Pick your best starting XI from only players who appeared for us in the 3rd or 4th tier of English football.

The game here isn’t to pick the players who performed well for us at this level or who became cult icons. The idea is to pick players who were so good it’s actually surprising they appeared in the lower leagues. So for example, Lee Dixon is light years ahead of Les Thompson even though the latter is -quite rightly- much more fondly remembered among us.

There are plenty of surprisingly good footballers to choose from in a few positions but a dearth in others.

Beresford

Lee Dixon
Vince Overson
Steve Davis mkII
Brian Laws

Leighton James
Mike Phelan
Martin Dobson
Trevor Steven

Ian Wright
Andy Payton

Subs
Glen Little
Billy Hamilton
Brian Flynn
Tommy Hutchison

Ted McMinn in with a shout for that list I reckon

Nicky Walker in goal

I would argue Steve Davis I in front of Vince

Adrian Heath has to be in there somewhere. And if we are going on how good a player they were rather than what they did when at Burnley, Willie Donachie at left back and you could not leave out Paul Gascoigne or Chris Waddle.

Herts Clarets wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 11:55 am

Nicky Walker in goal

I would argue Steve Davis I in front of Vince

Adrian Heath has to be in there somewhere. And if we are going on how good a player they were rather than what they did when at Burnley, Willie Donachie at left back and you could not leave out Paul Gascoigne or Chris Waddle.

Good shout with Heath. Think Gazza was Championship level though?

Paul Stewart (as awful as he was for us)?

Waddle has to be in the te based on my criteria.

Gazza and Stewart were both at 2nd tier.

Didn’t Paul Stewart play for us at championship level?

Mitchell Thomas at centre back? He played 150 odd times for Spurs plus appearance in 87 FA Cup final

By my count we’ve got 6 England internationals, 2 Welshies and a capped Scot.

Might add Alan Harper too.

joey13 wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:01 pm

Didn’t Paul Stewart play for us at championship level?

He did - I always forget about that brief sojourner in Division 1 under Mullen.

Kevin Hird
Alan Taylor
Kevin Reeves
Joe Gallagher
Steve Daly
Dennis Tueart

Whilst some of the above were crap when they played for us, they had been top tier players prior to joining Burnley.

Good thread, Rowls.

Tony Morley available but as suggested above Waddle or Hutchison would pip him if all were at their best.

There's loads of once great players who briefly ply their trade in the lower divisions. Depends if you mean the best at their peak or when they played for us. Ron Futcher scored more regularly for us than Ian Wright.

I'd have Chris Woods in goal.

Woah woah woaaaahhhhh!!!


Stop

Stop

Stop

SSSSTTTTOOOOPPPPPPP!!!!


Back up a bit and re-start this thread at once.

We all start our lists with:

David Eyres!





And breathe....

Oooooooh

jdrobbo wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:53 pm

Woah woah woaaaahhhhh!!!


Stop

Stop

Stop

SSSSTTTTOOOOPPPPPPP!!!!


Back up a bit and re-start this thread at once.

We all start our lists with:

David Eyres!





And breathe....

Oooooooh

Ahhh but no but.

No.

But no.

This thread isn’t about who was best *for us*.

It’s about the quality of the player at their peak.

Otherwise it’d eyres and little/tinman on the wings.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:19 pm

Ahhh but no but.

No.

But no.

This thread isn’t about who was best *for us*.

It’s about the quality of the player at their peak.

Chris Waddle was one of the best players in Europe at his peak. And he doesn't make your bench?

NottsClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:23 pm

Chris Waddle was one of the best players in Europe at his peak. And he doesn't make your bench?

You might have to read the whole thread to find out...

I’d still find a way of getting him on the teamsheet.

Surprised Rocket Ron Futcher hasnt been mentioned....dont know how many goals he scored for us..but it must be 100s

Steve1956 wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:57 pm

Surprised Rocket Ron Futcher hasnt been mentioned....dont know how many goals he scored for us..but it must be 100s

25 in 57 good record that,I liked Rocket.

Lee Dixon on the OP team. He only played one game for us in the old 3rd division.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:01 pm

Lee Dixon on the OP team. He only played one game for us in the old 3rd division.

Yep.

That’s the game.

It’s not “who was best for us” it’s “who were the best players -at their peak- we had who happened to play for us in the 3rd or 4th.”

huw.Y.WattfromWare wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 3:12 pm

Tony Morley available but as suggested above Waddle or Hutchison would pip him if all were at their best.

As I remember Tony Morley didn’t appear for us in the 3rd or 4th tier.

chekhov wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:11 pm

As I remember Tony Morley didn’t appear for us in the 3rd or 4th tier.

Had 5 games on loan in ‘88. Came up on another thread a while back.

Great player Morley ............after he left us and went to Villa, .....a favourate of mine was Morley...maybe because he cost us £100,000....couldn't believe we had spent so much...i bought an Old English Sheepdog from Nutshaw kennels at Clowbridge in 1978....he was given the name Morley

boatshed bill wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:04 pm

I'd have Chris Woods in goal.

