54*

[LeTallecWiz]

After yesterday's assist ...

Robbo - 54 assists in 231 games (most in premier league history)
Baines - 53 assists in 420 games.

What an unreal signing ... Is he the best LB in our history?

 

[StevieM]

Love wee Andy - he was back to something approaching firm the other night - hopefully he can power through till the end of the season.

 

[MomoWASright]

He does look like his old irn bru drinking self.

 

[mom]

Yeh he’s back

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Trent being third on that list, and still only 24 is insane.

 

[binomial]

Yes best LB in our history and I'd even go as far to say 2nd best LB in the Prem era behind Cashley Cole.

(I don't include a certain ex manc crying cunt in that category)

 

[doctor_mac]

He is terrific, and that rate of assists is incredible. He should score more if I'm being picky. Riise had a rate of about 1 in 11, Robbo is nowhere near that.

 

[Hyena]

Riise isn't fit to tie Robbo's laces

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

Yep. Great player - but absolutely zero composure in front of goal. Whenever he lines up for a shot everyone and their mum knows it’s going into row Z of the stands. Easier said than done but he needs to take a fucking breath before he shoots.

 

[tomasjj]

classic defender - shit himself when approaching the opposition box
a bit like a young lad on the pull

 

[SummerOnions]

I love him. Best LB of my lifetime by a long distance. The way Klopp fixed so many of our problem positions with smart signings is something I love about the last years at the club

 

[doctor_mac]

Riise isn't fit to tie Robbo's laces

I think that's a bit harsh actually. Don't get me wrong, Robbo is a much better player, but my point was (one which seemed to fly over your head), was that the likes of Riise and many other FBs we've had in the past were better in front of goal.

 

[localny]

"On 21 July 2017, Robertson signed a long-term deal with Liverpool for an initial fee of £8 million"

"During the 2022–23 season, Robertson became the defender with most assists in Premier League history"

 

[Red Mullet]

Yep. Great player - but absolutely zero composure in front of goal. Whenever he lines up for a shot everyone and their mum knows it’s going into row Z of the stands. Easier said than done but he needs to take a fucking breath before he shoots.

Looks like he’s been coaching Darwin, doesn’t it?

 

[Markeh]

I think that's a bit harsh actually. Don't get me wrong, Robbo is a much better player, but my point was (one which seemed to fly over your head), was that the likes of Riise and many other FBs we've had in the past were better in front of goal.

True, every time Robbo shoots you’d rather see Riise hit it. Robbo is great but he’s bafflingly shit at shooting, always leans back and snatches at it.

 

[Judge Jules]

All of that is true, but the wee bugger is so good at the things which fullbacks mostly need to do that I'm pretty zen about him not being great at this optional extra.

I've been wrong often enough about prospective signings, but not about Robbo. I was in his corner from the get-go and I'm chuffed to monkeys how it's panned out.

 

[tombrown]

It is against my religion to rate him higher than Steve Nicol, but being as Nicol payed right back more often than left back (at which he was equally excellent), I'll let Robbo have this

 

[Markeh]

All of that is true, but the wee bugger is so good at the things which fullbacks mostly need to do that I'm pretty zen about him not being great at this optional extra.

I've been wrong often enough about prospective signings, but not about Robbo. I was in his corner from the get-go and I'm chuffed to monkeys how it's panned out.

yea 100% wouldn’t swap him with Riise. I’m glad he got a little break there, no coincidence he’s looking fantastic again

 

[StevieM]

It is against my religion to rate him higher than Steve Nicol, but being as Nicol payed right back more often than left back (at which he was equally excellent), I'll let Robbo have this

One of the worlds great mysteries - how Nicol only managed to get 27 Caps for Scotland (along with Hansen only getting 26).

 

[Judge Jules]

Indeed. I have a theory that it might have been because they both made the game look too easy for their own good.

 

[tombrown]

Who was their competition? (I cant remember)

For Hansen - who else played CB for Scotland?

For Nicol - who else played LB, RB, CB, MF, RW, LW for Scotland? 🙂

 

[Judge Jules]

As far as Jocky's concerned, there were two factors. One: Willie Miller and Alex McLeish were the CB duo "in possession" and would have been hard to shift as they were a club partnership (Aberdeen) as well, especially since Ferguson - then the Aberdeen manager - was temporary Scotland boss for a spell. Two: Jocky had intermittent knee trouble even then and had to withdraw from one or two Scotland squads as a result, though they should still have picked him when he was available.

Stevie Nicol I reckon suffered from being so good at everything that there was an assumption he wouldn't be the absolute best in any one position.

 

[localny]

Indeed. I have a theory that it might have been because they both made the game look too easy for their own good.

Here's another theory - the undue and petty influences of SAF.

 

[StevieM]

Here's another theory - the undue and petty influences of SAF.

Ferguson picked Nicol for the’86 swuad an played him in midfield in each game.

How he didn’t get picked for ‘90 is more of a mystery.

‘86 squad was still Miller & McLeish at CB, with Maurice Malpas, Roy Aitken, Richard Gough, Arthur Albiston & David Narey making up the defence and the likes of Eamon Bannon & Jim Bett included as midfielders - but as mentioned Nicol played all 3 games.

‘90 - McLeish, Malpas, Aitken, Gough & Bett still in the squad, with Craig Levein, Dave MacPherson, Stuart McKimmie, Murdo McLeod, and even Gary Gillespie in the team.

Was Nicol injured? He was 28 and his last cap was in ‘91? Nicol was a regular for Liverpool until ‘94.

I moved to Scotland in 1990 - so I recognise a lot of those players - some of them were good - Scottish football was producing better players in those days (it feels) - Craig Levein, in particular, was a very underrated CB who got done over by injury and the Celtic fans would speak very warmly about Roy Aitken - but Nicol seems to have been weirdly overlooked.

 

[Judge Jules]

Michael Caine-style "Norra lorra people know that" moment coming up: big, rough, tough Roy Aitken, MF/defender and carrier of a thousand battle scars, was a good enough classical pianist in his youth to have been a student at the Junior Dept.of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, i.e.better than I'll ever be.

 

[tombrown]

Such a wealth of knowledge of 1980s Scottish football. Meanwhile I knew that Stevie Nicol and Alan Hansen were scottish, end of.

 

[StevieM]

I met Craig Levein once, when he was managing Cowbenbeath - “the blue Brazil” - pub I worked in, along with the regulars used to tip in some money and we’d sponsor a match - at the oub for opening time, go up from Edinburgh on the train, get rat-arsed, scotch pie & bovril at half time, Chairman’s lounge after the game (which meant we had a great view of the rust box rally round the sides of the pitch after the game - karaoke in a local pub afterwards, last trading back to Edinburgh and in the pub before closing time.

I met Levein, pissed, while me and a mate almost accidentally walked into the dressing room while lost looking for the pisser at half time!!!

 

[tombrown]

I met Levein, pissed, while me and a mate almost accidentally walked into the dressing room while lost looking for the pisser at half time!!!

How did he play in the second half?

 

[StevieM]

How did he play in the second half?

He was the manager - but my mate was over 6ft4 and he fancied signing him to play CB.