Is Lewis Dunk better than Mark Lawrenson?

[Silverhatch]

In this uber hyperbole football world, and with David Luiz being worth £50m, Mark Lawrenson would be the first £100m defender. If Dunky gets to 75% of his class he'll get 50 England caps.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

In this uber hyperbole football world, and with David Luiz being worth £50m, Mark Lawrenson would be the first £100m defender. If Dunky gets to 75% of his class he'll get 50 England caps.

You do think now, 900,000k for Lawro. And we turned down 12 mill for Dunky. If he is playing for us and gets a few caps under his belt, you could be looking at a 25 mill Dunk.

 

[portslade seagull]

Lawrenson for me at the moment. Need to see Dunk in a higher division

 

[A mex eyecan]

I was going to say 19 but thought nah. Back in the day the squad used to come to the Old Forge in East Preston for Christmas, or it could have been end of season, and I remember thinking how young he was when we were stood outside thinking how lucky we were having the squad in EP. They'd come out and ride our bikes (pissed), chuck us some cake (literally) and generally act like teenagers!

strange isn't it how old/young people appear to be depending on your age.
at the time he was playing for us i used to play for a pool team around preston park area, often we would arrange charity nights for the rocking horse appeal and the albion very often used to either send two or three representatives and some times put up a team to play us. Lawro came in more than one occasion and compared to my youthful appearance ( ah hem ) i thought he looked quite old! if he was 24 FFS how can he have done !

 

[Seagull58]

I could be wrong, it is many decades ago, but I believe I saw Lawro on his home debut and many games thereafter. I have obviously watched Dunky for as long. I do not see him being a Lawrenson, based on my own opinion that I think Lawro is one of the greatest centre backs ever to grace English football.

Lawro was able to bring the ball out of defence and run the length of the pitch (yes, I know it's a different game now). There was 1 match Brighton scored 5 goals with Teddy Maybank getting a hat trick (maybe an Easter game?). Lawro was unplayable that day. He took the ball from 1 end of the pitch to the other and put it on Maybank's toe for 2 of his goals. Dunk is better in the air and will score more goals than Lawro but he is not, and never will be, as good a footballer. He will be a top, top centre half though.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Yes, definitely.

 

[silverwizard]

Think Rio, Cahill and he's better

No way. Lewis might achieve the level of Cahill but Rio for years was one of the best CB's in the world. How England could do with him and JT now.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

strange isn't it how old/young people appear to be depending on your age.
at the time he was playing for us i used to play for a pool team around preston park area, often we would arrange charity nights for the rocking horse appeal and the albion very often used to either send two or three representatives and some times put up a team to play us. Lawro came in more than one occasion and compared to my youthful appearance ( ah hem ) i thought he looked quite old! if he was 24 FFS how can he have done !

Ha! Yes I was probably about 14 when he was 19, so he did look a tad older (and people did in those days anyway).

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Lawro was able to bring the ball out of defence and run the length of the pitch (yes, I know it's a different game now). There was 1 match Brighton scored 5 goals with Teddy Maybank getting a hat trick (maybe an Easter game?). Lawro was unplayable that day. He took the ball from 1 end of the pitch to the other and put it on Maybank's toe for 2 of his goals. Dunk is better in the air and will score more goals than Lawro but he is not, and never will be, as good a footballer. He will be a top, top centre half though.

I can't agree more. And to feed Maybank a goal was a rarity, let alone two!!

 

[Seagull58]

what age was Lawro when we bought him? just wondering if he had more experience when we had him than what we are comparing Dunk with?

dunky certainly has made mistakes, that's all part of learning his trade, its good to see the lessening events of red mist descending on him.

If I recall correctly (it was a long time ago), we bought Lawro from Preston for 100,000 when he was 21.

 

[Seagull58]

just looked on wiki, ML was 19 when joined and 24 when he left. Cost us 100k and sold him for 900k

Only 19! I though he was 21 but what a great buy at 19, even for 100K.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

If I recall correctly (it was a long time ago), we bought Lawro from Preston for 100,000 when he was 21.

After 73 league appearances for the Deepdale club he moved to Alan Mullery's Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer before the start of the 1977–78 season for £100,000. Ironically, they outbid Liverpool who also showed interest in the 19-year-old Lawrenson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Lawrenson

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I think he replaced Graham Winstanley?

 

[Seagull58]

I can't agree more. And to feed Maybank a goal was a rarity, let alone two!!

I'm sure all three of Teddy's goals were scored from less than 2 yards out that day, and he bundled one in with his nuts!

 

[Trevor]

Haven't read the whole thread but to adapt the Shankly joke. Lewis is probably better but you have to remember that Mark Lawrenson is 59 now

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I'm sure all three of Teddy's goals were scored from less than 2 yards out that day, and he bundled one in with his nuts!

I wasn't a fan of Maybank, but he was stepping into Wardy's territory so he started with zero chance anyway.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Haven't read the whole thread but to adapt the Shankly joke. Lewis is probably better but you have to remember that Mark Lawrenson is 59 now

So he's 7 years older than me, no wonder he looked old when I was a mere kid!

 

[alfredmizen]

I wasn't lucky enough to see Lawro in the stripes first hand, but I have heard stories of his mazy runs and ariel dominance. Is Dunk in the same league? And if so, could he be better? He is just unbelievable in the air, can put a 70 yard diagonal pass on a pinhead, likes the occasional surge forward and scores goals..

I'm a JCL who's first game was in '96 (aged 9!) and I haven't seen anyone as good.

You were 9 , you are not a JCL.

 

[Postman Pat]

This with knobs on Icy Gull. I remember those languid, long-strided surges out of defence from Lawro but I honesty belief Duncky has the edge. I'm not sure about the 'goals-for' tally (please let us know someone) but I would think our Sussex boy has the edge....

9 in 150 for Dunk (148 with us)
21 in 488 for Lawro (5 in 152 for us)

 

[Southern Scouse]

No where near!
Dunk is a very decent player, but Lawro was different class. It's like saying is Murray better than Ward....
Doesn't mean to say he will never be, just that he isn't at the moment.