Is Willian better than Les Barrett?

[f bloke]

If we are talking left wingers, or even left sided attacking players, then the best post war players were Tosh, Barret, Leggat, and Boa.
Boa has to be the best by a country mile.
Barrat was very good and served us so well.
Leggat played more as a central striker who could poach goals.
Tosh was Tosh and such a character and the best loved of the bunch.

Willian is very good but has not been with us any time yet and cannot possibly be compared to those magnificent four men of Fulham.

[I think Dempsey must be up there - not a conventional left sided player but he scored 20 goals one season playing mainly from the left. and was consistently good post Europa]

[Stoneleigh Loyalist]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the mud heaps of pitches that they used  to play on compared  with the slick watered surfaces of today.
This makes for completely different football today with. better closer control.
Just watch the old Newcastle v Fulham Match of the Day on YouTube and the passing and close control is no where as good as you see today even from our stars of the time.

[StuinSalop]

Les played nearly all his football for Fulham in the lower leagues. He was a lovely player and with Conway and Earle we used to have a quick silver attack.  You compare that to Willian who is an Elite player, Barrett was never that.  Haynes was, Clarke was, Cohen was, but no one really of the era of the 3 above. 

What I find astonishing about Willian is his willingness to work so hard, rather like Best when he was with us, he does the dirty work, is a team player and on top of that has abilities to compare to the best in the world.

Fairer question would be who did you enjoy watching the most.  Watching the Fulham team in the 1970's was a lot of fun, particularly as I was so much younger however it was frustrating, badly managed a lot of the time, no money, Craven Cottage starting to decline and quite a lot of misery.

[filham]

If the question is changing to who did we enjoy watching the most then make no mistake, Tosh never failed to bring a smile to your face, He would without doubt continued to do that in modern football, it had nothing to do with tactics, weight of the ball or condition of the pitch.

[Somerset Fulham]

He *might * be off at the end of the season.

Willian may return to Brazil to play at the end of this season. #ffc https://t.co/IeJPM4DMKT

— White Noise (@WhiteNoise1879) February 15, 2023

[Oakeshott]

Tosh was Tosh and such a character and the best loved of the bunch.

I think that is right, but a very different type of winger to the likes of Les, Boa and W. A kick like a mule, but as often as not it didn't go where we presume he intended and he was a regular frustation to the Maesto.

We had a lot of characters back then, with Jimmy Langley and Maurice Cook as well as Tosh, plus some young players who really came good in George Cohen and Alan Mullery.

Sometimes difficult not to be nostalgic when you've spent hours on the open riverside terraces having walked in at the Hammersmith end with the pervading smell of timber from the adjacent yard, watching us lose 0-1 to Cardiff City and the like in the rain, with apart from your group maybe the nearest other spectator 10 feet away. But the standard of play now is in general so much better, with the current team, and squad, in my view our best ever, with for the first time in my lifetime, not a weak position anywhere. And if we had seen a player with W's skills at the Cotage back then, we simply wouldn't have believed it.

The downside is cost. My father and his brother were in ordinary jobs earning ordinary money but could easily afford to pay the entrance money for themselves, me and my cousin. These days the prices are, even as a better than averagely well-off pensioner, eye-watering

[bog]

They're different types of players. Les would dribble down the touchline send the defender the wrong way and then cross into the box at 90 degrees from the corner flag. Willian plays further infield it seems to me. Love them both.

+1

[Fulham Tup North]

I different times and different players but I'm happy to have seen them both play.They both had phenominal skill

Got to agree.... both quality players and I am just glad to have been able to watch them both in a Fulham shirt...
I'm also hoping to see Willian for at least one more season..... if not two!!
COYW

[filham]

Tosh was Tosh and such a character and the best loved of the bunch.

I think that is right, but a very different type of winger to the likes of Les, Boa and W. A kick like a mule, but as often as not it didn't go where we presume he intended and he was a regular frustation to the Maesto.

We had a lot of characters back then, with Jimmy Langley and Maurice Cook as well as Tosh, plus some young players who really came good in George Cohen and Alan Mullery.

