The 2011/12 Gary Speed Memorial Thread

[Adam]

I just watched all the videos before coming on here, didn't expect 4-5 pages of discussion though!

I'm torn between Henry and Bergkamp for best player.

Best save on that list has to be either Gordon's or one of Schmeichel's.

Best celebration...Cantona I'd say. Klinsmann's is good in the same way Fowler snorting the line is, or even the Bullard one on there. More ironically amusing than anything.

Best game...the Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle edges it I'd say. I think the 8-2 does deserve to be on there though, it was the most impressive display of ruthless in the Premier League. United scored 5 genuinely brilliant goals that day. I also think Rooney's overhead is justified. And I can't stand Manchester United or anything associated with them.

[Summers]

I was considering putting up a thread for people to vote, but I think it would be embarassingly one sided.

To put it into further perspective, I remember that Schemeichel save, so clearly people thought it was good, but I couldn't have told you against who, what teams, anything really more than that... even though I saw it. The Seaman one, I knew straight away what I was looking for. I even remember it was a Paul Peschisolido header, and I believe Arsenal were 1-0 up at the time.

EDIT: Is the Bergkamp goal the one where he flicks it past the defender? If so, I hate that goal.

Yeah.

Why?

[Liam]

It is like that really popular band that everyone creams themselves over, and I'm just like 'yeah, its aight'.

I like it, I get the skill and the ability necessary, but I just don't love it as much as other people do, so therefore it makes me dislike it a bit when people go on about it....I also don't think much of the defending ....totally rational, as you can tell >_>

Also, it isn't as good as his goals against Leicester, and then against Argentina (even though this doesn't cover World Cup goals)

[Jimmy]

It's a great save, no argument. But the Seaman save is better.

This. Astonishing save. Wondered why it wasn't on the list - FA Cup being the explanation I was looking for.

[DavidMarrio]

Dudeks save in Istanbul was one of the best saves I've ever seen, the one in extra time when he saved the first and somehow saved Shevchenkos rebound.

[Liam]

Yeah, that was a pretty excellent save. Can't remember too much though how much was the ball being kicked against him, or him moving to save the ball.

[Starvinho]

Great move by Cisse. Wonderful.

Also Rooney's overhead shin is shit. Roo's best ever goal was his rage shot against the Barcodes.

Can't believe people are still calling Rooney's overhead shit. If Messi or some other football bum-boy had scored it then it would've been called the best goal ever. It was a stunning goal, even if it did come off his shin. Try it the next time you play and I guarantee you'll fall on your arse. Even if you make contact you'll probably scuff it or balloon it a mile over/wide. I know this because I sepnt many a training session trying to perfect it and I probably scored only a handful throughout my life, never in a match though and nothing as spectacular as Rooney's. In my opinion it's the hardest skill in the game and that's why I rate the goal so much.

And this isn't just United bias, I've loved overhead kicks all my life and before Rooney's effort, this was my favourite;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q0ANjqm0YY

Or not. I think Rooney's a great player, but he didn't mean it. That's why I don't rate it super highly. It hit his shin and he got lucky. I have tried over head kicks, and I have scored with over head kicks. What is your point?

Sinclair's is miles better.

Just because he hit it with his shin doesn't mean he didn't mean it. He was going for goal and he scored, so I'm pretty sure there was a big element of skill involved but granted some luck as well. I guess it's just a matter of opinion of the ratio of skill and luck.

[Summers]

It's a cracking goal. But not the best over head kick/bicycle kick the Prem has ever seen. Nor the best Rooney goal the Prem has ever seen.

[Matt]

Great move by Cisse. Wonderful.

Also Rooney's overhead shin is shit. Roo's best ever goal was his rage shot against the Barcodes.

Can't believe people are still calling Rooney's overhead shit. If Messi or some other football bum-boy had scored it then it would've been called the best goal ever. It was a stunning goal, even if it did come off his shin. Try it the next time you play and I guarantee you'll fall on your arse. Even if you make contact you'll probably scuff it or balloon it a mile over/wide. I know this because I sepnt many a training session trying to perfect it and I probably scored only a handful throughout my life, never in a match though and nothing as spectacular as Rooney's. In my opinion it's the hardest skill in the game and that's why I rate the goal so much.

And this isn't just United bias, I've loved overhead kicks all my life and before Rooney's effort, this was my favourite;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q0ANjqm0YY

Or not. I think Rooney's a great player, but he didn't mean it. That's why I don't rate it super highly. It hit his shin and he got lucky. I have tried over head kicks, and I have scored with over head kicks. What is your point?

Sinclair's is miles better.

Just because he hit it with his shin doesn't mean he didn't mean it. He was going for goal and he scored, so I'm pretty sure there was a big element of skill involved but granted some luck as well. I guess it's just a matter of opinion of the ratio of skill and luck.

So you're saying he meant to hit it with his shin? If you meant he meant to score, well duh, but it wasn't as skilful as people make out because he didn't connect the way he intended. All the credit for getting up there and getting the timing pretty much right, but the fact he didn't make the proper contact makes it lucky to some degree, he wasn't in control of directing the ball.

