There might perhaps be a full bunch Barclays reminiscing on social media and we couldn’t withstand bringing you our Final Barclaysmen XI.
What is a correct Barclaysman? Neatly, it is virtually impossible to define. It’s a vibe, a conception, a theory. It isn’t tangible, it isn’t the leisure you might perhaps maybe measure – but confidently the gamers on this crew give you a theory of what it technique to be a Lawful Barclays Man.
GK: Jussi Jaaskelainen
Is there a more fitting technique to kick things off than with Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers No. 1? Jaaskelainen – who used to be shown a joint-chronicle for a goalkeeper four crimson cards in Our League – used to be a cat in between the sticks along with his outstanding diving and reflexes.
With Enormous Sam, Kevin Davies and Jaaskelainen’s pulled-up sleeves, Bolton away used to be the least bit times a nightmare fixture, no matter who you were. Allardyce made the Reebok a fortress and within the waste got Bolton into Europe after flirting with relegation, bringing in growing older superstars such as Hidetoshi Nakata and Fernando Hierro.
Jaaskelainen used to be a cult hero, representing Bolton from 1997 to 2012 before spending time at West Ham and Wigan Athletic, which is barely so Barclays. He used to be consistent, continually snubbed curiosity from rival clubs, and simply cherished taking part in for Bolton.
Honourable mentions: Paul Robinson, David James, Antti Niemi, Ali Al Habsi, Shay Given, Brad Friedel, Mark Schwarzer
RB: Pascal Chimbonda
Pascal Chimbonda used to be glorious considered coming out of retirement to play for the club he managed – ninth-tier Skelmersdale United – in 2024, citing Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola as his inspirations when given the job.
The correct reason we are here is to focus on his Barclays days, and they were not probably. Starring for Wigan Athletic of their first top-flight season, Chimbonda used to be very fervent to hitch Tottenham. So fervent that he pulled his transfer ask out of his sock on the glorious day of the season to head away boss Paul Jewell “fully livid”.
He spent two years in north London, one in Sunderland, another one with Spurs, and two in Blackburn. He’s correct Barclays.
Honourable mentions: Stephen Carr, Tony Hibbert, John Paintsil, Glen Johnson, Emmerson Boyce, Lucas Neill, Vedran Corluka
CB: Richard Dunne
Rubbish on the ball, a demon within the air, laborious as nails, and an trust intention machine, Richard Dunne used to be the complete lot. Before woke.
Handiest one man in Premier League historic past has scored double figure trust needs and Dunne is that man, beating Martin Skrtel, Phil Jagielka and Jamie Carragher. He used to be catastrophic but unprejudiced correct at the the same time. No player has got more crimson cards in Premier League historic past.
The truth he performed for Queens Park Rangers within the head flight is the icing on the cake.
CB: Sylvain Distin
Sylvain Distin made a grand 469 Premier League appearances – the most a player from a non-English-speaking country has ever gathered and one more than Peter Crouch. Longevity is a a must derive ingredient being taken into consideration and longevity is Distin’s heart name (it’s not; he doesn’t derive one).
No longer excellent did he play for David Moyes’ Everton, but – fancy Dunne – he used to be at Manchester Metropolis when they were sh*t which, again, is correct Barclays.
Distin represented Metropolis for five years, leaving a year before their Abu Dhabi takeover. He performed for Portsmouth when they won the FA Cup beneath Harry Redknapp. And used to be at Everton when they flirted with breaking into the head four.
What makes Distin’s relationship with Our League critical more gorgeous is that he moved to England in 2001 and retired in 2016 – the year Barclays started and carried out its named sponsorship agreement. We’re taking a survey at our Barclaysman XI captain, other folks.
Honourable mentions: Phil Jagielka, Linvoy Primus, Paul Scharner, Christopher Samba, Brede Hangeland, Scott Dann, Aaron Hughes, Younes Kaboul, Fabricio Coloccini, Rahdi Jaidi
LB: Leighton Baines
A left-relief must obviously derive a wand of a left foot and be more attacking than the excellent-relief. That is the style football is speculated to be performed. Being an arena-fragment specialist makes things even better and that gets Leighton Baines in as a non-negotiable.
There used to be a proper case for Baines being the handiest in his role in world football for about a months, which virtually ended in a transfer to Manchester United which might perhaps maybe derive barred him from this crew.
Enjoying for Wigan and Everton, these sideburns and his outstanding intention catalogue invent Baines one of many handiest Barclaysmen accessible.
Honourable mentions: Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Maynor Figueroa, Paul Konchesky, Hermann Hreidarsson
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RM: Jay-Jay Okocha
So correct they named him twice, Jay-Jay Okocha didn’t slot in at Bolton but that didn’t prevent the connection from working completely. Allardyce wanted a accurate, sturdy crew but allowed Okocha to explicit himself after a shock transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Along with his ridiculous potential on the ball, the Nigerian used to be a maverick and is a proper football memoir. The kind of player that makes you drop in fancy with the sport and a crew. If he made you drop for Bolton, he doubtlessly owes you an apology, but their contemporary struggles are doubtlessly rate it for that golden period with Allardyce accountable of Okocha and co.