I’m 100% with you there, head and shoulders the best keeper who played for us during that period.

Has anyone mentioned Gordon Cowans for midfield?

chekhov wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:11 pm

As I remember Tony Morley didn’t appear for us in the 3rd or 4th tier.

On loan from West Brom in 1988. Did nothing other than an outstanding performance at York in the Sherpa.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:41 pm

I’m 100% with you there, head and shoulders the best keeper who played for us during that period.

Has anyone mentioned Gordon Cowans for midfield?

Forgot Woods about Cowans. He'd have to go into central midfield.

Woods wasn't great for us but probably no worse than Beresford. However, he was an England international at his peak and would have won a few more caps if not for Shilton.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:51 pm

Forgot Woods about Cowans. He'd have to go into central midfield.

Woods wasn't great for us but probably no worse than Beresford. However, he was an England international at his peak and would have won a few more caps if not for Shilton.

I still think selling Beresford kept us up because Woods came in.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:59 pm

I still think selling Beresford kept us up because Woods came in.

Not sure I'd go that far but it's miraculous we stayed up that season. Payts and Little were the real key players.

God only knows where we'd be if we'd gone down. It's spine chilling.

Personally think a better thread would be who were the best 3rd/ 4th division players that didn’t play at a higher level. There are too many players that were better elsewhere either before or after playing for us.

Ian Wright, touches of sublime skill and brilliance.
For effort and excitement and sheer pace John Francis.

Can’t believe Ally Pickering or Tony Hancock did not make the list.

Unless I've missed it no mention of England International Nick Pickering - surely an oversight

Sorry, got to have Mike Conroy in for the Div 4 season alone. Fired us to promotion.

[/quote]

EarbyClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:44 pm

Unless I've missed it no mention of England International Nick Pickering - surely an oversight

I'm still trying to get over the sight of Nick Pickering playing for us - does that count

Has anyone mentioned Billy Hamilton or Tommy Cassidy? didn't they play in the 3rd Division?

Not the best but crowd pleasers
Paul McGee,George Ohgani,Terry Cochrane and of course Aidy Randell
All had flashes of sublime skill just not for long.George particularly had a great first touch,I am referring to football.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:42 pm

On loan from West Brom in 1988. Did nothing other than an outstanding performance at York in the Sherpa.

He played well in his first loan match, at home against Cambridge.

If it is just those who played for us in the 3rd and 4th Leagues that surely rules out James, Davis Mk 2 Beresford, Dobson, Laws, Hamilton, Flynn, Little, McMinn, maybe Heath and a few others?

mdd2 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 19, 2021 7:58 am

If it is just those who played for us in the 3rd and 4th Leagues that surely rules out James, Davis Mk 2 Beresford, Dobson, Laws, Hamilton, Flynn, Little, McMinn, maybe Heath and a few others?

Davis MK2 played for us in division 4 on loan, Beresford, Little, McMinn and Heath definitely played for us in the third tier.

EarbyClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:44 pm

Unless I've missed it no mention of England International Nick Pickering - surely an oversight

You've just ruined my breakfast, years of hypnotherapy treatment had finally erased him from my psyche and now I have to start again he was awful!! how we managed to sell him on was amazing.

Alan Stevenson was brilliant in 81/82 in Div 3. Pity he lost his confidence the following season or we may have stayed up. The nightmare goal at Carlisle sticks in the mind.

mdd2 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 19, 2021 7:58 am

If it is just those who played for us in the 3rd and 4th Leagues that surely rules out James, Davis Mk 2 Beresford, Dobson, Laws, Hamilton, Flynn, Little, McMinn, maybe Heath and a few others?

All of those played for us in either of the bottom two divisions or both.

Culmclaret wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:38 am

Alan Stevenson was brilliant in 81/82 in Div 3. Pity he lost his confidence the following season or we may have stayed up. The nightmare goal at Carlisle sticks in the mind.

That's the one I always remember at Carlisle and him apologising for it - he'd gone, he was no longer of any use but just 32 at the time. I think he only played a couple of more games and one more would have seen him equal John Angus and Jimmy McIlroy as having played the most post-war league games for us.

Alan Stevenson's decline was a surprise. 32 was no age, even then, for a goalkeeper. That summer's World Cup winners had a 40-year-old in goal.

Geoff Palmer - played most of his career in the top flight with Wolves and won two League Cups with them. Played for the Clarets in 84/85 as we slid into the Fourth Division.

Peter Hampton too.

Sausage wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:47 pm

Geoff Palmer - played most of his career in the top flight with Wolves and won two League Cups with them. Played for the Clarets in 84/85 as we slid into the Fourth Division.

Hmmmmmm

Wokingclaret wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:52 pm

Hmmmmmm

Bit of a cock up on the best-players-who-played-for-us-in-the-34d/4th-tier front