Ultimate Port Vale XI: the centre-halves
Ultimate Port Vale centre-halves: we’re asking Port Vale fans to select their finest-ever Valiants line-up and now it’s time to vote for the greatest centre-halves.
Ultimate Port Vale centre-halves
Important note #1
If you’ve been following this series you may be aware of the debate concerning the club’s greatest-ever player, Roy Sproson. Rob has decided (and he is invoking editor’s privilege as creator of this vote to do this) to give Roy Sproson the only bye into the final eleven. Roy Sproson is therefore through as one half of the centre-half pairing and we are now asking you to vote for his central defensive partner.
Important note #2
Rob is aware that some of you may think it’s unfair that with so many great contenders it may be unfair to only be able to select one central defensive players so we’d like to also announce… at the end of the vote we will also be looking for SEVEN substitutes to join our greatest ever eleven. It means that any short-listed player who isn’t voted into the top eleven can then be voted for in our substitutes vote which will follow the completion of the starting eleven.
1. Rules and notes
- There will be a dedicated forum discussion thread for each position (a link is below).
- The forum discussion thread will have a poll attached containing the list of our shortlisted players. This makes it fair (one user one vote) and stops any outside influences (Stoke fans, we’re looking at you!) from trying to influence the poll as only registered forum users can vote
- OVF will provide a shortlist of players that we think are suitable candidates. However, if we have missed a candidate out and you make a compelling case for their inclusion we will add them to the poll.
- A player will appear in their most common position (e.g. Neil Aspin played right-back but is more familiar as a centre-half; Robbie Earle played as a striker but is best-known as a midfielder)
- The formation for the best-ever XI is a classic 4-4-2 formation
- A player must have played 50 first-team games for the Valiants to qualify
2. The OVF Shortlist
Roy Sproson: a one-club man who served the club for decades as both player and coach, Roy has received a bye into the final eleven and you will now be voting for his partner…
Tommy Cheadle: Captain of the 1953-54 record-breaking team and Roy Sproson’s defensive partner.
Neil Aspin: Never-say-die defender who was a certain starter in many of John Rudge’s greatest teams.
Dean Glover: Aspin’s regular counterfoil, Glover was renowned as one of the classiest centre-halves to appear in Vale colours.
John Nicholson: Consistent defender who made a club record 208 consecutive appearances for the club.
Anthony Gardner: Towering product of the youth academy who went on to play for England while at Spurs.
Terry Alcock: Another local lad who came into the team in the 1960’s and was sold for a club record fee to Blackpool. He also had a second spell with the club.
Peter Swan: Towering centre-half who played in the Autoglass Trophy final and won promotion in 1994.
3. Time to place your vote
To place your vote you need to be a registered user of our forum and go to this forum thread
Voting closes in a month’s time.