Sometimes difficult not to be nostalgic when you've spent hours on the open riverside terraces having walked in at the Hammersmith end with the pervading smell of timber from the adjacent yard, watching us lose 0-1 to Cardiff City and the like in the rain, with apart from your group maybe the nearest other spectator 10 feet away. But the standard of play now is in general so much better, with the current team, and squad, in my view our best ever, with for the first time in my lifetime, not a weak position anywhere. And if we had seen a player with W's skills at the Cotage back then, we simply wouldn't have believed it.

The downside is cost. My father and his brother were in ordinary jobs earning ordinary money but could easily afford to pay the entrance money for themselves, me and my cousin. These days the prices are, even as a better than averagely well-off pensioner, eye-watering

Agree with every word and was reminded of those early days at the the Cottage, thank you for the post.
Would jus add though that we will never again see such a lethal attacking trio as Haynes, Jezzard and Robson. Three young English internationals in the Fulham attack who were individually exceptional and collectively brilliant.

[Twig]

Tosh was Tosh and such a character and the best loved of the bunch.

I think that is right, but a very different type of winger to the likes of Les, Boa and W. A kick like a mule, but as often as not it didn't go where we presume he intended and he was a regular frustation to the Maesto.

We had a lot of characters back then, with Jimmy Langley and Maurice Cook as well as Tosh, plus some young players who really came good in George Cohen and Alan Mullery.

Sometimes difficult not to be nostalgic when you've spent hours on the open riverside terraces having walked in at the Hammersmith end with the pervading smell of timber from the adjacent yard, watching us lose 0-1 to Cardiff City and the like in the rain, with apart from your group maybe the nearest other spectator 10 feet away. But the standard of play now is in general so much better, with the current team, and squad, in my view our best ever, with for the first time in my lifetime, not a weak position anywhere. And if we had seen a player with W's skills at the Cotage back then, we simply wouldn't have believed it.

The downside is cost. My father and his brother were in ordinary jobs earning ordinary money but could easily afford to pay the entrance money for themselves, me and my cousin. These days the prices are, even as a better than averagely well-off pensioner, eye-watering

Nicely put. Players like Tosh and later Les B were of their era and terrific in their day. Personally I have a huge fondness for Boa and also for Bjarne Goldbaek amongst others.  However if by best we mean who has achieved the highest standards in their career then it has to be Willian. He's right up there with some of the very best.

[Somerset Fulham]

Yes, I agree with Twig.

I love the nostalgia surrounding these older players especially the likes of Barrett and Chamberlain who I am too young to have seen but you only really have to compare records to see who has been the best really.

A younger Willian was in a different league to any winger we have probably ever had at the club, and he's not too shabby even in the twilgiht of his career.

Edit:  George Best may just have eclipsed him based on my criteria though!  064.gif

[filham]

It could be right to say that Best and Willian are the two best wide left players to play at the Cottage for Fulham. of course neither of them have put in more than a season's service  so the memory banks of us old timers will have more stored away regarding our long term players.

[colinwhite]

I loved Les . H e had pace and control . great player

But Willian is pure class . His touch and close control matches him against the best wide players ever. He never makes a miss calculation or poor decision either as far as I can see.

[Stoneleigh Loyalist]

An interesting question which can only be bettered by whether Willian has ever worked in a candle factory like Les!

[JohnG]

I remember Les Barrett well and he was good when I was young and fit enough to regularly go to matches. Graham Leggat (4 goals in 19 minutes in 10-1 thrashing versus Ipswich on Boxing day 1963) was better and Willian however, is a class above both of them. Let's hope we get another year or two out of him.

[Logicalman]

Think I've got to mention Jimmy Conway.

Of course, one of the Fulham greats, truly Forever Fulham.

[ron]

Think I've got to mention Jimmy Conway.

Of course, one of the Fulham greats, truly Forever Fulham.

Lightning fast as an attacking midfielder on the right....the perfect partner and foil to Les playing further up on the left. Happy days!