Robert Gledhill: From Schmeichel to ALF, this side is the cream of the Yorkshire crop

HERE IS one to get you talking down the local:

Who would make it into your Yorkshire team of the season?

The annual Professional Footballers’ Association’s awards will be announced at the end of the month and it is a fair bet that few from clubs inside the Broad Acres will feature – even in the various divisional teams of the season.

One of the ‘privileges’ of working on this desk is that you get the opportunity to watch all teams in our region – the downside is that Yorkshire football is at a pretty low ebb.

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One sometimes only gets a snapshot of how players are performing so no apologies if those who make it into my XI do not meet with full approval.

Unfortunately, Bradford City have had such a poor season that I can not find place for a single Bantams player, though time is still on the side of left-back Luke O’Brien.

The same goes for Sheffield Wednesday, even though central defender Mark Beevers remains a player of huge potential and manager Gary Megson asserts he has a better team than Huddersfield Town.

My ‘Gatusso’ award will also have to remain in the trophy cabinet for I just cannot picture anyone in this region who comes into that tough-tackling, forceful, driving and inspirational midfield role, someone whom opposition fans love to hate.

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Perhaps the heartbeat of the Sheffield United side, Nick Montgomery, is the one who comes closest – so he gets my vote in central midfield.

It may be a dated view but I feel that with these ‘villains’ increasingly being hounded out of the game by officials who fail to differentiate between a solid tackle and a vindictive challenge, it makes it more difficult to hail our heroes – to my mind you can hardly have one without the other.

So who else makes it into the XI of players I have seen in live action?

My ‘one to watch’ in the Yorkshire Post’s pre-season prediction charts was Robert Snodgrass, so what happened?

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He immediately got injured in a friendly in Norway and missed the opening few weeks.

Since then, however, Snodgrass has built up such a head of steam that he has won his first Scotland cap and is a target for Premier League clubs should Leeds United fail to win promotion to the top flight.

With an attitude to match his talent, Snodgrass is the first name on my team sheet on the right flank.

On the left, and I may have a blinkered view here in wanting to protect an endangered species, is Huddersfield Town’s Gary Roberts.

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Rarely these days do you see any players who simply love taking on an opponent, feinting one way, going the other and then attempting to dribble past the next man.

Who cares if they sometimes miss the simple pass to an unmarked colleague or delay their cross a shade too long? The managers, that’s who!

But players like Roberts, who has certainly delivered in terms of goals and assists for Lee Clark’s team, put bums on seats and every team should be encouraged to include at least one ‘luxury’ player as they lift many a game from the mundane.

Who to play behind Snodgrass and Roberts – Anthony Pilkington would have challenged both for a place until breaking his leg – and in front of the defence not only to offer protection but to dictate play is a welcome dilemma.

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Leeds United duo Neil Kilkenny and Jonny Howson are obvious contenders but I plump for Brian Stock.

You only have to witness Doncaster Rovers’ results while he was sidelined through injury to gauge what an influence Stock can be on a side.

With midfield sorted, let us turn to defence.

Here again, attitude is allied to talent in my choices.

Two famous names get the vote with Kasper Schmeichel, son of Peter but rapidly emerging from his giant shadow, in goal and Anthony Gerrard – cousin of England’s Steven – who has been the bedrock behind Hull City’s revival under Nigel Pearson, in central defence.

Gerrard’s team-mate, Andy Dawson, has been the model of consistency in all four divisions while guarding the flank for the Tigers and gets the nod at left-back.

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Alongside Gerrard, whom Cardiff City must be wondering why they released on a season-long loan to their Championship rivals, is Huddersfield Town captain Peter Clarke, another who always puts his body on the line for the cause.

That leaves the problem spot of right-back but I like the fact that Barnsley’s Kieren Trippier still believes he can force his way into parent club Manchester City’s reckoning despite the mega-millions they have to sign world-class players.

Turning thoughts to a strike partnership, fans often like a grumble about the ‘glory boys’ and whenever you go to the Don Valley, Galpharm or Keepmoat stadiums, someone will always bemoan the fact that: “The trouble with Adam Le Fondre/ Jordan Rhodes/ Billy Sharp (delete as applicable) is that they ‘only’ score goals.”

Well that is good enough for me and I will give ALF the opportunity here, even though his predatory skills are only on show in League Two with Rotherham.

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The term ‘target man’ has often been a euphemism for strikers who fail to hit the back of the net despite an unstinting work rate.

In Argentinian Lucciano Becchio, however, Leeds United have a forward who does both and he completes my team of the season.

As for the manager, that is for another day.

How can racism not be racist?

I RECALL watching an FA Vase match at Tamworth in the late 80s when the host fans enjoyed nothing more than throwing carrots in front of the opposing winger and making braying noises as he sped past them.

That was not racism – it was just a bunch of supporters making asses of themselves.

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Now it seems, throwing a banana at a coloured player does not fall into the above category either.

Scotland fans were rightly up in arms when they were branded racists by Brazil striker Neymar after a banana was thrown on the pitch during the friendly international at The Emirates.

That banana skin was in danger of putting the skids under the Tartan Army’s hard-earned image.

However, hosts Arsenal declared that it was, in fact, a teenage German tourist sitting amongst Brazilian fans who threw the fruit.

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The disturbing part of their statement read: “The Metropolitan Police is satisfied there was no racist intent and have confirmed that no further action will be taken.”

Really? Let’s hope they are right but I am sure John Barnes, who has received similar treatment in the past, and his friends at ‘Let’s Kick Racism out of Football’ will take a different view.

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