Best player you seen play in the Premier League?

Egon said:
Surprised at all the Le Tissier love, although he was undoubtedly a talent and could do things nobody else could have done, he was too inconsistent and too slow.
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I think you've almost answered your own 'question' there - players who can do things nobody else could have a lot of love. I seriously think in terms of ability he is up there with the very best, in fact arguably better than the media darling Paul Gascoigne in terms of raw talent:

-Very good with both feet.
-Not the quickest as mentioned but was still a very effective dribbler, if you are tough to win the ball off you don't need to be lightning quick
-Lethal from the penalty spot (46 out of 47 pro pens scored iirc). Not hard in theory but bear in mind the average success rate for the top flight is about 75%, and how England could have done with him!
-Dead ball specialist
-Incredibly creative goalscorer, if you watch the vid I posted earlier you will probably find at least 5 'unique' goals
-Entertaining to watch

Ultimately it is hard for people to rank him up there with the superstars from title-winning clubs (MU, Blackburn, Arsenal, Chelsea) because he didn't get much limelight and was criminally overlooked for England. So I can understand people not considering him as a peer of Henry, Shearer, Scholes etc.

I have still yet to see a video showcasing a single player that can compete with MLT's vid in terms of quality of goals, and that includes all the players mentioned in this thread.
 
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Egon said:
Surprised at all the Le Tissier love, although he was undoubtedly a talent and could do things nobody else could have done, he was too inconsistent and too slow.
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I'm not sure inconsistent is quite right for arguably the most talented Englishman of his generation and while he was slow it certainly never seemed to hamper him and had he been blessed with lightening pace he would have been one of the greatest players of all time.

You missed the obvious comments which probably do keep him out of the very top bracket for most people he lacked focus and ambition, he was happy to be a big fish in a small pond and he never had the level of professionalism required so was always lacking in fitness.

People forget he played in an era when football wasn't anything like as over hyped and swimming in money as it is today, people also forget how terribly he was treated by the footballing establishment how a player of his undoubted class finished his career with 7 caps is a total mystery and how we took the likes of Les Ferdinand to a world cup instead of him I'll never know. I would have had him in every England squad as an option from the bench he was a potential match winner and if it came down to a penalty shoot out and I had to bet my life on any player scoring it would have been Le Tiss.

Still for me the best player I've ever seen live and a Southampton hero like no other, there will never be another Le God sadly.
 
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Being a forest fan I've not seen live any prem football :D for a while but:

Stan Collymore, amazing player during his time at Forest. I remember us beating Sheff Wed the season we finished 3rd in the prem, all the Wednesday fans clapping Collymore's performance.

 
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Cantona without a shadow of doubt.

From my own team though it has to be Fowler. For whatever reason he doesn't seem to get the recognition he deserves. At his peak, he was the best finisher I have ever seen.
 
Shearer

Had it all.

Freekicks-pen-heading-shooting-strenght-brain.

was not the quickest but he was always 2-3 yards ahead of the defenders :)

Bergkamp was a joy to watch
 
Bigpig said:
Shearer

Had it all.

Freekicks-pen-heading-shooting-strenght-brain.

was not the quickest but he was always 2-3 yards ahead of the defenders :)

Bergkamp was a joy to watch
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Shearer? Seriously? A great centre forward and goal scorer yes, a great footballer not a chance. To much use of the elbow and not enough finese to make the grade in this thread.
 
Tough one this because there are many different variables that would describe best..

Giggs would be my first choice. Always been a pain in the **** v Spurs and his loyality for Manchester United has been an example.

From overseas, Cantona for the impact he made both on and off the pitch ;) and David Ginola made quite an impression too for both Newcastle and Spurs

David Silva is looking an exciting player but early days yet.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
Tough one this because there are many different variables that would describe best..

Giggs would be my first choice. Always been a pain in the **** v Spurs and his loyality for Manchester United has been an example.

From overseas, Cantona for the impact he made both on and off the pitch ;) and David Ginola made quite an impression too for both Newcastle and Spurs

David Silva is looking an exciting player but early days yet.
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Loyalty. Competing week in, week out, champions league, ferguson, money, best players in the world since he's been there really. Not really showed loyalty but admirable that hes been with united his whole career.
 
a1ex2001 said:
Shearer? Seriously? A great centre forward and goal scorer yes, a great footballer not a chance. To much use of the elbow and not enough finese to make the grade in this thread.
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You've said he's a great centreforward and goalscorer yet 'not a chance' of him being a great footballer - IMO if you are a great centreforward then that puts you in with a chance. This thread is best 'player' in the Premier League not necessary most technically gifted, entertaining or whatever. Alan Shearer scored 260 Prem goals, nobody else has even got close to 200. I can understand why people might put him at the top, he may lack the grace & finesse of say a Thierry Henry but he was brutally effective.
 
Billythekid said:
Loyalty. Competing week in, week out, champions league, ferguson, money, best players in the world since he's been there really. Not really showed loyalty but admirable that hes been with united his whole career.
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I know what you are getting at, but what I would suggest is that you compare him to his peers. How many other players at the same club, with CL, Fergie, money, great teammates etc etc, all the same things he had, still chose to go and ply their trade elsewhere? How many lasted 20 years?
 
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