Premier League Managers Pick ‘Team Of The Decade’ – Man Utd Absolutely Dominate, No Lampard/Henry

By Chris Wright

Premier League sponsors Barclays and the League Managers’ Association banded together to set the twenty 2010/11 top flight managers some homework a couple of weeks ago – to pick their ‘team of the last decade’, though it seems that all twenty misread the instructions and just picked their favourite Manchester United and Chelsea players from the past ten years instead.

To be fair, seeing as though the Red’ns and the Blue’ns have more or less ferried the Premier League trophy between themselves since the millennium, it’s not altogether that surprising.

After all the votes were tallied, the final XI emerged as follows…

GK: Edwin van Der Sar, Fulham and Man Utd (secured 58% of the votes)

RB: Gary Neville, Man Utd (60%)

CB: Nemanja Vidic, Man Utd (27%)
CB: John Terry, Chelsea (40%)

LB: Ashley Cole, Arsenal and Chelsea (73%)

RM: Cristiano Ronaldo, Man Utd (67%)

CM: Steven Gerrard, Liverpool (33%)
CM: Paul Scholes, Man Utd (23%)

LM: Ryan Giggs, Man Utd (87%)

FW: Alan Shearer, Newcastle (23%)
FW: Didier Drogba, Chelsea (23%)

Substitutes: Petr Cech (Chelsea), David Beckham (Man Utd), Patrice Evra (Man Utd), Rio Ferdinand (West Ham, Leeds and Man Utd), Wayne Rooney (Everton and Man Utd).

Someone call the police because Hossam Ghaly has just been robbed – can’t help but feel like we’re also missing a Frank Lampard, or a Thierry Henry here somewhere as well.

In a separate poll, the 20 Premier League gaffers were also asked to name their ‘outstanding team of the decade’, with Manchester United’s 2007/08 side coming out on top – beating the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ (2003/04) and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea title-winners (2005/06) into second and third place respectively.

According to the BBC, the 2007/8 season (which saw United pip Chelsea to the title by two points and Roy Hodgson’s Fulham perform a miraculous escape from relegation) was also rated as the most exciting campaign of the decade.

Via the Beeb.

Posted in Chelsea, Man Utd, Media

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25 Comments

  1. fatty nolan says:

    can’t disagree with the majority of the team except i’d put henry ahead of drogba

  2. Tanya says:

    I’ve no idea why Frank Lampard isn’t on that list. Isn’t 20 goals and 16 assist almost every season and being injured once every 10 years enough?

  3. Colin says:

    Seems like Shearer retired a long time ago, not sure whether it is justifiable to include him.

    Many of the players have been put in on the basis of less than a quarter of the vote, which indicates competition was pretty close for a lot of the positions. Actually, it rather resembles the general election.

  4. SlimCharles says:

    Did Beckham really do enough in the two seasons of the last Premier League decade he played in before he left for Madrid?

  5. Goaltastic says:

    How small does Anderson look in that photo?

  6. Alex Ferguson says:

    Scholes is head and shoulders above both Gerrard and Lampard but over the past 10 years I would say Lampard has been better/more consistent than both Scholes and Gerrard. Scholes has had probably 3 or 4 outstanding seasons in the past 10 where as Lampard has been fantastic pretty much every season, while Gerrard has about 5 great games a season. Also Viera, not as good as Keane but probably better in the past 10 years.

    Shearer’s peak was the mid late 90’s, Henry was arguably the best player in the world for 2 years during the 00’s. Drogba has only really had 2 or 3 great seasons at Chelsea, about the same amount as Rooney.

    Rio has had his injuries but has easily been the number 1 centre back over the past decade.

    VDS
    G Nev Rio Vidic A Cole
    Ronaldo Lampard Scholes Viera Pires
    Henry

  7. jyo says:

    This is not right…its more like for the last 3 years

  8. Jimbo says:

    yeah I would have said Henry over Drog.

  9. VAns says:

    gonna say it again, but why no lampard?? Were all the managers west ham supporters?

  10. $$KING$$ says:

    ill prefer drogba n rooney….bur whr d hec is lampard on dt list

  11. The Yank says:

    If Shearer is one of the best strikers of the past decade, then so is Michael Owen. Maybe in the 90’s, but not in the Naughties. Henry should be up front alone with the addition of Lampard in the center midfield.

  12. nadim says:

    henry deserved shearers place

  13. VA Red says:

    Shearer did have 84 Premier League goals for the Barcodes in the noughties so it’s not like he is totally unworthy but Thierry Henry not being included is an absolute mugging.

  14. Richi says:

    and Van Nistelrooy????

  15. Toji says:

    where’s titus “teddybear” bramble?

  16. ollyr says:

    henry not included is a joke

  17. mtm says:

    there is charlie adam? no no i’am just joking:DDDDDDDDD

  18. The Yank says:

    @Richi

    Van the Man was definitely one of the top players of the last decade, but he didn’t spend enough time in England to get on this list, apparently. He spent 5 seasons in Manchester, one of which was struck with injury. If Shearer made it on the list though, Ruud should have made it too. Had this been a top Champions League team of the decade, Ruud would be on that no doubt. 50 goals in 8 years between the two clubs he played for last decade, sensational. Give me Ruud and Raul up front for Europe please. Goals, goals, goals. Sorry Messi, your services are not required.

  19. Mark says:

    Shearer? Um its supposed to be for the last decade! Henry missing out is ridiculous. I’d have Cech over Van Der Sar. VDS is better now but for 2 or 3 seasons Cech was probably the best keeper in the world before his head injury. Scholes has been over-rated this decade. Lampard has been better this decade. Silverware came to Arsenal when Viera was there, and went with him when he left – he deserves to be there and the invincibles of 2004 were the best team the premier league saw in the last decade.

  20. Kolejorz says:

    Shearer played till 2006 and was one of the best English strikers of the Premier League. 84 Goals in a 188 games is still pretty impressive.

  21. CFC_Jay says:

    No bias what-so-ever, but Lampard not being named is wrong on so many levels!! Henry too…..plus i think Xabi Alonso at Liverpool, he was badly missed when he left! To me Cech and VDS you could toss a coin up as they are both as good as each other…….and what about Carlos Tevez? over 5 seasons in the Prem now and still a bloody handful!!!

  22. Mark says:

    Henry scored more goals than Shearer in every premier league season they played together in the naughties.

  23. Calski says:

    I think I am the only Newcastle fan to think Shearer is a dick, but he deserves a place in there. Look what happened to Newcastle when he left? We slipped down the table finally ending up in the Championship. He wasn’t spectacular in the twilight of his career but he continually scored important goals on a regular basis.

  24. tomas says:

    HEY cfc you need to be silly to say chech is as good as van der sar:D fuckinh hell yornchelsea sucks man:D

  25. Mr. Angry says:

    why the fuck is gary faggot neville on this list! he barely played in the past dacade he’s always injured…

    why no lampard? take fucking little cunt scholes off he’s a dirty fucker!

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