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The best Spurs team of all time - left back

Who is the best left back to play for Spurs?


  • Total voters
    22
  • Poll closed .
Bale, simply because there will be other contenders for the LW spot but fewer outstanding LBs (though I am only 37)

Given Mabbutt has been chosen at CB rather than Macaky, it's exacerbated the problem of deciding between Gazza, Hoddle, Modric, Mackay and others in CM

I don't think that we can seriously consider Bale for the LB slot because his best (and vast majority of) games were played further forward. He's going to have to slug it out with Ginola and Jones for the left inside forward slot.
 
Bale, simply because there will be other contenders for the LW spot but fewer outstanding LBs (though I am only 37)

Given Mabbutt has been chosen at CB rather than Macaky, it's exacerbated the problem of deciding between Gazza, Hoddle, Modric, Mackay and others in CM

I've caved in to popular opinion and switched formation to 4-2-3-1 which should make it easier(ish) to pick the places further forward.
 
Knowles barely got a shout at international level, although to be fair Ray Wilson was, in modern parlance, a top, top player, and Terry Cooper practically invented the concept of the overlapping full-back, so it is no shame in losing out to that pair.

I once Knowles stop the ball on his own goal line and dribble past an onrushing attacker, which gave me a heart attack, but he pulled it off.

His brother Peter was pretty handy, also.

Yes he was and there was talk at the time that Spurs would like to sign him which would have been a good move, however he decided to quit the game and the move never happened.
 
Ziege and BAE are the first two that come to mind for me

Henry, Knowles and Hughton from the more distant past

I'd be tempted to suggest Bale though, as I suspect Ginola and Dyson will beat him out of LW
No idea who Dyson is but Bale is a far more complete player than Ginola was. I loved Ginola but not on Bales level for me....
 
No idea who Dyson is but Bale is a far more complete player than Ginola was. I loved Ginola but not on Bales level for me....

There's plenty of time to argue this one out when we come to it but I agree that Bale will hold his own in that company and stands a very good chance of making the team.
 
Well imo he is not the best LB we have now let alone the best we have had.
I'm sure he's not the best we have ever had but I can only contribute for the past twenty years or so and the best I could come up is Ziege, and I'm not sure he is a better left back than Rose to be honest. If you think Davies is better fair enough, I disagree...
 
I'm sure he's not the best we have ever had but I can only contribute for the past twenty years or so and the best I could come up is Ziege, and I'm not sure he is a better left back than Rose to be honest. If you think Davies is better fair enough, I disagree...

Fair enough.
 
Not too much to shout about in my era of supporting Spurs. Would probably go for Zeige or BAE, with Hughton in as someone I hadn't seen live but know much about.

Atouba it is, then.
 
if BAE and Ziege are in then I think Edinburgh should be included, he was here a long time and won a couple of trophies
 
Is our long list Henry, Knowles, Hughton, Ziege and BAE?

I think nominees should have played a decent number of games; Ziege featured in less than 50 league games for us... how could he possibly be included in a best-ever team???!!!
 
I think nominees should have played a decent number of games; Ziege featured in less than 50 league games for us... how could he possibly be included in a best-ever team???!!!

Not saying he is, but he would be included because he was the best player in that position. This isn't about legend status.
 
I think nominees should have played a decent number of games; Ziege featured in less than 50 league games for us... how could he possibly be included in a best-ever team???!!!

That was good criteria for whittling down the CBs down to 10. But we are scrapping the barrel a bit here.

There's 3 obvious candidates - one from each of the 60s, 70s and 80s. But from the last 25 years, for me, Ziege is the only standout player. He shouldn't win though
 
Not saying he is, but he would be included because he was the best player in that position. This isn't about legend status.

I think it is purely academic because no way is Ziege our best left back

However - following on from the regression to mean post - you need a player to have played at least the equivalent of two seasons to determine if he was the best player in that position in the club's history
 
Ron Henry every time. He wasn't just steady and reliable, he was a fcuking rock. No player I've watched since has been such a cert in the tackle, he seemed nigh on impassable.

Some might argue Ron never got forward enough but with the likes of Mackay and Dyson in front of him and an attack that scored goals for fun why would he need to? It was at the back where he was needed and that's where he excelled.

Knowles was great, something of an entertainer, a real folk hero, fans loved him for the way he could recover once beaten and fly into the tackle (often taking the player with him) but let's be honest he was also prone to the occasional coc k-up, something you could never say of Henry.

Chris Hughton was decent overall but there were times when the crowd would get on his back.

Pat Van Den Hauwe was probably the hardest of them all, a fearsome tackler who if he didn't get the ball he usually got the man, but you'd have to say by the time he joined us from Everton his best days were already past.

Ziege was strong in the tackle and his free-kicks were guided missiles but he was too in-and-out of the team to have made enough of an impact.

BAE in his prime was awesome, though another who always had a brainfart in him.

Bale was brilliant getting forward but never quite so solid at the back. Like Walker he relied heavily on turbo to make up for a lack of positional awareness. But like Mackay, Bale has to be fitted in somewhere - hopefully in our attacking line-up.

I love Rose for the way he so resolutely imposes himself on his opponent but whilst he's excellent at getting forward to support our attacks his crossing still leaves something to be desired.

So it has to be Henry for me - every time.
 
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Ron Henry every time. He wasn't just steady and reliable, he was a fcuking rock. No player I've watched since has been such a cert in the tackle, he seemed nigh on impassable.

Some might argue Ron never got forward enough but with the likes of Mackay and Dyson in front of him and an attack that scored goals for fun why would he need to? It was at the back where he was needed and that's where he excelled.

Knowles was great, something of an entertainer, a real folk hero, fans loved him for the way he could recover once beaten and fly into the tackle (often taking the player with him) but let's be honest he was also prone to the occasional coc k-up, something you could never say of Henry.

Chris Hughton was decent overall but there were times when the crowd would get on his back.

Pat Van Den Hauwe was probably the hardest of them all, a fearsome tackler who if he didn't get the ball he usually got the man, but you'd have to say by the time he joined us from Everton his best days were already past.

Ziege was strong in the tackle and his free-kicks were guided missiles but he was too in-and-out of the team to have made enough of an impact.

BAE in his prime was awesome, though another who always had a brainfart in him.

Bale was brilliant getting forward but never quite so solid at the back. Like Walker he relied heavily on turbo to make up for a lack of positional awareness. But like Mackay, Bale has to be fitted in somewhere - hopefully in our attacking line-up.

I love Rose for the way he so resolutely imposes himself on his opponent but whilst he's excellent at getting forward to support our attacks his crossing still leaves something to be desired.

So it has to be Henry for me - every time.
Great post, seems like you know your onions. Most of us on here can't compare Ron Henry to others, so I'll take your word for it and go with him.

Didn't he also have some great history... And a grandson that was a youth player?

PS. Just remembered Ben Thatcher. Dear me. At one point it seemed we aspired to be Wimbledon.
 
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