampton in the first division, when the Wednesday manager somehow persuaded him to drop down two leagues and provide the finishing touch to his promotion push. Revelling in his big fish in a small pond status, Curran immediately set about terrorising third division defences, who hadn't the first idea about how to cope with a skilful, cheetah-quick winger who was already being touted as a future England prospect. And though he was often controversial - he was responsible for sparking a riot at Oldham Athletic that reduced Big Jack to tears and resulted in Wednesday fans being banned from travelling to away matches - he tended to redeem himself by playing his heart out on the big occasions. And, in Sheffield, they don't come bigger than the Steel City derby. Curran scored one, set up another and won a penalty as Wednesday annihilated the Blades 4-0 on Boxing Day 1979 - a contribution that means he'll never have to buy his own pint in the pubs of Hillsborough and Wadsley Bridge. Adored by the fans, who he always went out of his way to entertain, Curran was the undisputed star as Wednesday began their rise back to top-flight football.

9. Nigel Pearson

1987-1994, 224 appearances, 20 goals

Signed for £250,000 from Shrewsbury Town in 1987 after impressing Howard Wilkinson when playing against Wednesday in a League Cup tie, central defender Pearson initially struggled to win over the Hillsborough crowd. And when he was made club captain at the expense of terrace favourite Mel Sterland, the vitriol ratcheted up to bilious proportions. It was only after the arrival of Ron Atkinson as manager in 1989 that Pearson began to be fully accepted. Before he had seemed a limited, workaday defender; now he seemed one of the finest centre-backs of the era. Tall, powerful and strong as a rugby player, with a penchant for thunderous, net-bulging headers from set pieces, Pearson inspired and commanded the team from the back as they picked themselves up after the relegation of 1990 to win promotion at the first attempt. In the same season, he also captained Wednesday to victory against Manchester United at Wembley - picking up the man of the match award for keeping Mark Hughes and Brian McClair at bay - and lifted the club's first trophy for 56 years. In 1991-92, his calm, assured defending was instrumental in driving Wednesday's first serious title challenge since the 1960s. He may have been past his best when he left for Middlesbrough in 1994, but Pearson played his heart out in the blue-and-white stripes, and Wednesday fans will never forget it.

8. Carlton Palmer

1989-1994, 281 appearances, 18 goals

In Ron Atkinson's great team of classy dribblers and perfect passers, midfield player Palmer stuck out like, well, a gangly giant with pipecleaners for legs. He might have looked as though he didn't know what he was doing - he certainly gave the nation this impression when playing from Graham Taylor's England side - but he was one of the most effective midfield players to ever turn out for Wednesday. Partnering the gorgeously skilful John Sheridan in the centre of the field, "Spider" would fly into opposition players in a blur of whirling limbs, and always, always emerge with the ball. He also weighed in with vital goals - including equalisers at Wolves and Barnsley - in Wednesday's promotion- and League Cup-winning season in 1991, and continued to drive the midfield as the Owls finished third in the newly created Premier League in 1992, and reached two cup finals in 1993. He also inspired Hillsborough's most memorable football chant. "We've got Carlton Palmer, he smokes marijuana" rang around the terraces until he departed for Leeds United in 1994, and was briefly reprised in 2001 when he returned on loan to help out an ailing Wednesday team that had slipped into Division Two. He is the only player on this list to be afforded the honour of having my cat named after him.

7. Don Megson

1952-1970, 442 appearances, 7 goals

A towering presence in an excellent Wednesday side that finished as first division runners-up in 1961 and reached the FA Cup final in 1966, Megson will always be remembered as one of the club's greatest captains. A speedy left back with a genuine love of the game, he arrived at Hillsborough from non-League Mossley in 1952 and stayed for another 18 years until his creaking legs could almost take no more. In between, he guaranteed himself hero status in S6 through a navvy-like workrate, superb distribution and a penchant for bone-shattering tackles - including one that sent Everton forward Alex Scott spinning high into the air at Wembley in 1966. After finishing on the losing side in that match, thought by many to be one of the best cup finals of the postwar era, Megson took the unprecedented step of gathering his players together and taking them on a lap of honour around the pitch - the first runners-up ever to do so. After reluctantly leaving Wednesday, for whom he'd put in more than 400 appearances, in March 1970, he had spells in charge of Bristol Rovers and Portland Timbers of the US and now helps his son - erstwhile Owls midfielder Gary - with scouting for Bolton Wanderers.

