[Albion] Albion Mount Rushmore

[Barham's tash]

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!

 

[b.w.2.]

Mark Lawrenson


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bozza]

I'd struggle to NOT include Bobby Zamora in a top four "most influential".

He was pivotal in helping to kick-start the club's upwards trajectory from the footballing doldrums, a journey which got us to where we are today.

It still feels like there was a fair degree of luck in his acquisition, as Lorenzo Pinamonte seemed to the striker we were after until Noades and Brentford stepped in and nicked him away from us. We picked up BZ and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[MattBackHome]

Tommy Cook is up there surely

 

[The Rattler]

Paul Clark
Danny Cullip
Adam El Abd
Doug Rougvie

All built like Mount Rushmore


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ConfusedGloryHunter]

If you included OGH, would Mrs Beckham then be persuaded to do the unveiling?

 

[Barham's tash]

I'd struggle to NOT include Bobby Zamora in a top four "most influential".

He was pivotal in helping to kick-start the club's upwards trajectory from the footballing doldrums, a journey which got us to where we are today.

It still feels like there was a fair degree of luck in his acquisition, as Lorenzo Pinamonte seemed to the striker we were after until Noades and Brentford stepped in and nicked him away from us. We picked up BZ and the rest, as they say, is history.

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.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Going to echo the OP's inclusion of Hart for the reason's he outlined

Hart - "Run through that brick wall would you Harty?" "yes boss"
Cullip - After a decade of acceptance of mediocrity, finally a player who didn't accept mediocrity. His steel, as much as Zamora's goals, got us up two divisions and made us utterly compelling viewing.
Knockeart - OK, ok, like a whirlwind teenage romance, it didn't last long, but he got me out of my seat like no other
Dunk - Best player i've seen for us

I'm sure older fans will cite Ward, Lawro etc

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

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!

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.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Knockeart - OK, ok, like a whirlwind teenage romance, it didn't last long, but he got me out of my seat like no other

Noe entirely sure stone can support that much free standing weight to do his nose.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Really difficult but if you have to go with 4, Webb, Gall, Lawrenson and Murray, each epitomised and helped influence a different halcyon era at the club, with Lawro actually being the greatest player, to date, to ever pull on a shirt.

 

[vagabond]

It also depends on your age. Some of these players younger fans will have never seen.

 

[withdeanwombat]

I’d have to include the Napier twins, Sully and Bertolini.

Really, I’d need a bigger mountain.

 

[Binney on acid]

Four Fred Binneys would do for me.

 

[elwheelio]

Fran Sandaza, Chris Holroyd, Colin Hawkins & Danny Holla.

 

[dazzer6666]

Bruno.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Fran Sandaza, Chris Holroyd, Colin Hawkins & Danny Holla.

The last three on a slag heap perhaps?

 

[Danny Wilson Said]

Peter Ward, Bruno, Bobby Z, Nobby Horton.

Backups - Steve Foster, Bobby Smith, Tommy Cook, Muzza, Dunk, Gary Hart.

 

[Blue3]

Mark Lawrenson


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When ever I have heard him speak he only ever talks of his time at Liverpool

 

[Blackadder]

Four Fred Binneys would do for me.

Four? are you crazy? Are you on acid?