I was thinking about our creative midfielders over the years, I'm not from Burnley so haven't seen many games but remember us having some great wingers since I watched my first game in the early 90s (a goaless draw at Barnet in div 4).

I remember Tin Man, Eyres, Little and co but I was wondering who people on here considered the playmakers of the 90s and early 00s were? I remember hearing that Randall was good, perhaps Paul Cook as well in terms of someone who could pick a pass. Mellon perhaps? I've not seen us play much so apologies if they weren't that type of player.

Since my time watching (89 onwards). I wouldn’t say we have had any CM attacking playmaker.
Maybe Paul Cook?

Our wingers always seem to be very good and creative. As did the 2nd striker in Heath, Blake etc..

I'd say Alan Harper was the best midfield playmaker we had at Burnley during the 90's

The combination of Trevor Steven and Tommy Cassidy. Outstanding.

Adie Randall definetely, Mellon was more of a battler i'd say. Steven Defour, even though he ended up playing a bit deeper for us.

jrgbfc wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 8:26 am

Steven Defour, even though he ended up playing a bit deeper for us.

So deep in fact that for most of his time at the club he wasn't on the pitch

I don't think we've ever had a "playmaker" with loads of assists in my time watching the clarets going back to the 80s.

Gudmundsson and in his latter years, Wade Elliott.

Devils_Advocate wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 30, 2024 10:32 pm

I'd say Alan Harper was the best midfield playmaker we had at Burnley during the 90's

Haha!

He was no Phil Malley, though, was he?

I always enjoyed watching Steve Thompson.

Cook and Defour, two of my favourite Burnley players.

Alan Mahon

To meet my definition, long crossfield passing is essential.

Obviously there will never be another Jimmy MaC. Nearest I think were Gordon Harris and Trevor Steven. I always rated Alan West

More recently Defour was the best. I also thought Paul Cook was an excellent playmaker.

At a lower level Paul Comstive and John Deary were very good.

Over the decades Trevor Steven, in particular, Steven Defour, Robbie Blake, Glen Little.....but none can compare to Jimmy Mac.....he was head and shoulders above all the rest.

I was so fortunate to see Mac rip opposition defences apart every week in his unique style.

That title win in '59/'60 was down to the brilliance of Jimmy Mac.

Adamson too

I always thought Steve Thompson was class but pretty sure he picked up a bad injury with us. 95 to about 97

Nigel gleghorn was also very decent for that league

Devils_Advocate wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 30, 2024 10:32 pm

I'd say Alan Harper was the best midfield playmaker we had at Burnley during the 90's

Not on a par with Brian Stock, I can still hear the gasps from the crowd when he pinged cross field passes that bounced off the Bob Lord advertisement boards, this was usually followed by a round of applause.

blatherwickstattoos wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 2:46 pm

I always thought Steve Thompson was class but pretty sure he picked up a bad injury with us. 95 to about 97

We got Thompson about 5 years too late, I lived in Leicester 91-95 and he was decent for them, we signed half the player.

Steven Defour - injury aside I have no doubt he would likely have played for United at the top of the European game.

Other than that you'd have to go back to Peter Noble who was a top player.

Steven Defour was superb, but Ralph Coates wasn't bad either.

Never got the plaudits he deserved but David Jones alongside Dean Marney made a top class partnership. Marney doing the up and down graft but Jones quietly spreading it around and changing the angles of attack.

Dobson, Cassidy, Steven, Comstive, Weller & Defour we're all superb at the time when we had them.

Doug Collins was brilliant in the late 60s and early 70s.

I’ve been watching us since the early eighties. Central midfield has all too often been an area that we’ve often seemed to be lacking and especially midfield playmakers of a standout quality, at whatever level we have been playing at.

We’ve often done well for goal scorers, wingers, centre halves, but quality Burnley midfield playmakers, in my time, have been rare as hens teeth.

We’ve had some good midfielders, but not many that dictate the tempo of a game, control a game, create opportunities and protect the back line (rightly or wrongly, my view of a midfield playmaker).

Cullen in the last promotion season was perhaps most of those things.

Doug Collins and John Deary stick out for me. Different eras, especially in terms of where we were as a club at those times. Ady Randall COULD have become a legend, but for reasons I'm not clear about he didn't. Jack Cork has to be the one for the modern era.

I'm not sure some people understand what a 'playmaker' is.

blatherwickstattoos wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 2:46 pm

I always thought Steve Thompson was class but pretty sure he picked up a bad injury with us. 95 to about 97

It was a great shame because I THINK he arrived crocked, got fit (after a fashion) and showed glimpses of what a really good player he was. He really could have been an inspired signing and made a huge difference in that relegation season, but sadly his fitness precluded his appearances and we rarely saw the best of him. When fit, he was exceptionally good for us.

My dad used to describe Alan West as a gazelle

Traditionally I don't think English football has had many playmaker Central midfielders.

Until Makele came over to Chelsea and played the defensive role, the majority of midfielders were expected to be all round, box to box and combative.

The 2nd striker and wingers would be the creative ones.

It's all changed now with one up top.

equinox wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 5:57 pm

I'm not sure some people understand what a 'playmaker' is.

Back in my day he was often termed a "schemer".

Tony Grant.

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 6:55 pm

Traditionally I don't think English football has had many playmaker Central midfielders.

True, I think Andy Steel at the start of the 90s was the first English real superstar playmaker and he ended up moving to Spain

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 6:55 pm

Traditionally I don't think English football has had many playmaker Central midfielders.

Isn't this exactly what Jan Molby did at Liverpool?
He hardly ever left the centre circle for Liverpool and his passing was pin point accurate, everything went through Molby.

KernowHouseClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 9:16 pm

Isn't this exactly what Jan Molby did at Liverpool?
He hardly ever left the centre circle for Liverpool and his passing was pin point accurate, everything went through Molby.

I remember being at a game at Anfield against Auxerre in about 1991 where Liverpool were 2-0 from the away first leg and he orchestrated the 3-0 comeback.

He barely moved off the centre spot, never mind out of the circle, but with Mike Marsh and Steve McManaman doing his running for him he absolutely shredded Auxerre. Death a thousand cutting passes.

KernowHouseClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 9:16 pm

Isn't this exactly what Jan Molby did at Liverpool?
He hardly ever left the centre circle for Liverpool and his passing was pin point accurate, everything went through Molby.

Yeah, he was superb. But he was a rarity.

KernowHouseClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 9:16 pm

Isn't this exactly what Jan Molby did at Liverpool?
He hardly ever left the centre circle for Liverpool and his passing was pin point accurate, everything went through Molby.

I’m a tad too young to fully appreciate how good Molby was. They reckoned he could pass a ball 60 yards and land it on a 5 pence. I think it was on a Granada TV sports programme they had a feature where they got ex pros down to the training ground where their challenge was there was 5 or 6 balls placed outside of the penalty area and they had to score as many as possible in a 1 or 2 minutes running between the balls. Molby strolled round and pinged every ball in, think he was the only one to do it.

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2024 6:55 pm

Traditionally I don't think English football has had many playmaker Central midfielders.

Until Makele came over to Chelsea and played the defensive role, the majority of midfielders were expected to be all round, box to box and combative.

The 2nd striker and wingers would be the creative ones.

It's all changed now with one up top.

Possibly Glenn Hoddle, Trevor Brooking, Ray Wilkins, Kenny Dalglish of class Centre Midfield playmakers I can think of in the English game from the 70s-80s era.......off the top of my head.

Remco van der Schaff - the greatest playmaker that (almost) never played.