[DavidMarrio]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJrmGqqdDm0

Best Own Goal.... (Even if it is in the FA Cup)

[METALMAN]

I'm playing tonight. Fiver says I'll score a better goal than Rooney's.

[Starvinho]

Great move by Cisse. Wonderful.

Also Rooney's overhead shin is shit. Roo's best ever goal was his rage shot against the Barcodes.

Can't believe people are still calling Rooney's overhead shit. If Messi or some other football bum-boy had scored it then it would've been called the best goal ever. It was a stunning goal, even if it did come off his shin. Try it the next time you play and I guarantee you'll fall on your arse. Even if you make contact you'll probably scuff it or balloon it a mile over/wide. I know this because I sepnt many a training session trying to perfect it and I probably scored only a handful throughout my life, never in a match though and nothing as spectacular as Rooney's. In my opinion it's the hardest skill in the game and that's why I rate the goal so much.

And this isn't just United bias, I've loved overhead kicks all my life and before Rooney's effort, this was my favourite;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q0ANjqm0YY

Or not. I think Rooney's a great player, but he didn't mean it. That's why I don't rate it super highly. It hit his shin and he got lucky. I have tried over head kicks, and I have scored with over head kicks. What is your point?

Sinclair's is miles better.

Just because he hit it with his shin doesn't mean he didn't mean it. He was going for goal and he scored, so I'm pretty sure there was a big element of skill involved but granted some luck as well. I guess it's just a matter of opinion of the ratio of skill and luck.

So you're saying he meant to hit it with his shin? If you meant he meant to score, well duh, but it wasn't as skilful as people make out because he didn't connect the way he intended. All the credit for getting up there and getting the timing pretty much right, but the fact he didn't make the proper contact makes it lucky to some degree, he wasn't in control of directing the ball.

No I was saying he meant to overhead the ball and get it on target, obiviously he didn't mean for it to hit his shin, so like I said there was some luck involved but also some skill too.

[Lineker]

Is that a Scottish fiver?

[METALMAN]

Why

[Adam]

I actually agree with that notion - Rooney attempted the overhead kick with the sole intention of sticking the ball in the back of the net and he did that. On the logic of "oh it was lucky", you could say that for most of the goals. Henry with his back to goal flicks it up and hits it at goal. Hit and hope then, so not such an amazing goal.

I did the Best XI and was pleased to see the likes of Leighton Baines up for consideration. I went with:

Schmeichel (Man Utd, Aston Villa)

Dixon (Arsenal)

Terry (Chelsea)

Adams (Arsenal)

Cole (Arsenal, Chelsea)

Ronaldo (Man Utd)

Gerrard (Liverpool)

Le Tissier (Southampton)

Giggs (Man Utd)

Henry (Arsenal)

Shearer (Blackburn, Newcastle)

[DavidMarrio]

I actually agree with that notion - Rooney attempted the overhead kick with the sole intention of sticking the ball in the back of the net and he did that. On the logic of "oh it was lucky", you could say that for most of the goals. Henry with his back to goal flicks it up and hits it at goal. Hit and hope then, so not such an amazing goal.

As much as I hate Rooney, gotta agree with the logic. While he did shin it he did attempt an overhead with the intention of going for goal. A great goal like but it isn't as amazing as commentators/people make out. Still think nearly all of the goals on the nominations were better than Rooney's anyway.

[Adam]

I voted for Cantona vs Sunderland myself. Pure class of the highest order, it really was. Second for me was Le Tissier's that he flicked up a couple of times.

[Matt]

I actually agree with that notion - Rooney attempted the overhead kick with the sole intention of sticking the ball in the back of the net and he did that. On the logic of "oh it was lucky", you could say that for most of the goals. Henry with his back to goal flicks it up and hits it at goal. Hit and hope then, so not such an amazing goal.

As much as I hate Rooney, gotta agree with the logic. While he did shin it he did attempt an overhead with the intention of going for goal. A great goal like but it isn't as amazing as commentators/people make out. Still think nearly all of the goals on the nominations were better than Rooney's anyway.

That was merely my point. There's too much luck involved for it to be classed as one of the best goals in the Premier League, Berbatov's I could agree with because he caught it how he meant to and put it in the goal, Rooney's was a great goal but he got lucky, there's nothing to say if he'd caught it with his foot (like he meant to) that it'd have gone in. For me, to be classed as one of the best it has to be pretty much perfect, it wasn't because he didn't connect with the ball as he meant to.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

We all slag off Gomes but he was a magnificent shot-stopper.

...basically when he didn't need to think.

[stokeriño]

Haven't figured out my favourite all-time Prem team yet... Can I change it from 4-4-2 to some silly formation just to find a way to cram Zola into it? BRING ON THE 4-3-1-2!

Also, the sheer lack of Frank "top scoring PL midfielder by an absolute mile and second-highest PL assist total ever" Lampard in anybody's list so far is criminal.