I’m basing this on players I’ve seen play for us so 1989 onwards:
Bobby Zamora:
Gary Hart;
Glenn Murray;
Lewis Dunk.
Bobby Zamora:
Gary Hart;
Glenn Murray;
Lewis Dunk.
Hmm I struggled whether or not to include him at all and clearly didn’t but only on the back of the fact that I don’t think that initial climb out of the doledrums was as influential as you say to our current position. Don’t forget we dropped back one division twice before making our ascent.
Goal scorers are vital to successful teams - hence our current frustrations - but I don’t think he was as influential in the long run. His sale price didn’t change much, he went for far too little in classic Albion fashion. On his recent return it was amazing to see him play for the stripes again but he couldn’t quite get us over the line, which is why I chose Murray.
I’m basing this on players I’ve seen play for us so 1989 onwards:
Bobby Zamora:
Gary Hart;
Glenn Murray;
Lewis Dunk.
This is so subjective, and nigh on impossible to seperate four from all the other many worthy candidates.
But put on the spot l would probably go with Ward, Murray, and Webb too, as for the fourth though, l'm really struggling.
I follow a football website called These Football Times - worth a look if you have time - and they’ve started an interesting feature whereby as the title suggests you nominate four of the most influential players of all time for your club.
Seeing as they’re unlikely to feature us I thought we could have a crack. Clearly different eras will mean more to different people but we’re talking all time here so try to think further back than the promotion season?!
Peter Ward - talismanic, a gem unearthed and hugely influential in our rise to the First Division for the first time. Sure goalscorers hog the limelight right but without him our rise might never have happened.
Glenn Murray - So close to breaking our all time goal scoring record but so influential on his return to the club that think most of us agree if we’d have signed him sooner we’d have been in the Premier League much sooner. Iconic.
Charlie Webb - just a name to most of us and yes another goal scorer but how many can lay claim to having been a record goal scorer, our first ever full international, scoring the winning goal of our only notable trophy to date, then fought in the First World War getting promoted to Captain and returning to the Albion afterwards as our manager. A post in which he remained until 1947. A club legend.
Gary Hart - has there been a better value purchase ever than OGH? Costing a grand and a set of tracksuits he came with little to no fan fair and injected some much needed hope, running and never say die attitude. A man who repeatedly proved his worth to manager after manager even through his advancing years. A joy to watch and a player we could all depend on.
Notable mentions but not quite making it into the rock face:
Brian Horton
Danny Cullip
Bruno
Johnny Crumplin Football Genius
Alan Curbishly
Johnny Byrne
Many will disagree and that’s the whole point, so fire away!
Never put anybody on my ignore list before but you were nearly the first trying to back up your decision not to include Zamora
Cullip in for OGH but same for me.
When ever I have heard him speak he only ever talks of his time at Liverpool
I think people have moved away from the concept here. The idea of Mount Rushmore was to celebrate presidents who had made the USA what it was. Similarly, a club's Mt Rushmore is celebrating those players who have throughout history made the club what it is today.
When it was carved, there was no-one left alive who could remember a Washington or Jefferson presidency but their record in US history was appreciated. We've had a 120 years of Albion history, so putting players solely from the last 30 years is like naming Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron as the greatest prime ministers in British history,
I think people have moved away from the concept here. The idea of Mount Rushmore was to celebrate presidents who had made the USA what it was. Similarly, a club's Mt Rushmore is celebrating those players who have throughout history made the club what it is today.
When it was carved, there was no-one left alive who could remember a Washington or Jefferson presidency but their record in US history was appreciated. We've had a 120 years of Albion history, so putting players solely from the last 30 years is like naming Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron as the greatest prime ministers in British history,
I agree. Seems people are just putting in their favourite players. Sad that many can't relate to the history of the club otherwise Charlie Webb would be on everyone's list!!
When ever I have heard him speak he only ever talks of his time at Liverpool