James or Allen?

Creating the Greatest Ever Swansea XI. What Have I Done?

When I first came up with the idea of putting together Swansea City’s greatest ever eleven, I thought it would be a bit of fun. A few polls, a bit of nostalgia, the occasional argument about who was better than who. What could possibly go wrong?

We started with the goalkeeper. Nice and straightforward. Was Ashley Williams a goalkeeper? No. Simple. Pick six goalkeepers, let everyone vote and move on.

The defence was slightly more complicated. Where exactly does Alan Tate belong? Should he be included in every position? He was primarily a centre-half, but some of his most iconic performances came at left-back. He could probably have a reasonable claim to a place in midfield, too, and I wouldn’t have put it past him to do a job up front if we’d asked.

Still, historically Swansea have generally played with a flat back four, so the positions were relatively easy to establish. Two centre-halves, a right-back and a left-back. Everyone knew where they stood.

At the halfway point, I was quite pleased with myself. Then it all went to shit.

The problem was the formation. If we’re putting together Swansea’s greatest eleven, surely it has to play the Swansea Way? The classic 4-5-1, or 4-2-3-1 if you prefer. Call it what you like, but that’s the formation I wanted.

And suddenly, players who had spent their careers being brilliant footballers became enormous logistical problems.

Where does Alan Curtis go? Where do you put someone who played in an era when our chosen formation didn’t even exist? Do we judge players by their natural position, where they played most often, or where they could theoretically fit into a team managed by Brendan Rodgers?

And what about Robbie James?

Robbie was the Alan Tate of his generation, except he could probably have played in even more positions. In our chosen formation, he could comfortably operate anywhere across the midfield or out wide. An absolute Swansea legend who deserved serious consideration for this team.

I put him in the attacking midfield category. I have since been hounded for it.

Now, I stand by almost every decision I’ve made throughout this process. You have to draw the line somewhere, otherwise we’d have Alan Curtis appearing in four different polls and Alan Tate in seven.

But the Robbie James decision? I regret that one.

Leon Britton came out on top in our central midfield poll, with Joe Allen securing the second position alongside him. Two magnificent Swansea players who formed the heartbeat of some of the greatest football we’ve ever witnessed.

But Robbie James deserves the opportunity to challenge for that place. So, before we finish putting this team together, I’m going to correct what I believe was my one major mistake.

We’re having a straight vote for the second midfield position. Joey Allen or Robbie James? I don’t need to tell you about them, you already know.