| Great (and good) players without pace 10:26 - Jun 7 with 3564 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
We always hear so much about pace in the ‘modern game’. Yet so many players seem to get by without it.
Zinedine Zidane comes to mind. Not known for his pace (a bit like our Chair) he could never use the touch-and-go move to get past players but relied on his trickery. Harry Kane tends to collect the ball very deep and is a great passer of the ball. Adel Taarabts nutmegs!
Do these players rely on having pacy players around them? What’s their secret? |  |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 10:30 - Jun 7 with 2689 views | PlanetHonneywood |
Currie and Wilkins were often a joy to watch, wouldn’t put them in the pacy category by a mile.
Always thought if Clive Allen had a bit more pace he’d have been incredibly difficult to play against. As it was, he was probably the most natural and best finisher I’ve seen in Hoops. |  |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 10:40 - Jun 7 with 2648 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 10:30 - Jun 7 by PlanetHonneywood |
Currie and Wilkins were often a joy to watch, wouldn’t put them in the pacy category by a mile.
Always thought if Clive Allen had a bit more pace he’d have been incredibly difficult to play against. As it was, he was probably the most natural and best finisher I’ve seen in Hoops. |
I didn’t get to see Currie but did see Wilkins at his best for us. He had the benefit of having a runner alongside him (Holloway or Barker), two brilliant full-backs, Sinton or Sinclair on the wing and Sir Les up ahead of him to help him shine. | |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 10:44 - Jun 7 with 2638 views | enfieldargh |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 10:30 - Jun 7 by PlanetHonneywood |
Currie and Wilkins were often a joy to watch, wouldn’t put them in the pacy category by a mile.
Always thought if Clive Allen had a bit more pace he’d have been incredibly difficult to play against. As it was, he was probably the most natural and best finisher I’ve seen in Hoops. |
Ray Wilkins was sublime for us which was a massive surprise to me as in his formative seasons I was not a fan of his at all especially given the teams he played for.
Don Masson lacked pace as did McClintock & Webb the rest of that great 70's team did all the running.
Eze appeared to lack pace hence him being slagged off so much by some, he in fact is deceptably rapid. |  |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 10:58 - Jun 7 with 2597 views | MrSheen |
Akos cut a Jan Molby-like figure. Magic player though. |  | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 11:08 - Jun 7 with 2559 views | ozexile |
I feel sorry for anyone who didn't see Wilkins. Hard to describe how good he was. |  | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 11:11 - Jun 7 with 2533 views | Sonofpugwash |
Stan and Rodney not the fleetest of foot. |  |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 11:13 - Jun 7 with 2534 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 10:58 - Jun 7 by MrSheen |
Akos cut a Jan Molby-like figure. Magic player though. |
What made Akos magic? Would you say Chair is a better player? | |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 11:27 - Jun 7 with 2492 views | MrSheen |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 11:13 - Jun 7 by CliveWilsonSaid |
What made Akos magic? Would you say Chair is a better player? |
Akos was much better as a passer and ball-striker, fantastic corner and free-kick taker - bend, placement and power. Chair has him on energy (dare I say basic fitness?) and dribbling, but Akos was very deceptive moving forward with the ball at his feet. | | | |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 11:52 - Jun 7 with 2425 views | queensparker |
Le Tissier |  | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 12:18 - Jun 7 with 2358 views | Rs_Holy |
Glenda Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne |  | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 12:24 - Jun 7 with 2335 views | denhamhoop2 |
Michel Platini Bobby Moore and Pat Crerand the heartbeat of the Best Law Charlton United team. Andrea Pirlo never seemed to break into a sweat but one hell of a player Xavi Iniesta and Scholes none would run away from people but sheer Technical Brilliance and reading of the game and sheer nous go a long long way. Teddy Sheringham Peter Beardsley forwards without pace Shearer after his cruciate went still was a formidable player as was Gallen for QPR | | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 12:46 - Jun 7 with 2286 views | themodfather |
