Name your top 15 Footballers of the last 15 years

[Louth Exile]

I had a quick scan and didn't see this up as a topic, if it is just redirect me to the thread...
Anyway, given the current competition being run by the Indo and BOI thought I'd put up what I went for. As you can imagine, not easy and sure some people will completely disagree with me. I used the allstars as a starting point for my selections and worked from there. Yes I have picked players out of position, I picked on the basis that these are the top 15 guys....
GK -
John O'Leary (an automatic in my book, didn't give this much deliberation)
Backs -
Paul Curran
Darren Fay
Seamus Moynihan
Graham Geraghty
Kieran Mc Geeney
Martin O'Connell
Middle -
John Mc Dermott
Dara O'Se
Forwards -
Anthony Tohill
Trevor Giles (Mc Guigan was my first choice, but over the course of the 15 years Giles probably deserves it)
Sean Cavanagh (class at midfield, I think he is even better at half forward)
Maurice Fitzgerald
Peter Canavan (Captain)
Stephen Mc Donnell

The county breakdown is as follows:
Meath - 5, Kerry - 3, Dublin, Tyrone & Armagh - 2, Derry 1

Subs - (ie those that were on the short list)
Keith Barr, Sean Marty Lockhart, Sean Og De Paor, Thomas O'Se, Brian Mc Guigan, Charlie Redmond, Mickey Linden, Michael Donnellan

[spiritof91and94]

Do you think McDonnell is better than Linden - wise up!

[MauriceMalpas]

While the 15 there are all great individually the team just doesnt "shape" up.

Sorry didnt fully read 1st post. Still Tohill as forward??

[Over the Bar]

Trevor Giles (Mc Guigan was my first choice, but over the course of the 15 years Giles probably deserves it)

By that reckoning a player would need to be in his early thirties to warrant inclusion.

[King of Kilskerry]

My top 15 in no particular

S Moynihan
M Fitzgerald
D Browne
M Forde
P Joyce
G Geraghty
S Cavanagh
C McGeeney
C Cooper
D O'Se
C McDonald
P Canavan
M Linden
A Tohill
G Blaney

[mouview]

For pure physical talent it has to be Michael Donnellan - unquestionably the most consummately gifted player of his era.

[Louth Exile]

I'd pick Stevie Mc over Linden any day, thats my preference and if the team is over the last 15 years defo.

Re Tohill in the forwards: Midfield I found to be the hardest to pick with Dara, Big John and Tohill...I couldn't drop one so pushed Anthony forward.

Probably didn't word the forty pick correctly: Mc Guigan to my mind is the best No. 11 around at the moment if he was playing, over the last 15 years there is only been one year where he got to show his talents to their full extent. Giles over this period put in a number of great years and would probably just deserve it.

[thebandit]

John O'Leary

Kieran McKeever
Darren Fay
Conor Gormley

Seamus Moynihan
Kieran Mc Geeney
Martin O'Connell

Anthony Tohill
Dara O'Se

Larry Tompkins
Martin McHugh
Oisín McConville
Maurice Fitzgerald
Peter Canavan (Captain)
Mickey Linden

[donegal gael]

John o'leary

mark o'reilly
darren fay
kirean mckeever

declean meehan
kirean mcgeeney
tomas o'se

dara o'se
anthony tohill

s cavanagh
d marsden
m fitzgerald
d browne
p canavan
p joyce

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Will probably change som of these with more time to think:

1. J O'Leary

2. M O'Reilly
3. D Fay
4. SM Lockhart

5  M O'Se
6  S Moynihan
7. K Barr

8. D O'Se
9  A. Tohill

10. B Dooher
11. T Giles
12  G Blaney

13  M Linden
14  P Canavan
15  C Cooper

[GalwayBayBoy]

Quite amazed at the amount of people leaving out Padraig Joyce. Probably the best forward in the country for 3 or 4 years at the end of the 90's beginning of the 00's.

Would have thought he'd be a no-brainer selection.

[ExiledGael]

impossible to reach consensus on this

                                             O'Leary
          McKeever                     Fay                     Moynihan
          O'Connell              McGeeney               Geraghty
                              Tohill                       O'Se
         Donnellan                   Giles                   Cavanagh
          Fitzgerald                Canavan                   Joyce

Hard to leave out Linden, McDonnell, Blayney, Gooch, McDermott, McGuigan , Marc and Tomas O'Se and Gormley, but who can you take out?   

[inisceithleann]

impossible to reach consensus on this

                                             O'Leary
          McKeever                     Fay                     Moynihan
          O'Connell              McGeeney               Geraghty
                              Tohill                       O'Se
         Donnellan                   Giles                   Cavanagh
          Fitzgerald                Canavan                   Joyce

Hard to leave out Linden, McDonnell, Blayney, Gooch, McDermott, McGuigan , Marc and Tomas O'Se and Gormley, but who can you take out?  

I'd have Brian McGuigan on at CHF ahead of Giles and O'Se on at half back ahead of Geraghty but aparts from that a very strong line up.

[Leo]

Giles, Cavanagh, Marsden, Oisin  or McHugh ahead of Blaney? - joke time.
Tohill ahead of McGilligan- yez are watching a different game lads.

[thewobbler]

My team, and players who I'd happily swap them for.

1. Mickey McVeigh (Stephen Cluxton)
2. Tony Scullion (Kieran McKeever)
3. Darren Fay (Cormac McAnallen)
4. Tomas Mannion (Sean Marty Lockhart)
5. Seamus Moynihan (Glen Ryan)
6. Kieran McGeeney (Barry Breen)
7. Conor Gormley (Paul Curran)
8. John McDermott (Dara Ó Sé)
9. Anthony Tohill (Dermot McCabe)
10. Greg Blaney (Oisin McConville)
11. Brian McGuigan (Trevor Giles)
12. Maurice Fitzgerald (Ja Fallon)
13. Mickey Linden (Padraig Joyce)
14. Kieran Donaghy (Tommy Dowd)
15. Peter Canavan (Stephen McDonnell)

Maybe not the best 15 individuals ever, but there is a proper balance to that team. No corner-forwards in the half forward line, no half-backs filling in closer to goal.

Only controversial choice there is the keeper. Personally, i thought John O'Leary was overrated. Cluxton is a magnificent all round keeper. But for 10 years I never saw a better keeper than McVeigh, anywhere in the country. Once I got past Fay, full-back was a struggle. There have been few genuinely eyecatching no.3's in the past decade or so. McAnallen got in on the bench because over the course of 4 games in 2003, he was utterly outstanding. Time might eventually have caught him out in that position, but I don't think it would have.

Some might argue with Kieran Donaghy, but he has been a complete revelation and is quite possibly the perfect player for that position.