Tony Butler

[PhilK66]

At his best would you rate him as one of our 10 best central defenders?

Who would be your top ten?

 

[Romany]

Burgess
Shipperley
Hope
Ashby
King
Breen
Greenall
Green
Galvin
Overton
Not necessarily in that order. Butler just outside for me.
Just remembered I've forgot Steve Bruce!

 

[HerrLjunga]

Wasn't Butler hilariously awful until Pulis turned up?

He might just scrape in to the top 10 in my 28 years as a fan, but behind Hope, Butters, King, Ashby, Egan, Harris, Barrett, Bryant and Cox

 

[MedwayModernist]

Started watching in 95.

Butters
Hope
King
Egan
Ashby
Pennock
Cox
Green
Barrett
Samuel (yes he wasn't ours, but I was genuinely struggling to thing of a tenth...)

 

[PhilK66]

Isn't Zak close to the top ten? Certainly in top 20.

 

[Detritus]

What about Nyron? Thought he was excellent as CB alongside Hope

 

[Captainreblue]

I'd add Paul Clark to the list others have mentioned.

Since I've been watching as a top 10 I'd go for

Weatherly
Paul Clark
Green
Greenall ( can still hear the thud of his head hitting the post)
Harris
Butters
Ashby
Hope
King
Egan

 

[mehmets_curlies]

Overton
Bruce
Greenall
Clark P
Walker A
Green
Harris
Ashby
Butters
Hope

 

[MedwayModernist]

I remember Nyron as a flying right wingback when he was with us. Made his name as a premier league centre back with Sunderland later in his career though

 

[Angry Dick]

Both Tony Butler and Gary Breen surprised me by going onto bigger and better things after the Gills. Butler looked the more likely to succeed of the two, but as a pairing they had some forgettable performances, not least when they both scored own goals in an evening match at Barnet.

Richard Green looked out of place in the early 90's Gills team, and is probably one of our most underrated defenders of the last 25 years.

From more recent times, Adam Barrett is my favourite centre half. A really good professional, who rightly went down in history as the first captain to lift a Championship trophy for the Gills in the last 50 years.

 

[jokerman]

He's here, he's there, he's every ****ing where, Uncle Bill Williams?

 

[timnolongerinbrisban]

Honourable mention to Keith Oakes - zero finesse, but a good stopper who knew the route to row Z when required. Scored some handy goals as well.

 

[The Roone]

Where's Steve Bruce if not best then up there with them.

 

[Buddha]

Alan Walker deserves a mention - captainreblue, is it him you were thinking of when you mentioned the thud of head hitting the post, or did Greenall also do that?

 

[HullGills]

Remember Alan Walker coming in the Harvester cafe in Gillingham Road and bought a couple of bacon rolls while still in training kit.

 

[jogills]

I remember seeing Alan Walker's debut at Meadow Lane. First attack, centre forward received the ball and Walker dispossed him of wind, ball and courage and rattled his teeth. An old friend, who was tood next to me remarked; " We've needed one of them for a long time. "

 

[Archiepoptart]

In no particular order
Bruce
Weatherly
Galvin
Shipperley
Green
Ashby
Butters
Walker
Hope
Overton

Breen and Butler were too young and inexperienced when they played for us to go into a Gills top 10.
Some good calls further up the board Greenall and Oaks in particular .

 

[Brexiteer]

Not forgetting Dave Quirke

 

[NedFlanders]

Based on players I've seen:

Pennock
Butters
Ashby
Hope
Cox
Nyron
Simon King
Adam Barrett
Legge
John Egan

(Legge is probably not good enough really to make the list but I have fond memories of our League Two champions season)

 

[Kura]

Dave Peach.
Penalty king, 30 plus before he missed.
Could be first ex Gill to play in F.A Cup final.