Our last sweeper?

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:04 pm

Simple question - who was the last player to play for us at sweeper, or rather to start the game in that position?

Incidentally, for anyone under the age of about 30, a sweeper is an outfield player who traditionally plays just behind a back four!

jrgbfc · Post by **jrgbfc** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:06 pm

fidelcastro wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:04 pm
Simple question - who was the last player to play for us at sweeper, or rather to start the game in that position?

Incidentally, for anyone under the age of about 30, a sweeper is an outfield player who traditionally plays just behind a back four!

Didn't Waddle try playing himself there the odd game?

Lord Beamish · Post by **Lord Beamish** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:07 pm

Didn’t Chris Waddle play sweeper for us in the ‘90s?

Hibsclaret · Post by **Hibsclaret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:09 pm

Has had 17 new heads and 14 new handles...

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:11 pm

Yes. I'm struggling to think of one since Waddle.

FactualFrank · Post by **FactualFrank** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:12 pm

Hibsclaret wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:09 pm
Has had 17 new heads and 14 new handles...

Look at the photo if you don't believe me.

DCWat · Post by **DCWat** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:14 pm

I can’t remember the last time I saw any team playing with a sweeper, let alone Burnley.

FactualFrank · Post by **FactualFrank** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:15 pm

I remember chatting to someone at Towneley Golf Club and we were discussing the Sweeper and Anchorman roles. This must have been mid 00s, so going back 15 years.

He seemed to think that the Sweeper played behind the midfield. I told him, "That's the anchorman" but he wasn't having any of it.

CleggHall · Post by **CleggHall** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:17 pm

Leighton James played sweeper (badly) at Hartlepool several years ago. Think what progress we have made.

jrgbfc · Post by **jrgbfc** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:19 pm

I'm sure Waddle was great there until he had to run.

Bosscat · Post by **Bosscat** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:19 pm

Lord Beamish wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:07 pm
Didn’t Chris Waddle play sweeper for us in the ‘90s?

Didn't Waddle start out as a sweeper... Sweeper up at a Sausage factory

Hibsclaret · Post by **Hibsclaret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:21 pm

FactualFrank wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:15 pm
I remember chatting to someone at Towneley Golf Club and we were discussing the Sweeper and Anchorman roles. This must have been mid 00s, so going back 15 years.

He seemed to think that the Sweeper played behind the midfield. I told him, "That's the anchorman" but he wasn't having any of it.

Rocket Ron Burgundy

Funkydrummer · Post by **Funkydrummer** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:27 pm

Basil Brush ?

Vegas Claret · Post by **Vegas Claret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:46 pm

Charlie Taylor today won a header in the sweeper role today that almost certainly stopped Leicester scoring as it would have been 3 against Nick Pope

Tricky Trevor · Post by **Tricky Trevor** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:54 pm

Beckenbauer perfected it then teams sussed if you put a player up on the sweeper it trumped the guy playing there. Times change.

Jakubs Tash · Post by **Jakubs Tash** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:14 pm

The last time we played 3/5 at the back was when we had the 'Holy Trinity' of Davis, Thomas and Cox. Can't remember who the spare man of the 3 was, though....

That was some trio of defenders by the way. No wonder we went up with those at the back, Little creating and Payton and Cooke up front!

steve1264b · Post by **steve1264b** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:16 pm

Martin Dobson. Legend.

dermotdermot · Post by **dermotdermot** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:28 pm

You beat me to it. Martin Dobson. I'm sure that he was deployed as a sweeper at some stage late in his career.

FactualFrank · Post by **FactualFrank** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:32 pm

In today's game, I'd expect the sweeper role to be more a hindrance than a help with how the offside rule has been messed about.

BabylonClaret · Post by **BabylonClaret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:38 pm

Dobbo played sweeper in the Third Division Champions team

warksclaret · Post by **warksclaret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:44 pm

As Martin Dodson came to the end of his career he played this role-and he was brilliant at it. Its a very rare "trade" today. John McGreal played a similar role. Both these guys read the game so well

ten bellies · Post by **ten bellies** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:47 pm

Leighton James in Div 4.

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:47 pm

I suppose the next logical question has to be....Who was the first Burnley player to operate in the sweeper role for a number of games ?.....Anyone?

quoonbeatz · Post by **quoonbeatz** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:51 pm

I'm more of a libero than a sweeper tbh.

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:53 pm

quoonbeatz wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:51 pm
I'm more of a libero than a sweeper tbh.

To be fair, quoonbeatz, your dad Ken was more than adequate in the sweeper role.

gandhisflipflop · Post by **gandhisflipflop** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:56 pm

I'd love the sweeper/libero to make a return in the game. It's a position that was being phased out when I was growing up watching football back in the 90's.

quoonbeatz · Post by **quoonbeatz** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:57 pm

Royboyclaret wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:53 pm
To be fair, quoonbeatz, your dad Ken was more than adequate in the sweeper role.

He was still doing it til he was about 50, albeit on a 5 a side pitch

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:00 pm

Royboyclaret wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:47 pm
I suppose the next logical question has to be....Who was the first Burnley player to operate in the sweeper role for a number of games ?.....Anyone?

