Top 10 of the Week – Underrated Premiership Players.
January 31st, 2010 | Author: Shaw
It’s always the Rooney’s and Terry’s of this world making the headlines (although not always for the right reasons) so it’s about time some of the lesser players got some kudos. So here it goes.
10. Danny Murphy – A key, key man for Fulham. His experience, his ability to pick a pass and his set pieces are integral to how Fulham play. He will be very hard to replace if and when he retires.
9. Leon Osman – Did you know that Osman has scored 4 goals in all competitions for Everton this season? He also scored 7 in total last year. Okay, this may not sound like much, but considering Everton aren’t known for their scoring ability, the goals that do come are usually precious. There is no denying that Osman is a key member of the Everton squad.
8. Scott Parker – Another top classic central midfielder, since he has been injured West Ham have really struggled. With him on the pitch the Hammers look stronger and consequently spirits are lifted. He is the man to keep them up.
7. Branislav Ivanovic – Solid, good old fashioned right-back. If needs be he can play centre or even left. Who needs Bosingwa?
6. Ryan Shawcross – Continues to show he is a quality centre back and full back, showing why the likes of Man Yoo are interested in him. It’s also worth considering that Ryan is only 23 so it will be years before he hits his peak.
5. David Dunn – If his career was not plagued with injuries Dunn’s may very well have been in a different position than he is right now. The midfielder showed his quality earlier this season with a world class finish. (its in the video somewhere)
4. Paul Scharner – One of the Premierships great handymen. In his time at Wigan he has played right back, centre back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder and even striker. Always willing to help out his team and willing to chip in with a goal now and then.
3. Leighton Baines – I reckon Baines is the second best English Left back and perhaps one of the top 5 in the country. At Everton he has show week in week out that he one of the best left footed crossers in the game. He’s a decent defender as well.
2. Rodger Johnson – Birmingham have been fantastic this season, and i’m sure a few more of their players could have made this list. But, Birmingham have proved to be a phenomenal defensive unit, with him and Danns building themselves a solid partnership. Who knows an England call-up might be on the cards.
1. Carlos Cuellar – Bought from Ranger’s two years ago for £7 million, the name Carlos Cuellar is a name that never really gets a mention. He is perhaps overshadowed by the likes of Dunne and Milner who have performed heroically for Villa this season. So Cuellar here is your deserved mention.
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Stephen Warnock deserves a mention and deserves to go to South Africa. Collins has been awesome, playing alongside Dunne. Phil Neville is so often the driving force behind Everton and has been sorely missed this season. Jussi Jaskeleinen is awesome, but Gary Cahill has been outstanding and is Bolton’s top top scorer
Danny Murphy is a hero. Should still be at liverpool
Love the idea of the article, but totally disagree with Scott Parker, who has been over-rated for years now. Without suggesting any specific bias on your part, I do wonder if Scott Parker would have gotten the praise he has received since his time at Charlton if he wasn’t English.
When replacing the long-term-injured Mark Kinsella, Parker had a cracking 18 months at Charlton. What is often not mentioned is that this happened to coincide with fellow midfielder Claus Jensen moving to and settling into the club. While not the most asstute scoring system, the OPTA index for the seasons ending 2001/2002/2003 had Claus Jensen listed as a Top10 midfielder (like Kinsella was in 99), while Parker wasn’t Top20 in any year.
His move to Chelsea didn’t work out (it happens), his time at Newcastle was met with comparisons of Bryan Robson right up until he actually kicked a ball. Making appearances in under 65% of league games and under 25% of cup games while up north he was continually found out to be a player that desperately needs an intelligent player next to them.
The move to West Ham has been beneficial for him, primarily because he sits in front of a back 4-5 and is largely never asked to make any telling passes or runs in the way he was able to when he received his first cap.
0 goals this season, 1 goal last season. For a central midfielder, especially one of his height and stature, is not good enough.
In my opinion, there is a reason why he’s only had 1 England call up per club he’s signed to; he’s found out far too often when having to make decisions.
That said, he’s still better than most of the dross up here
Thanks for the article.
yeh scott parker is the onlyone that seems to be out of place. I think he has gotten the credit he deserves down the years.