A bit Marmite this. Split
A bit Marmite this. Split
People often forget this, post injury he was still a fantastic player for us, as I mentioned in my post above, he won lots of honours with us, scored in cup finals, had motm performances in cup finals, scored in old firm games, played and scored in the Champions League too.
Durrant never reached his primeThe only people who choose Barry must not have seen Durrant in his prime. Dynamite.
Your second and third paragraphs are correct.Durrant was just before my time but I refuse to believe he was better than Ferguson.
Barry Ferguson captaining a star studded Rangers team, at 21, and being the best player on the park more often than not, is still under appreciated.
Ferguson’s performance for Scotland in the playoff v England was absolute outstanding as well. I’m sure he was only 20/21 at the time. He was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch that day.
Not hyperbole.I hope this is not hyperbole but Ian Durrant could have been one of the greats,, Barry was a great player who I loved watching but Durrant was a one in a generation type player, who played the game in a unique way.
So Durrant wasn't better than Roy Aitken in that midfield?Durrant was only 20/21 when he was injured, the way Scotland was then there is no way a 18-20/1 year old gets into the team. However I may be wrong on that it was a while ago. He wasn't d
Just had a look at a Scotland team from 86, who does he replace here? I'm not saying he isn't good enough, but the mindset of his age against the established players. When you look at that team, remember gough can;t even get a start as a centre half!
So Durrant wasn't better than Roy Aitken in that midfield?
Your second and third paragraphs are correct.
Your first isn't.
In an era with the likes of Gerrard and Lampard, Barry was the best young player in Britain.
Durrant was better.
Was merely meaning it’s very split.Far from it tbh., I doubt anyone that has picked Durrant wouldn;t take peak Ferguson in the team tomorrow.
The way Durrant was playing for us up until that injury made me sure he would have gone to Italy, they were the biggest players in the league markets at the time, and Durrant as well as Davie Cooper would have settled in well in Italy alongside the company of Gulllit, Rijkaard and Van Basten, they were that good,I was too young to appreciate peak Durrant but surprised by the way this thread is going.
Ferguson at the age of 21/22 was going toe-to-toe with the likes of Effenberg, Matthäus, Scholes and Ince and playing them all off the pitch.
By the time he left us in 2003, he had added goals to his game, the one thing the young Fergie was lacking.
He suffered a serious knee injury not long having joined Blackburn. I’d wager he’d have left Blackburn for one of the real giants of the EPL within a year or two had he avoided that.
A bit like Durrant in that sense, although of course Ferguson’s injury was not inflicted in an act of sheer malicious evil.
Was merely meaning it’s very split.
I’m unfortunately old enough to remember Durrant well (unfortunate to be old, not to be able to see Durrant) but can’t get past the fact that his career at the top level was finished at aged 21.
That’s why I think Barry.
Never got to see peak Durant, when I first started going he was still recovering from his injury.
He must have been something special if he was better than peak Barry.
Was merely meaning it’s very split.
I’m unfortunately old enough to remember Durrant well (unfortunate to be old, not to be able to see Durrant) but can’t get past the fact that his career at the top level was finished at aged 21.
That’s why I think Barry.
Ferguson2 wonderful midfield players who came through the ranks and who gave us iconic Tim slaying moments.
The 2 best players to come through our youth system in the last 40 years.
The Ian Durrant pre injury 1986 to 1988.
The Barry Ferguson 1999 to 2003 before he went to Blackburn.
I genuinely don't think there has been another Scottish born midfield player since Souness who comes close to either.
If you had to pick one of them from those peak years to come back in a time machine and play tomorrow, which one would you want?
Durrant never reached his prime
This ^, absolutely no doubt in my mindDurrant.
Not even close
He would have ended up in Seria A (which was the top league in the world at the time) if it wasn’t for the injury
Because it’s Durrant and it’s not closeJust out of interest, why are so many people saying Durrant and saying it’s not close?
Because it’s Durrant and it’s not close
I'm an older Bear (aged 60) and stopped reading the thread to reply to you so I'm not sure what my peers are thinking.The older Bears I suspect will plump for Durrant, I would myself, quite simply he was an astonishing player who was robbed of his best years, but still battled back to have a magnificent career.
That said, Ferguson was a special player, he bossed games at the very highest level for us, he was a fantastic player.
Because Durrant was mesmerisingJust out of interest, why are so many people saying Durrant and saying it’s not close?
I’m guessing it’s an age thing.Im convinced now
Because Durrant was mesmerising
I’m guessing it’s an age thing.
I grew up on Super, Cooper and Durrant.
So I’ve seen both peak Durrant and Peak Barry.
I’d imagine most (and I stress most, not all!) folk around my age or older (early 40’s... just!) will go for Durrant as they’ve also seen both.
When you get to the 30 somethings who grew up on Barry and only really saw Durrant on videos and then YouTube and can’t really separate the before and after of his career (understandably as they didn’t live through it/were too young to remember) they’re mostly going to go for Barry as that’s what they know/was there hero.
It’s like asking me if I’d take Walter or Struth.
Struth is probably the right answer, but I don’t remember him and I have fantastic memories of Walter, so Walter it is
I agree I said earlier he was an exceptional player for Rangers and captain but Durrant just had that aurora that Something specialSo was Ferguson though.
Watch his performances away at Leverkusen, away at Bayern and in the 2002 cup final. He’s incredible and he’s the captain, at 20/21/22 years old, in a team full of superstars.
Probably the 87-88 skol cup final against the sheep.I agree with you, I think it probably is an age thing.
As I said in the post above, did Durrant ever put in a performance for us like Ferguson did in the 2002 cup final?
Probably the 87-88 skol cup final against the sheep.
Good performances all over the park (Coopers free kick!)
Durrant was only 20 and was magnificent. His headed lay off to mccoist for the 1-2 then his run through the defenders was sublime.