Arthur Bellamy was the First i can recall playing as a sweeper.

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:03 pm

ClaretTony wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:00 pm
Arthur Bellamy was the First i can recall playing as a sweeper.

Has to be Arthur. Remember our first poor attempt at Leicester in 1966'67, think we lost the game 1-5.

But persevered with Bellamy who was pretty good in the position.

Burnleyareback2 · Post by **Burnleyareback2** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:06 pm

Thought we played Alexander there a couple of times.

Could well be wrong though.

What a player he was for Burnley.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:07 pm

Royboyclaret wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:03 pm
Has to be Arthur. Remember our first poor attempt at Leicester in 1966'67, think we lost the game 1-5.

But persevered with Bellamy who was pretty good in the position.

Leicester is the one I remember. My first visit to Filbert Street and it did. finish 1-5.

FactualFrank · Post by **FactualFrank** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:08 pm

Burnleyareback2 wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:06 pm
Thought we played Alexander there a couple of times.

Could well be wrong though.

What a player he was for Burnley.

We played him ahead of the defence and behind the midfield. Not the sweeper role.

Im_not_Robbie_Blake · Post by **Im_not_Robbie_Blake** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:10 pm

Another was Tommy Hutchison

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:53 pm

Beresford was a great sweeper keeper.

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 11:24 pm

cricketfieldclarets wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:53 pm
Beresford was a great sweeper keeper.

He really wasn't.

scouseclaret · Post by **scouseclaret** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 11:30 pm

Did sweeper not give way to 3 centre backs? Pretty much the same thing - intended to allow full backs to push on.

HuncoatClaret · Post by **HuncoatClaret** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 7:55 am

Ashley Westwood has played behind the back 4 for the last two seasons.

CaptainClaret · Post by **CaptainClaret** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:15 am

Marco Gentile

Hipper · Post by **Hipper** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:23 am

As others have mentioned, Dobbo did it well behind the young Phelan and Overson. Didn't David Miller have a go at it too?

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:40 am

Hipper wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:23 am
As others have mentioned, Dobbo did it well behind the young Phelan and Overson. Didn't David Miller have a go at it too?

Dobbo played there in 1981/82 season after we'd lost 6 of the first 8 games. With Stevenson in goal, he added some experience at the back given the back four were all teenagers - Brian Laws, Vince Overson, Micky Phelan and Andy Wharton. Similarly, we had two teenagers in midfield with Trevor Steven and Kevin Young and Tommy Cassidy providing the experience for them.

houseboy · Post by **houseboy** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:44 am

DCWat wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:14 pm
I can’t remember the last time I saw any team playing with a sweeper, let alone Burnley.

Exactly what I was thinking. Isn't it a position that has gone completely out of fashion anyway these days? The nearest thing I think these days is when a team plays 5 at the back and one player does tend to stay pretty much in the centre back position. Not a sweeper as such but playing a similar role so to speak. A cleaner upper.

houseboy · Post by **houseboy** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:47 am

CaptainClaret wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:15 am
Marco Gentile

Aah, the Italian killing machine. Keegan once said of him that he was stood at the side of him at an awards ceremony once and it was the only time he didn't kick him when he was within 2 yards. A bit of a beast but a very good footballer for all that. Once described as the most ill-named player ever.

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:34 pm

houseboy wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:47 am
Aah, the Italian killing machine. Keegan once said of him that he was stood at the side of him at an awards ceremony once and it was the only time he didn't kick him when he was within 2 yards. A bit of a beast but a very good footballer for all that. Once described as the most ill-named player ever.

I thought he was Dutch.

houseboy · Post by **houseboy** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:43 pm

fidelcastro wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:34 pm
I thought he was Dutch.

No. He was born in Libya but played all his life in Italy and played for them in two world cups, including the 1982 winning side. Played the bulk of his career with Juventus. Dutch? He came to represent all that was good and bad with Italian football at the time. Great player and reader of the ball but an absolute animal.

dermotdermot · Post by **dermotdermot** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:55 pm

fidelcastro wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:34 pm
I thought he was Dutch.

Hilarious!

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:56 pm

houseboy wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:43 pm
No. He was born in Libya but played all his life in Italy and played for them in two world cups, including the 1982 winning side. Played the bulk of his career with Juventus. Dutch? He came to represent all that was good and bad with Italian football at the time. Great player and reader of the ball but an absolute animal.

I'm talking about the player who played for Burnley (albeit very briefly) in the 1990's.

dermotdermot · Post by **dermotdermot** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:57 pm

fidelcastro wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:34 pm
I thought he was Dutch.

Hilarious

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:59 pm

dermotdermot wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:57 pm
Hilarious

Why is that?

He WAS Dutch.

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 1:03 pm

For some reason, houseboy has decided to give us the lowdown on CLAUDIO Gentile... who certainly didn't play for Burnley.

dermotdermot · Post by **dermotdermot** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 1:13 pm

fidelcastro wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:59 pm
Why is that?

He WAS Dutch.

You’re right Fidel. This is all Houseboy’s fault for getting his Marcos and his Claudios mixed up.