What's your ranking?

[Fernhurst]

The Tony Gale thread set me thinking about all the players who have progressed to the first team from youth level and who is the best. Here is my personal top ten.

1. Johnny Haynes
2. George Cohen
3. Alan Mullery
4. Ryan Sessegnon
5. Rodney Marsh
6. Malcom Macdonald
7. Tony Gale
8. Les Barrett
9. Steve Earl
10. Pat Roberts

Apologise in advance if I missed someone blinding obvious. Ryan is my No 4 as I really believe he will be World Class.

[Mince n Tatties]

1 Haynes
2 Cohen
3 Marsh
4 MacDonald
5 Mullery
6 Barrett
7 Earl
8 Sessegnon
9 Chamberlain
10 Gale.
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[Tonywa]

The Tony Gale thread set me thinking about all the players who have progressed to the first team from youth level and who is the best. Here is my personal top ten.

1. Johnny Haynes
2. George Cohen
3. Alan Mullery
4. Ryan Sessegnon
5. Rodney Marsh
6. Malcom Macdonald
7. Tony Gale
8. Les Barrett
9. Steve Earl
10. Pat Roberts

Apologise in advance if I missed someone blinding obvious. Ryan is my No 4 as I really believe he will be World Class.

Surely Malcolm MacDonald was bought from Luton Town as a full back and didn't come through the Fulham youth system at all.

[Tonywa]

No I'm wrong. Malcolm was signed from Tonbridge and left Fulham for Luton.  In any event he did not come through the FFC youth scheme.

[Tonywa]

How about Tony Macedo and does Bobby Robson count as Fulham was his first professional club?

[Tonywa]

Would have thought Paul Parker should be in there somewhere. For all Tony Gale's evident class, Parker had a more stellar career at both international and league levels.

[Fernhurst]

No I'm wrong. Malcolm was signed from Tonbridge and left Fulham for Luton.  In any event he did not come through the FFC youth scheme.

Yeah Tony, as he lived in Finlay Sreet naturally assumed he was one of ours.

[Tonywa]

A fair assumption.  Yet another one we let go before he had reached anything like his full potential.

[Tonywa]

the youth team the late Derry Quigley put together and coached in the late seventies was remarkable for the number of youngsters who came through its ranks to play regular first team football.  Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think Paul Parker, Cliffie Carr, Brian Cottington, Robert Wilson, Dean Coney, Tony Gale, John Marshall, Jeff Hopkins and Clive Day all came from the youth team while Jim Stannard was signed from non-League football as a youngster.

[Fernhurst]

:blow candles:Most of the best ones were before my time but Sean Davis would be #1 simply for going all the way from that Micky Adams team in the third division to being one of our best players in the premiership and an England call up, you do not get many stories like that.

Oh yes our Sean, should have extended list to include Minces suggestion of our beloved Tosh as well.

Had the pleasure of meeting Sean on the opening day in McBrides. Shook his hand and then gave him a bear hug!!! "That's for that goal at Blackburn in 2001"
I've seen better goals at The Cottage but I remembered his goal with so much pleasure and satisfaction. It sealed our promotion to the Prem and made steam expel from Sourpusses ears.
All with 10 men.
Sean Davis ........really should be on the list.

[Tonywa]

Totally agree. Sean was a real hero for a few years, particularly, as you say, for that goal at Blackburn.

[Tonywa]

Also from Derry Quigley's youth side were Peter Scott and Kenny Achampong.

[Keynsham]

I enjoyed the interview afterwards up at Blackburn more than I did the goal, and I enjoyed the goal A LOT.

[filham]

Yes agree with all the above but wouldn't dream of putting Sess. in alongside such good and well proven players for a while yet.

Sess is not having too good a season, anything can happen to his form in the next few seasons, he has a lot of work to do before being above the likes of Davis, Gale, Marsh Barrat and Earl in those lists.

[Lighthouse]

I would put John Marshal in there somewhere. He signed as a kid and played 411 plus matches over a long period 1982- 97. A player who plays his entire career with us during the not great years deserves a top ten place. 

Plus he was a real utility player. Could play practically anywhere.

[ealex40]

Roy Dwight was a prolific goalscorer in the 1950's and was also a Fulham youth.

He scored 54 goals in 72 games for us and was transferred to Nottingham Forest ( what's new?) in 1958.

He scored in their 1959 FA Cup Final before breaking his leg that day and while at Forest, scored 26 goals in 50 matches.

He was the cousin of Reg Dwight, AKA Sir Elton John.

[filham]

Can I have Beddy Jezzard in the number three spot next to Haynes and Cohen, not exactly a youth product but he came to us as an amature.

[colinwhite]

1,Haynes
2 Cohen
3.Mullery
4 Marsh
5 Macdonald
6 Parker
7. Davis
8. Barratt
9 .Gale
10.Mitchell
11.     

Admit these are the players from 65 onwards as the others were before my time. They arent my favourites or even those who have achieved most with Fulham , but more the standard of their carreer and fame.