6. Mel Sterland

1978-1988, 344 appearances, 49 goals

Brought up on Sheffield's notorious Manor Estate, attacking full back Sterland was the archetypal local boy made good. The fans adored him. He spoke with the same accent, drank in the same pubs and, with his chunky figure and amateurishly permed mullet, looked like a fair few of them too. Jack Charlton, who gave him his first-team debut in 1979, nicknamed him "Flying Pig Iron" in honour of his speedy forays down the wing; the fans preferred to call him "Zico". A regular at right back by the time Wednesday were promoted back to the first division in 1984, Sterland made the step-up to top-flight football with ease, proving an effective antidote to the trickier wingers of the mid-1980s, and regularly delivering the sort of crosses that strikers go to sleep dreaming about. Goals against teams such as Arsenal and Manchester United showed there was much more to his game than tackling and distribution, and Bobby Robson rewarded his efforts with an England cap against Saudi Arabia in 1988. He left Wednesday the same year to begin a disastrous spell in Scotland for Rangers, before teaming up with ex-Owls boss Howard Wilkinson to become part of his title-winning Leeds United side. After retirement, he flirted with acting - and, to the horror of those on the blue half of the city, donned red and white to play Sheffield United's captain in the woeful Sean Bean footballing vehicle, When Saturday Comes. It is testament to the high regard in which he is held that Wednesday fans were able to overlook this.

5. John Sheridan

1989-1996, 235 appearances, 32 goals

From the minute that Ireland international Sheridan arrived at Wednesday in 1989 for a bargain £500,000 from Nottingham Forest, it felt as though the club was going places. Brian Clough may not have rated him - allegedly nicknaming him "bag of sand" because of his lack of pace - but once Sheridan played his first ball in Wednesday colours, it was clear that the Owls had bought a composed, classy midfielder with the vision to control games and bring the best out of his teammates. Sheridan, who splayed inch-perfect passes in all directions, became the fulcrum around which the rest of the team operated, and for the first time in a generation Wednesday became a genuinely thrilling team to watch. He scored many spectacular goals during his time in S6 - including a wonderful solo winner in a Zenith Data Systems Cup match against Sheffield United, and an audacious chip and volley away at Luton Town - but it's for his match-winning strike in the 1991 League Cup final at Wembley that he'll always be remembered. He continued to run the Owls midfield with efficiency and flair through the title-chasing season of 1991-92, and was inspirational as Wednesday reached two cup finals in 1992-93. However, as Sheridan began to struggle with injuries his genius was somewhat eclipsed by the arrival of Chris Waddle, and he departed for Bolton Wanderers in 1996. When he came back to Hillsborough as player-manager of Oldham Athletic a few years ago, the reception he received from the crowd was enough to set even the most bone-headed centre half all a-quiver.

4. Chris Waddle

1992-1996, 145 appearances, 14 goals

A legend long before he signed for Wednesday for £1 million in the summer of 1992, Waddle had been consistently brilliant for Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Marseilles, played in two World Cups for England and had even appeared on Top of the Pops. In his thirties by the time he pulled on the blue-and-white stripes, he could easily have been forgiven for coasting through the twilight of his career, producing the occasional flick or backheel to remind fans of how good he'd once been. But Waddle, dropped from Graham Taylor's England team, had a point to prove. His skilful wingplay and visionary passing inspired victories against the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton in 1992-93, and his performances in Wednesday's twin cup runs were instrumental in taking the Owls to two finals. From a fan's point of view, his long-range free kick against the Blades in the all-Sheffield semi-final was perhaps his finest moment in a Wednesday shirt - though his single-handed destruction of West Ham United in December 1993 (when the Owls won 5-0) runs it close. One of the most naturally gifted footballers to ever play in English football - never mind for Sheffield Wednesday - he was the man of the match in almost every game he played in.

