Skip to content

Is the current centre back pairing the best we have ever had?

So are Pierre and Alfie Mawson the best pairing we have seen at WWFC? We have had some great centre backs such as Creaser, McCarthy, Terry Evans, Williamson, Roger Johnson but are the current two the best pairing we have had? Their record is amazing.

Comments

  • Best I've ever seen. Both well above League Two standard

  • Williamson for me is the best I've ever seen in a Wycombe shirt

  • I'm sure I'll get shot down with flames but I really liked Jamie Bates/Paul McCarthy combo in 1999/2000. The rest of the team was pretty damn good too :-)

  • For me, Williamson was the best. Mawson because of his age, has the potential to be even better. I think he will also end up in the premiership at some stage in his career. Pierre worries me a little, next year, without Mawson unfortunately, I wonder how he will get on. He is not as commanding a centre half as Alfie is and doesn't play the ball at the same skill level. Having said that, Pierre is still a very good centre half, and probably will play at championship level - hopefully, with us

  • @Noodle_Noggin said:
    I'm sure I'll get shot down with flames but I really liked Jamie Bates/Paul McCarthy combo in 1999/2000. The rest of the team was pretty damn good too :-)

    Well I'm not shooting at you. They are my favourite pairing as well. Not saying that we haven't had better individuals but as a twosome I thought they were great.

  • Bates and Mccarthy for me. Terry Evans probably the best defender I have seen at the club.

  • Bates and Macca were a fine combo, as were Antwi and Williamson before big will's injury.
    But i think the double AA pairing of Pierre and Mawson tops anything ive seen before in blue shirts, although when you have a right back as good as Joe Jacobson alongside you,
    it makes your job a fair bit easier.

  • We've had some great centre backs in the past, but I'd go for yes. Pierre is the quickest centre back I think we've had, as well as being strong in the air both in defence and attack. And he can play the ball too. And Mawson's ability to pick a pass is about the best of any of our players. They really are a classy pairing, each of them offering more than just defence.

  • It's funny what you said about Mawson, to me he looks completely comfortable running with the ball and making ball-to-feet passes (which is uber-rare in a L2 centreback) but some of his long punts yesterday were way off the mark, almost into Distribution Dave Winfield territory.

    Don't get me wrong, we are lucky to have both of them.

    Anyway - to me Johnson and Williamson is the best pairing, forget Big Woj's recent career missteps, he was damn good for us, regardless of what Tony Adams thought.

    Mawson and Pierre are still young and still have time to grow, and if they outdo Johnson and Williamson in time then more power to them.

  • we were relegated from league two with them in the team though and Pierre/Mawson are about the same age ....... hopefully all four will have played in the Premier League by the time they retire.

  • Sorry to be pedantic, especially to someone whose knowledge of WWFC eclipses my own, but if you mean relegated from League One, no we weren't, Williamson hadn't joined the team by then, the defensive pairing with which we went down under Tony Adams was Nethercott/Johnson.

    Agree with your sentiment re. the Premier League though.

  • I appear to be getting old PBo, clearly I meant relegated from League One, you are of course correct in the central defensive partnership. But they played together in League Two after Tony Adams had signed Williamson in the summer before he left. You are in no way pedantic and thanks for putting me right !

  • I think you would be hard pushed to say that the Pierre/Mawson pairing his better than the Johnson/Williamson or McCarthy/Bates pairing right now. Both of those combinations had two years together and did something notable in that time. Saying that, an unlikely promotion this year (at least from the beginning of the campaign) would certainly put them in the conversation.

  • I'd say this is the best back four I've seen in all my time supporting Wycombe. Actually, include Ingram in that and call it the best back five. It's an absolutely phenomenal unit

  • Totally agree with @eric_plant - we've possibly had better individuals in each position down the years, but they're the best 5 on the pitch at the same time covering the back-line. Very few positional errors, all read the game extremely well and have the physical abilities to recover from the few mistakes they make. Nice to be able to scrape a point even if we're not playing particularly well... not been in that position for many seasons.

  • I have a client who is a Newcastle fan and he asked me if we wanted Williamson back post their game with Stoke yesterday as I think their fans would be pleased to see the back of him? I said we have two centre backs that I actually think are better than him now. They both can bring the ball out and are comfortable on the ball which makes a huge difference.

  • @Grawlix said:
    Totally agree with eric_plant - we've possibly had better individuals in each position down the years, but they're the best 5 on the pitch at the same time covering the back-line. Very few positional errors, all read the game extremely well and have the physical abilities to recover from the few mistakes they make. Nice to be able to scrape a point even if we're not playing particularly well... not been in that position for many seasons.

    I really don't want to do down our current back 5 who I think are doing a tremendous job. But it's worth remembering that they are doing so in League 2 not League 1. I think the back 5 of Taylor; Lawrence, Bates, McCarthy and Vinnicombe functioned pretty well a division higher. Maybe they didn't get such a long and settled run together, and a record of 1 goal conceded in 7 games certainly takes some beating, but the old crew shouldn't be overlooked in the "best ever back 5" debate.

  • @HG1 said:
    I have a client who is a Newcastle fan and he asked me if we wanted Williamson back post their game with Stoke yesterday as I think their fans would be pleased to see the back of him? I said we have two centre backs that I actually think are better than him now.

    They also think Steven Taylor's a bit sh1t too. Spoilt anyone?

  • I always enjoyed watching Vinnie Faulkner alongside 'Chopper Royston' never a dull moment with those two.
    Ian Rundle was always good value in the entertainment stakes.
    Anyone else on here remember them.

  • @marlowwanderer said:
    I always enjoyed watching Vinnie Faulkner alongside 'Chopper Royston' never a dull moment with those two.
    Ian Rundle was always good value in the entertainment stakes.
    Anyone else on here remember them.

    Keith Mead and Alan Phillips were pretty handy. Keith Barratt too.

  • Anton and Dave Burgess were exceptional in quite a poor team. Those two along with Gary Lester kept us in many a game.

Sign In or Register to comment.