Building a 21st Century Squad - MIDFIELD

For any-one just joining proceedings, we are trying to build a hypothetical Pompey Squad of 23 players (World Cup style) that have played for us since 2000.

The squad will consist of:
3 Goal Keepers
7 Defenders
8 Midfielders
5 Strikers

We have selected our three Goal Keepers: Jamie Ashdown, Shaka Hislop and David James.
We have so far selected three defenders: Sol Campbell, Younes Kaboul and Linvoy Primus. Voting is under way to select the other four - if you haven't already done so you can vote here http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/42212-Building-a-21st-Century-Squad-VOTE-FOR-YOUR-DEFENDERS


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Now it is time to nominate up to EIGHT MIDFIELDERS.

I am off tomorrow so on MONDAY morning I will check to see which players have the most nominations. If there are not eight clear cut winners then we will go to the polls to select them

 

Here are my 8 nominations (I can't help feeling I may have left out some-one obvious, but here goes).

In alphabetical order:

Patrik Berger
Pedro Mendes
Paul Merson
Gary O'Neil
Robert Prosinecki
Tim Sherwood
Alexi Smertin
Matt Taylor

 

In no particular order: O'Neil, Berger, Mendes, Merson, Prosinecki, Taylor, O'Hara, Stone.

I may have gone for D'Alessandro but since he was only here for about half a season I decided against it.

 

Diarra, O'Hara, Merson, Mendes, Prosinecki, D'Alessandro, Berger, Taylor.

Shame we can't go back further. I would have had Garwood, Hillare & Alan Rogers.

 

I never rated Diarra or Muntari. Muntari was too wasteful in and around the box and his distribution was, at times, suspect. Diarra, on the other hand, never really seemed to do that much during a game, maybe its just my amatuer opinion but to me he always seemed to fade out of a game. I cant remember one time that I was ever really impressed by either of them. They rate to me around the same as Papa Bouba Diop and Amdy Faye as useful but not great. Similarly Kranjcar and Boateng faded in and out of a game too often for me to rate them highly.

 

This list is based on effort and heart. Stone, Taylor, Merson, O'Neill, O'Hara, Mendes and Sherwood. Prosinecki was class although his skills were effortless. I think he could have run rings around the opposition with a cigarette in his mouth and his eyes closed.

 

Well with 8 places up for grabs, we have 7 winners so far:
6 votes each for Pedro Mendes, Paul Merson, Robert Prosinecki and Matt Taylor.
Elected with 4 votes each are Patrik Berger, Gary O'Neil and Jamie O'Hara.

ONE place remains and will go to the vote between those with 2 nominations:

Tim Sherwood, Alexi Smertin, Steve Stone, Andres D'Alessandro, Lassana Diarra.

I will open a poll and put the link here

 

Please go to this link to cast your vote

http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/42640-Building-a-21st-Century-Squad-MIDFIELD-VOTE