3. Derek Dooley

1947-1953, 63 appearances, 63 goals

Centre forward Dooley, who hailed from the Pitsmoor area of Sheffield, initially signed for Wednesday in 1947, but it wasn't until the 1951-52 season that he got a proper chance in the first team. He certainly took it. In a blistering season that saw the Owls top Division Two, Dooley scored 47 times in just 31 games - banging in five against Notts County, four against Hull City and Everton, and three against West Ham and Brentford. In the first division, he carried on where he left off, and had racked up 16 goals by February 1953 before suffering a broken leg away at Preston North End. It was to be the last time he played football. His leg became gangrenous, and doctors were forced to amputate to save the young striker's life. Immensely popular with the fans, who adored him for his down-to-earth nature as well as his remarkable goal-a-game strike rate, Dooley was a major loss for the club. So many were delighted when he returned to manage the team in the early 1970s. His spell at the helm was not a successful one, though, and after being shamefully sacked on Christmas Eve 1973, he crossed the city to work for Sheffield United. Rising to the position of managing director there, he oversaw some of the Blades' most successful seasons in recent memory and, by the time he passed away in March 2008, he was revered as much at Bramall Lane as he was at Hillsborough. In a two-club city, it is unthinkable that a main road could be named after a footballer - what swells the hearts of one set of supporters is, after all, anathema to the other. But, in Sheffield, both Wednesday and United fans proudly drive their cars along Derek Dooley Way, and the road sign is unlikely ever to be desecrated.

2. David Hirst

1986-1997, 353 appearances, 125 goals

A huge favourite with Owls supporters, who loved to see a South Yorkshireman sticking it to the best teams in the land, Cudworth-born centre forward Hirst had everything on his side. His left foot, on occasions, seemed to have been touched by God, and he blended power - Hirst's 114mph shot against the Arsenal crossbar in 1996 is still the hardest ever recorded in the Premier League - with grace and guile. Though he showed promise in his early days at the club, and even scored with his second touch on his debut, Hirst really came into his own after Ron Atkinson's arrival in 1989. In 1990-91, he scored 29 goals - including four in a demolition of Hull City - as Wednesday won promotion as well as the League Cup. And he followed this up with 20 at the top level in 1991-92, beginning with a 25-yard screamer against Aston Villa on the opening day of the season, as the Owls mounted a serious title challenge. As well as being whippet-fast and capable of ghosting past the top flight's most experienced defenders, he was also as strong as a pit pony and seriously hard. You couldn't mess with Hirst and expect to come out on top - as much-hyped "psycho" Stuart Pearce found out when he ended up on the floor after a tussle with the Wednesday forward. At his peak, he was every bit as good as Alan Shearer - Alex Ferguson, who tried several times to bring him to Old Trafford, certainly agreed - though a meagre three England caps show just how criminally underrated he was.

1. Roland Nilsson

1989-1994, 185 appearances, 2 goals

In an era when the inclusion of a southerner in the Wednesday team was seen as exotic, the 1989 signing of Sweden right back Nilsson from Gothenburg seemed impossibly glamorous. Not that any of the fans knew much about him. He may have played for his country a few times, but Sweden weren't exactly world-beaters in the late 1980s; and English fans, post-Heysel, tended not to care too much about European football. The £375,000 that Ron Atkinson paid, though, turned out to be one of the greatest bargains in the club's history.

