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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 2: Rickie Lambert (Southampton)

    Since his arrival in the Premier League Lambert has been labelled as all sorts. Various pundits, media outlets, and fans across the country had him down as a pub player, a chubby bloke who was only good at headering the ball - a poor man's Grant Holt, if you will.

    They could not be more wrong. Rickie Lambert offers so much more to Southampton than throwing his weight around in order to grab a few goals. He does not possess blistering pace, no, but he does give you movement, prowess in the air, and determination to succeed. He creates space for others and invited his colleagues into play beautifully, and most importantly leads the line of attack with such purpose and composure.

    Rickie Lambert is not just a lumbering oaf, as his 11 Premier League goals this season prove.

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 3: Shaun Maloney (Wigan)

    Shaun Maloney is a wizard with the ball at his feet. The wee Malaysian-born Scot has applied his trade for both Aston Villa and current club Wigan in the Premier League, as well as Celtic at the top of Scottish football, but has never seen had the impact that his talent deserves.

    He is often overlooked as just another average winger in the English topflight because he doesn't possess the muscular frame of Cristiano Ronaldo, the lightning speed of Theo Walcott or tendency to crisply strike a ball from an acute angle which the likes of Gareth Bale and Nani are renowned for, but Maloney can, and has, produced magical moments - as the clip will show.

    He possess unbelievable ball control and can easily out-move opposition defenders because of his low centre of gravity, and his end product is spot-on as well. Keep your eye on the little midfielder from now on and see how good he can be.

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 4: James Milner (Manchester City)

    You may be thinking "hang on, Milner is utter toilet. What does he offer to the Premier League?". Well, a lot of people look at the midfielder in this way, including myself at one point, but if you watch a little closer then you really get to see what Milner is about.

    The stocky City player seems to have been lurking around for years with people harking on about how much potential the kid has, but unfortunately for him he has never really lived up to all the hype. That was until he joined Aston Villa's ranks and lit up the league. Since his switch to Manchester City, though, he has really began to show his colours. Milner is deployed on the wing to do a job. He is not put there to be a superstar or to do anything in particular that will have the crowd on their feet, he is there to benefit the team. He will scrap all day long and track back to help out his defence. He will throw himself in front of the ball in order to keep a clean sheet, but will also do the same at the other end to try and nick a goal.

    Milner is not the most exciting of players in football, but take him out of your team and you are left with an almighty gap to fill. 

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 5: Nathan Dyer (Swansea)

    Fans of the lower leagues will have known about the facility of the wide man for many years, and he is finally being able to prove it on the big stage that is the Premier League. The Swansea winger has previously played for Southampton, Burnley and Sheffield United.

    Dyer is blessed with breakneck speeds and fleet-footedness, but his positional sense is also admirable. He can just as easily cut inside and trouble defenders as he can zip down the wing and deliver a delicious cross into the danger area. There is an exciting vibe every time the ball arrives at Dyer's feet around the Liberty Stadium and they are very rarely let down. 

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 1: Tony Adams

    Stats for Arsenal: 48 goals in 672 games

    Honours with Arsenal: 4 First Division / Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, 3 Community Shields, 2 League Cups and 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

    About: Tony Adams is not only one of the most established defenders ever to wear the famous Arsenal jersey, but he is considered one of the greatest players ever to represent the club. The defenders was one of the most willing, determined, and committed players that the north London side have ever had on their books, and it was this why the crowd still love him today.

    He carried the captains arm-band for 14 years during his 22-year spell at the club, and despite his public drink and drug problems he was able to become a cult hero at the club and prove himself worthy of the 10 major trophies that he won with the club. Tony Adams is exactly the sort of player that Arsene Wenger needs in his backline at the moment to solidify their challenge to finish in the top 4.

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 2: Steve Bould

    Stats for Arsenal: 8 goals in 372 games

    Honours with Arsenal: 3 First Division / Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups,  2 Community Shields, 1 League Cup and 1 UEFA Cups Winners Cup

    About: Bould was an intimidating, ample individual who would send terror into any attacker brave enough to challenge him. He would easily brush attackers off the ball with his size and strength, just as easily as he would beat them in the air without breaking a sweat.

    Bould's uncompromising nature is what every manager dreams about possessing in their defence, and he has now made the switch to support former gaffer Arsene Wenger in an assistant manager role. It has been mentioned that the former Stoke player was always aiming to become a coach when the inevitable happened and he had to hang up his enormous boots, and after having success with the youth side at the north London outfit, he is now enjoying - and I use the term enjoying very loosely, his role with the first team.

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 3: Lee Dixon

    Stats for Arsenal: 28 goals in 619 games

    Honours with Arsenal: 4 First Division / Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, 3 Charity Shields, 1 League Cup and 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

    About: Lee Dixon would be worth a fortune if he was applying his trade in the modern game. He had ability to power forward into dangerous attacking positions without being left short at the back as a result of his fleeting pace is something highly sought after today.

    Dixon had a feel of gracefulness about him and despite the efforts of full-backs in general easily going unnoticed, he was continually a stand-out performer during his 15 years with the club. He was capable of striking a ball with power and precision and would often try his luck after cutting in from the right flank. He was calm and composed with the ball at either foot, and notably agile despite his lanky frame.

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 4: Martin Keown

    Stats for Arsenal:

    Honours with Arsenal: 3 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, 3 Community Shields and 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

    About: The bullish centre-back is one of the most substantial defenders the club has ever had the pleasure of employing. His perfect positioning and the way he would deploy a meaty challenge on opponents earned him a fearsome reputation, and also meant that he could be used as a makeshift defensive midfielder. Keown's competitive and pugnacious approach to the game saw him become an integral part of the Gunner's squad over the 11 years he was at the club. 

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 5: Pat Rice

    Stats for Arsenal: 13 goals in 528 games

    Honours with Arsenal: 1 First Division and 1 FA Cup

    About: Rice, a former right-back, was a conventional full-back who put his heart and soul into his performances at Highbury. The term 'he could have watered the pitch with his sweat' could easily be used to describe just how much this club means to Pat Rice, so much so that he returned to be Youth Team Manager, Caretaker boss, and then assistant to Arsene Wenger for 16 years. 

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    Tuesday
    Feb192013

    Top5 - Number 1: vs Inter

    Now, when people tell me that Bale is, or will be, better than Cristiano Ronaldo I often laugh it off as nothing but Spurs fans kidding themselves. However, looking back at this footage of his hat-trick against Inter in 2010 I am starting to rethink the amount of potential this man really has.

    You can pick any of these goals for his best, but I am going to concentrate on the first - despite the second being almost a carbon copy.

    The way he picks up possession deep inside his own half, squeezes through two opponents, before bursting forward and eating up the space in front of him in a matter of seconds and then lashing the ball past a helpless Julio Cesar between the sticks is truly remarkable.

    It is such a joy when a player is willing to take on a player and use his sheer power and athleticism to leave them eating his dust, and Bale is high up there with CR7 when it comes to doing just that.

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