colin clarke, zamora, come to mind as for ray wilkins, super player, much maligned cos he had to pass the ball at manure to saint robson, so sideways it went....for us he was creative, dynamic , controlled the game...one match down at selhurst we had him, peter reid, trevor francis with sir les and co, we tore palarse apart for a 3-0 romp. | | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 13:04 - Jun 7 with 2242 views | MrSheen |
There a few players who may have been fast, but my main memory is of them walking, such as John Robertson (almost certainly not fast!) and Chris Waddle. | | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 13:20 - Jun 7 with 2188 views | loftboy |
Trevor Brooking |  |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 13:34 - Jun 7 with 2146 views | bosh67 |
There are some great examples of top players without pace highlighted here. Wilkins was one of the best but it does come down to players who see the game 3-4 passes ahead. Wilkins was definitely one, Faurlin also had that skill to some degree but perhaps the best non-pace player I can think of is Terry Sheringham. No real pace but had the instinct to be in or around the right place at the right time. As someone said, Kane is very similar in that area. Of course Eze has no real pace but his body movement and game reading is so good he just ghosts past players by using his ability to balance one way and go another. |  |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 14:25 - Jun 7 with 2042 views | Superhoop83 |
Another vote for Ray Wilkins. I used to think he was utter crap before he joined us, but how wrong was I? He was sheer class.
My other favourite player from that era, Clive Wilson, also lacked pace but it was no problem when he could waltz past opponents as if they weren't there.
At the other end of the scale, two genuinely crap and immobile players jump to mind. Brett Angel, who was appalling long before he joined us, and Billy Whitehurst, if anyone remembers him. I remember watching him in 1986, amazed that he was a first division player with Newcastle. [Post edited 7 Jun 2022 14:27]
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 14:43 - Jun 7 with 1995 views | BuckR |
Beckham would spring to mind | | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 15:15 - Jun 7 with 1950 views | derbyhoop |
+1 for Wikins
Saw him for us at Villa (we lost 2-0) when he lasted 60 mins. The game was played at frantic pace but Ray always had 5 yards of space. |  |
| "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 15:45 - Jun 7 with 1915 views | BklynRanger |
Different game nowadays but there's got to be a load of centre backs of old who didn't have modern day pace. I don't remember Macca being that quick, nor Maldini even when younger.
An improbable CB who I remain convinced could leg it if he had to (quite possibly wrongly) was Steve Bruce - remember watching him from the lower loft getting back into defence and he was shifting. Could have been the angle / drugs. |  | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 16:21 - Jun 7 with 1870 views | enfieldargh |
Mike Fillery had no pace....... | |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 16:35 - Jun 7 with 1857 views | Hayesender |
Not great, not good, in fact a terrible player, but I've never seen anyone get absolutely roasted as Bob Malcolm did on his debut for us.
It was almost as if he was running backwards |  |
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 16:49 - Jun 7 with 1829 views | dmm |
As already mentioned, Rodney had absolutely no pace at all but still had quick feet and mind. |  | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 16:57 - Jun 7 with 1817 views | bosh67 |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 16:35 - Jun 7 by Hayesender |
Not great, not good, in fact a terrible player, but I've never seen anyone get absolutely roasted as Bob Malcolm did on his debut for us.
It was almost as if he was running backwards |
I remember that moment too. The guy just cruised past him and he was left in the dust. I’ve also never seen a player get so utterly out paced. It was like watching a Tesla overtake an Austin Allegro… with the handbrake on. [Post edited 7 Jun 2022 16:58]
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| Great (and good) players without pace on 17:07 - Jun 7 with 1798 views | NorthLondonR |
Loved Wilkins. Could you add Ale Faurlin to this but of course his game never relied on pace but the speed of thought and intelligence, much in the same way as Wilkins.
Franco Baresi would get my top vote. |  | | |
| Great (and good) players without pace on 19:16 - Jun 7 with 1687 views | ed_83 |
Riquelme and Pirlo were both pretty slow compared to others, particularly as they got older, and they were both amongst the very best in the world. Le Tissier as well - I guess there’s maybe a connection between having no pace and incredible quality on the ball? | | | |
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