 

Nilsson settled immediately, looking every inch the cool, calm international defender alongside his more blood-and-thunder colleagues in the back line. For four-and-a-half seasons, he barely made a mistake. His positional sense was spot-on, his tackling and heading were timed to perfection, and his distribution and passing were as good as that of any midfielder.

 

When he played in the 1991 League Cup final at Wembley just a couple of weeks after coming back from injury, there was a lot of talk about how Manchester United's left-wing prodigy Lee Sharpe was going to run him ragged. On the day, Sharpe barely got a kick. Without doubt the classiest footballer to ever play for Wednesday - despite his penchant for a blonde Euro mullet - Roland Nilsson always gave the impression that nothing opposing teams could throw at him was a problem.

 

He even made his one notable error, a misplaced passback in the 1993 League Cup semi-final that seemed destined to be an own goal, look as though he meant it - the ball safely hit the post and bounced back into the goalkeeper's arms. He left Wednesday at the end of the 1993-94 season to return to Sweden, and now manages Malmö. Fifteen years on, Owls fans still sing his name.

[Guest]

Wait. Andy Pearce isn't on this list. Nor is his hair.

[aeroswfc]

Amazing players on that list.

[Neal M]

Terry Curran.

 

We obviously love him, but #10 of all time?

 

Nah.

[Mr Farrell]

I'd have Paulo a bit higher.

[EccOvOwl]

Andrew Wilson should be number one. He has the all time appearance and goal scoring records, And two league championships. The fact we have no statue of him outside hillsborough is a disgrace. Most Wednesday fans I know Don't have a clue who he is.

[Mr Farrell]

I know he let us down in the final but maybe Warhurst could have made top 50 ?

[hasthagotanycheese]

Could somebody compile a list of the worst 50 Wednesday players of all time?

 

Ill start us off: Beswetherick, Jeffers, Larry May, Tidman............

[hasthagotanycheese]

4 hours ago, aeroswfc said:

Amazing players on that list.

Some notable exceptions.......no Shelts.........No Varadi

[Holmowl]

Who's going to be first to click the "quote" button?

 

Des Walker higher imo.

[ChinaOwl]

Bullen better than Marwood, Shelton and a few others.

 

[1947OWL]

I AGREE ROLAND NILLSON NUMBER ONE PLAYER OF ALL TIME IF WE HAD HIM AT RIGHT BACK NOW.

I CAN HAVE A DREAM AS WELL AS CARLOS.

Edited December 2, 2016 by 1947OWL

[1947OWL]

COULD HAVE FOUND A PLACE FOR ALAN FINNEY AND THE DELIGHT TO WATCH BOBBY CRAIG.

[Mr Farrell]

NO NIGEL WORTHINGTON ? WHY ARE WE SHOUTING ?

[ohgoditsjames]

Hirst scored 149 goals in 358 appearances

[eugene]

11 minutes ago, 1947OWL said:

COULD HAVE FOUND A PLACE FOR ALAN FINNEY AND THE DELIGHT TO WATCH BOBBY CRAIG.

 

#42

[DesWalker]

5 hours ago, EccOvOwl said:

Andrew Wilson should be number one. He has the all time appearance and goal scoring records, And two league championships. The fact we have no statue of him outside hillsborough is a disgrace. Most Wednesday fans I know Don't have a clue who he is.

 

Fully agree.

 

Andrew Wilson number 1 hands down.

[Greenhgate Owl]

lee Bullen in top 50

[ChinaOwl]

2 minutes ago, Greenhgate Owl said:

lee Bullen in top 50

 

That has to be a wind up.

 

At around the same time as Bullen was playing, the club also had Brunt and Whelan. Please tell me on what serious measure of football ability could anyone rate Bullen over those Brunt and Whelan? Cult hero status maybe or commitment to the club but ability based purely on football, hahahahaha.

 

[Dazblur]

Not a bad compiled list that tbh,

All have our soft spots for certain players but fair is fair with that top 50 for me,

If a few players we have now stick at the promotion mission I think there would be a big change in a few years for that list,