Honourable mentions: Stelios Giannakopoulos, Hatem Ben Arfa, Sebastien Larsson, Steed Malbranque, Zoltan Gera, Aaron Lennon, Yossi Benayoun, Leon Osman, Brett Emerton
CM: Tugay
This man had a foot fancy a traction engine. Disappointingly, every intention he scored for Blackburn came from out of doors the box…bar one. That ruins a in point of fact perfect chronicle: the accurate inverse of Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring all but one of his Manchester United needs from right thru the box.
Tugay retired a Blackburn memoir after scoring a complete lot of peaches and operating the quilt from midfield, striking up his boots in 2009 after eight years at Ewood Park. Rovers got the Turk’s latter but better years and must you think of Barclays, you think of this guy and his sweet correct peg.
CM: Niko Kranjcar
One among Harry Redknapp’s favourite boys, Niko Kranjcar used to be a triffic playa and a correct-taking a survey lad.
Redknapp brought Krancjar to Portsmouth in 2006 and signed him again when Tottenham manager in 2009, and again at QPR four years later. That relationship alone makes the Croatian an iconic Barclays neatly-known person but that is a lot from being his excellent selling level; he used to be additionally a phase of Spurs’ Croatian mafia alongside Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka.
He used to be a wizard with the ball at his feet and an outstanding finisher. In a game losing its eccentricity and being overrun by tactics and positioning, we drag away out gamers fancy Kranjcar.
Honourable mentions: Pedro Mendes, Jordi Gomez, Ivan Campo, Steve Sidwell, Geovanni, Wilson Palacios, Elano, Stephen Ireland, Gareth Barry, James Morrison, Charlie Adam, Rory Delap, David Dunn, Tom Huddlestone, Kevin Nolan, Stuart Holden, Sandro, Jimmy Bullard, Stephane Sessegnon, Nigel Reo Coker
LM: Morten Gamst Pedersen
A ferocious left foot is the largest rule for any person taking part in on this facet. They additionally derive to be left-footed; none of this woke slicing-inner nonsense. Catch to the byline and dig out a contaminated, or better yet, derive a pop from deep.
Morten Gamst Pedersen used to be more than in a position to doing unprejudiced that. He excellent represented Blackburn in Our League, making 260 appearances, which is fully bettered by three Norwegian gamers: John Arne Riise (321), Claus Lundekvam (290) and Henning Berg (275).
A ridiculous intention catalogue appears to be valuable for midfield gamers and with a left peg fancy Pedersen’s, you are the least bit times going to derive unprejudiced that. Volleys, free-kicks, shots from range, he scored from in all places and not continuously ever scored a contaminated intention. He even had a median correct foot on him, scoring about a belters on his weaker facet.
It’s laborious to conceal why, but ‘Gamst’ on the relief of his shirt unprejudiced makes the complete lot so critical better.
Honourable mentions: Matty Taylor, Steven Pienaar, Matt Jarvis, Chris Brunt, Craig Bellamy, Luis Boa Morte
ST: Yakubu
The Yak used to be the first name on the crew-sheet, which is exceptional given the broad sequence of strikers to make a option from. Merely quickly survey at these honourable mentions; we got reasonably bit over-mad.
All over again, the CV comes into play here. Yakubu’s first style of Premier League action used to be with Portsmouth, scoring 28 needs in two seasons, then he got double figures in two years at Middlesbrough, 25 in 82 for Everton, and within the waste 17 in a single season at Blackburn. Severely, does it get any better than that?
With a intention chronicle the same to Didier Drogba’s, the Nigerian came unprejudiced rapid of reaching the 100 club, scoring 95 needs in 252 top-flight suits.
ST: Tim Cahill
Everton never made the Champions League neighborhood stage beneath David Moyes but two of their gamers lead the highway for our Final Barclaysman XI, in advise that is all that matters.
Cahill used to be one of many largest aerial threats within the Barclays but used to be shorter than fine critical every centre-relief he came up against. His jump and timing made him a consistent goalscorer and the most iconic Australian to play in England, with one of many most iconic celebrations.
There were so many strikers to make a option from and Yakubu’s accomplice doubtlessly changes each day. Merely survey at these honourable mentions. This time next week, we would maybe be raging we snubbed Kanu. The week after that, this would maybe be #JusticeForBenjani.
Honourable mentions: Tuncay Sanli, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Peter Crouch, Michu, Amr Zaki, Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, Kanu, Clint Dempsey, Kevin Doyle, Obafemi Martins, Benjani Mwaruwari, Lomana LuaLua, Hugo Rodallega, Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse, Graziano Pelle, Ricardo Fuller, Kenwyne Jones, Jonathan Walters, Roman Pavyluchenko, Darren Crooked, Marlon Harewood, Roque Santa Cruz, Stern John, Collins John, John Carew, Kevin Davies, Mark Viduka, Andy Johnson, Emile Heskey, Johan Elmander, Matt Derbyshire, Asamoah Gyan
Supervisor: Harry Redknapp
Sir Alex Ferguson is the most winning manager in Premier League historic past and made the Barclays his b*tch, but that doesn’t invent him pure Barclays. Merely as the handiest gamers, Thierry Henry, Ryan Giggs, and others, are not linked relating to Barclaysmen.
It’d be nasty to derive any person instead of ragged West Ham, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham and QPR manager Redknapp lead this crew out. Now unprejudiced f***ing elope round reasonably.
Honourable mentions: Sam Allardyce, Alan Pardew, Steve Bruce, David Moyes, Mark Hughes, Tony Pulis, Phil Brown
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