Vote For Brighton's All Time Greatest Player

[Mendoza]

From the limited choice given by Sky....

Sky Sports | Football | All Time Greats | Vote

Sky Sports' survey to find the best player ever to wear a Brighton shirt is reaching a conclusion - and we would like you to get involved.

We asked fans of each of the 92 English League teams and Scottish Premier League sides to nominate their all-time favourite footballers.

Short-lists have now been compiled from those selections for each club and you can now cast your votes for your all-time great.

Probably the most famous ever Seagulls side - the 1983 FA Cup final runners-up - provides a number of candidates for the title of greatest-ever Brighton player.

Steve Foster and Jimmy Case all came desperately close to beating Manchester United at Wembley while Mark Lawrenson, who moved the opposite way when Case arrived from Liverpool, also distinguished himself in the blue of Brighton.

Lawrenson played in the same Albion side as Peter Ward, a striker still fondly remembered for breaking the club's goalscoring record, with 36 strikes in the 1976-77 season. Is that achievement enough to earn your vote?

In more recent years, the Seagulls have been up and down amongst the lower divisions, but fans have still had the pleasure of watching some talented and committed players.

Brighton have provided a valuable education for the likes of Bobby Zamora in the last decade - maybe he deserves your vote? Or perhaps club legends Ian Mellor or Tommy Cook are deserving of your vote?

To make your selection please complete the attached poll and we will collate the results.

Once all votes are cast we will reveal the winners ahead of the 2009/10 season and crown Brighton's greatest-ever player!

 

[severnside gull]

Wot no Kit Napier?

 

[Brovion]

Wot? No Charles Webb? Disgraceful.

 

[Arthritic Toe]

Ian Mellor - greatest Albion player?

 

[chez]

No John Byrne either, shows how much time they put into the Brighton section.

 

[scooter1]

He shot, he scored it must be.... A few others have come close to Peter Ward, but surely it has to be him

 

[Gwylan]

No John Byrne either, shows how much time they put into the Brighton section.

Well, to be fair, I don't think that he stacks up alongside the likes of Cook, Lawrenson, or Zamora. Ward is a strange selection too - he's got a magical reputation but he didn't once win player of the year, I don't see how someone not deemed good enough to be player of the season could be called our best ever. And as for Melllor...

As Brovion says, the truly shocking omission is Charles Webb - that's terrible research. Johnny McNichol and Jimmy Langley would surely be in most Albion fans' top 10 too.

 

[supaseagull]

Garry Nelson missing as well.

I've gone for Zamora.

I don't really remember Ward or Lawrenson apart from when the former rejoined us on loan from Forest in 82/83 as I was quite young when he played for us.

 

[chez]

Well, to be fair, I don't think that he stacks up alongside the likes of Cook, Lawrenson, or Zamora. Ward is a strange selection too - he's got a magical reputation but he didn't once win player of the year, I don't see how someone not deemed good enough to be player of the season could be called our best ever. And as for Melllor...

As Brovion says, the truly shocking omission is Charles Webb - that's terrible research. Johnny McNichol and Jimmy Langley would surely be in most Albion fans' top 10 too.

I never saw Cook play obviously and it's hard to compare Lawro with John Byrne but I would certainly class John a better player than Zamora.

 

[defrocked priest]

What a shyte list but this is Sky Sports after all.

 

[Gwylan]

I never saw Cook play obviously and it's hard to compare Lawro with John Byrne but I would certainly class John a better player than Zamora.

It's always hard to compare players from different eras. My dad who watched the Albion from the 40s to the late 80s swore that the best player he ever saw for Brighton was Jimmy Langley but he's almost forgotten now. There are probably very few people alive who remember Webb or Cook as players but they were obviously very talented.

And that's before you take subjectivity into account: I'd have classed Zamora as slightly better than Byrne but I can see why people would think JB.

 

[wehatepalace]

f***ing hell ! No Kuipers either !

 

[wilf tranter]

Barry Rees would be my choice -- astonishing energy and footballing intelligence.

 

[BLOCK F]

Have watched since 1963 and my vote has gone to Wardy....IMHO,the sheer excitement and anticipation he created in the crowd couldn,t be beaten!
Funny old list of players though!!!!

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Overall it has to go to Peter Ward.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Who is that player under the photo of Peter Ward?!

 

[Frutos]

Where's Maheta Molango?

 

[brakespear]

Giles Stille? Steve Penney?

 

[Basil Fawlty]

No Mark Farrington, I'm disgusted.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Barry Rees would be my choice -- astonishing energy and footballing intelligence.

What a thoughtful choice.