Please vote for your 2 Favourite Wfc centre forwards . The RM poll was really tight but Cally came out on top closely followed by AY + TS! This is going to be the most hotly debated and there is no doubt that some people's favourite ever players will not even make the team. Looking forward to the result tho.. I also left MK out for obvious reasons even tho he was superb when he played for us.
This was by far the hardest choice for me! Loved TS, KP, PF, PW, RJ, DG, HH. Never saw CH play but by all accounts would be in the team if we had seen him play! In the end went with Sir Luther Blissett + Sir Tommy Mooney, totally different players but both gave everything. Over to you guys . . .
Surprisingly Luther Blissett has taken an early lead! In my first season watching Watford, Ross Jenkins scored 37 goals and Blissett only managed 29! But my head has chosen Paul Furlong ahead of Ross of those selected. If you remember Furlong in the season 1993/94 you can see how hard he worked in a struggling side, and then he got sent off twice and earned a 7 match suspension (3+3+1 extra), so he missed the Bolton match 23 Oct, in front of just 7492 souls. 3 nil down after 70 mins, we came back to win 4-3. And I so nearly left the game when we went 3 down! In terms of "out and out" goalscorers I would rate Kevin Phillips up there in the top category. Anyone who could look good in that team must have had real class. Phillips showed how good he was on his 1st appearance and on his last appearance, and his positional sense was and still is immaculate. And Mo Johnston was a serial goal scorer, he knew where the target was and rarely missed - he was our Gerd Muller. But Mo was no team player. Tommy Mooney, I know a lot of people who think he was our best ever ......... well I thought he worked his socks off in the early days, but was then paired up with Jamie Moralee, a truly dreadful player. And it knocked Mooney in season 94/95 when Craig Ramage shone. Mooney was no better in 95/96, but was reborn at Left Centre Half in 96/97. Then he drifted until Easter 1999, that Tranmere match ....... and then Mooney enjoyed a purple patch riding the wave (like a surfer). He faded again after injury in Sep 99 - that tackle from Marcel Desailly was criminal. But enjoyed a swansong in 2000/01, playing a little wide (cheating by leaning on the fullback!). He then joined Birmingham on a huge, fat contract ....... so Mooney doesn't get my vote as he didn't have enough class IMO! Danny Graham doesn't quite get my vote as he was only with us for 2 years, yes he was brilliant last season and will always get my praise, but not my vote. Everyone loves a goalscorer, and I particularly love a striking combination, and THE Ross Jenkins is unlucky not to get my vote - nearly 10 years at the Vic including "the wilderness years", he probably deserves better. As a forward Marlon King gets my praise, he played such a big part in our promotion year, but as a person ....... no thank you - we were warned and we got 12 good months out of him, but the rest was just pain.
There's a lot of good strikers missing from that list. Mo Johnston (33), Barry Endean (37), Billy Jennings (37) to name but 3 I know it can be a never ending list but Keith Mercer (53) and even believe it or not Gifton Noel Williams (41) scored more and played longer for the club than Kevin Phillips (25). Smith was never a centre forward for us despite his many goals but the main 3 are there Jenkins, Blissett & Helguson whilst Danny has a chance as he is in the most recent memory.
Went for the two Tommys (would have voted Luther instead of Smith if the former wasn't an absolute certainty).
So difficult to choose between three! Big Cliff was a freak of nature who could (and did) score goals in any division and, I suspect, would do so in any era. Luther - well, nothing to say about him that hasn't already been said - the original Watford Legend in my book. Ross - yet another legend, whose glory years were alongside Luther. For my money, no-one else comes close to those three. And with a tear in my eye, I discounted Ross simply because he never really performed without Luther, whereas Cliff could do it on his own or with any other strike partner.
I actually think you have to take into consideration a few things when doing a list like this Chris! Firstly the era we are in will dictate a major amount of the votes and the majority of people on here would not have heard of players like Endean, Jennings and Mercer so even though they are greats it would be pointless putting them in. With regards to Gifton v Mo Jo v Kevin Phillips . I will accept that Mo Jo was class but one season was not enough for me to include him, GNW was good for WFC but not in KPs league in the way he played and what he went on to achieve . I think as a whole the list is ok and although some are debatable if you were to take out the 5 weakest out of this group of 10 and then add in the 5 you suggested I would have a whole heap of money your 5 would get less votes! I think the only real debatable inclusion is Paul Wilkinson but there just had to be striker with a great tash in the top 10 .
Made me think a bit , I thought who would I have liked to see play together if I had a time machine! Came up with LB and DG together they would have been dynamite! The only reason I didnt vote for Ross was the fact we seem to be assembling the late 70 early 80's team!
This is the most difficult for me as i feel like a bad hornet not voting for SLB, but i have to go with the same principles of only voting for players i have seen play. So it has to be TS and DG. I know neither are the best on the list, but i cant change the criteria now. I do recognise the SLB is by far the best striker on the list though!!
Bhd you bad hornet !!!!! Only kidding these polls ask for opinions , yours is just as valid as anyone else!
I know Heiðar from his football record and I have seen him play. I think he had a better nose than Danny Graham for goal when he was younger. I cannot vote for the others as I do not know them very well except for reputation and is Tommy Smith not a winger. I see only Luther Blissett wining as he was with Watford for so long and made so many records.
BHD your oppinion is totally valid, I just wish you could have also experienced SLB, JMac & TC for me they are what WFC was all about. My recent favourites though are the 2 you mentioned, so its all relevant ....
TS Played a fair few games as a striker (normally playnig just off the main striker) When he came back for his second stint he played far more games as a Right Winger ....
Dagnabbit! Done it again.Only voted for one player (Luther) and now can't cast my second vote, which is hard to decide on between Jenkins, Mooney & Helguson, but Tommy M. gets my 2nd vote if that's allowable. Never saw Cliff H but when I started watching we were aware of his status as a goal scoring legend.
Gordon read the whole post before voting !( I have been caught out like that before too) I`m not sure i can help changing your vote once its in progress! sorry
Dont worry GG, an extra vote will be logged for TM (to be honest it looks like he is going to be a clear secong anyway)
Jeez, even harder than the previous one. Had to go with SLB obviously - he was pivotal in my favourite Watford team of all time and scored my favourite Watford goal ever too. Tough leaving Ross Jenkins I and SuperKev out but on the basis that if I had to pick someone out of that list to play in my team, playground stylee, I would definitely go for DG.