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Best Ever Well Left Back


grizzlyg
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It's been the most nailed down position over the years, Wark was the man, I thought it could have been McMillan and Hammell is the first guy I remember watching his debut, more or less his whole career and then his last game with us, a stalwart. But maybe it was McKinnon?

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In my lifetime, there's no competition. It's Joe Wark.

 

Since then, we've had decent ones, Boyd, McMillan, Hammell, I'll even mention Derek Murray for WeeYin's benefit, but post Joe wark, it would be KcKinnon for me......

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There can only two contenders if you go by ability and longevity. Hammell had the best first touch I have seen in a defender. Instead of heading a goalies kick out he would step back and kill it stone dead then make a pass. Even in the last two games when he came on he looked class if a bit slower.

As for Joe absolute genius whose rubber legs made him the best tackler ever. He was also two footed and often played on the right.

It was the seventies and eighties when Old firm bias was even worse. Joe never got a cap because they picked McGrain at left back even though he never played there for Celtic.

Boyd McMillan and McKinnon were good with McKinnon the best in my opinion but none played long enough to be considered.

It's Joe Wark for me.

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In order of precedence, in my opinion:

 

1. Joe Wark.

2. Joe Wark.

3. Joe Wark

4. Joe Wark.

 

Next question please.

I second that.......

 

Its a real shame younger fans dont have any footage to watch to allow them to compare.

 

In my time he is our greatest ever player.

 

No doubt folk who saw the 52 team or The Ancell Babes might disagree but out of the players mentioned he is the best left back by a distance.

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Every time this discussion comes up I feel Tom Boyd is underrated. Terrific player and captain in a legendary Motherwell team before going on to win 72 caps for a good Scotland team.

 

I know he is a bit of a dick but he was top drawer.

 

This.

 

Joe Wark was just before my time so for me it's between Rob McKinnon and Tom Boyd and even though McKinnon was a superb player, the best left back in the country in his time at the club and a personal favourite of mine, I have to put Tom Boyd ahead of him.

 

Boyd played more games, was a more adaptable player and of course captained us to a Cup Final.

 

His Celtic connection has seen him more or less erased from our history for some fans but I'm not really comfortable with that sort of revisionism. If he'd never come back to Scotland I don't doubt he would be regarded as one of the very best players we've produced in the modern era.

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Never got to see Joe Wark so Rob McKinnon for me.

 

Boyd was a great player as well despite being a wank.

 

Hammell has been a decent left back but nowhere near the player McKinnon or Boyd were.

 

Also a shout for Jim Paterson who stepped into the left back spot under Malpas and was brilliant.

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This.

 

Joe Wark was just before my time so for me it's between Rob McKinnon and Tom Boyd and even though McKinnon was a superb player, the best left back in the country in his time at the club and a personal favourite of mine, I have to put Tom Boyd ahead of him.

 

Boyd played more games, was a more adaptable player and of course captained us to a Cup Final.

 

His Celtic connection has seen him more or less erased from our history for some fans but I'm not really comfortable with that sort of revisionism. If he'd never come back to Scotland I don't doubt he would be regarded as one of the very best players we've produced in the modern era.

I really detest Tom Boyd mostly for his dismissal of the part he played in sure an important team in our history. He himself has pretty much erased us from his own history and has in the main been somewhat discourteous of us since becoming a big time Charlie.

 

None the less, I cant disagree, he was a great player for us who came through our youth system and had circumstances been different would have legendary status with Motherwell

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I've got no issue with Boyd's place in Motherwell's history for what he did during his time with us, after he moved on is a different matter, but the thing about him and the left-back position for me is that he really only played there for about two, two-and-a-half seasons tops.

 

Having played in central-defence and even in midfield he almost accidently stumbled into the position when John Philliben fell out of favour. He also reverted back to centre half when he returned to Scotland with Celtic.

 

Good as he was he never had quite the longevity in the position that the others had and he also had the considerable benefit of a rejuvenated Davie Cooper putting the ball on a plate for him for two of those seasons. His defending was rarely in question but the attacking element to his game came largely through Cooper telling him to "run here".

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