Steve Bruce once got 19 goals (all competitions) in a season. Pobably making him the highest top flight scoring defender for a season. So who have been others, and how have SAFC defenders faired through the years?
John Terry was a monster for a fee years, think Samba used to get a few. Full backs/wingbacks are a different matter obviously. Irwin used to bang in set pieces. Roberto Carlos scored a couple of pretty incredible flukes and people talk about him like he wasn't actually the massive bag of **** that he was.
Back in the day Charlie Hurley scored a decent amount of headers during his time here. No idea how many.
Stuart Pearce. He took pens didn't he? Dennis Irwin? For Sunderland I remember John McPhail had a good season.
Just checked Wikipedia he got 23 in some 250 odd games, not bad as he got them all from freed kicks & corners.
Used to enjoy Phil Bardsley's efforts when he finally managed to keep them down from Row Z. One free kick against West Brom at home was particularly memorable, although we lost 3-2
Daniel Passarella had something like 100 goals in 250 games for River Plate (as sweeper) but the best I know of is the guy currently managing Everton. Koeman got about 220 goals in his career (Mostly in Holland but also for Barcelona and the national side) - to put that into context Defoe hasn't hit 200 yet. Insane.
I was at both of these games. Benno was an absolute legend. Sure he could have played midfield if he'd fancied it. Some of his runs from centre half were legendary.
Kone got a few for you, last season. How's he looking this season? From what I gather, he's had his wage rise now and he's looking less bothered on the pitch.
I think of him as a defender so i wiki'd it for an unreliable opinion of someone I don't know and got: "A composed player, Koeman was capable of being deployed both as a defender and as a midfielder, and he frequently played as a sweeper, due to his vision and his ability on the ball.[2] One of the best attacking central defenders of all time" From my recollection of his latter days he was a defender who sometimes played DM like that fuzzy haired twat who has just gone back to Chelsea only he was an actual footballer with an actual brain.