Stuart Ripley

bellamy11 - Stuart Ripley was one of Kenny Dalglish's best signings as manager of Rovers. If I'm not mistaken, he was also the first. Plucked from murky Middlesbrough, Ripley was hardly high-profile in the English game at the time. It can actually be said that even during our Championship-winning season he was hardly a widely acclaimed player by the fans of teams around the country. His strength was in his directness. He had a job to do - to supply crosses for the SAS - and he did this with great consistancy. Both Shearer and Sutton were fantastic in the air and could score powerful headers from practically anywhere in the box. They couldn't do this, however, without a steady stream of service from the two wide men - Wilcox and Ripley. Stuart will be widely remembered for what would seem like a trademark Rovers move that occured countless times in the 90's - Hendry would win the ball and play it on to Sherwood. Sherwood would look right to Ripley. Ripley would bomb down the right flank and whip the ball over to one of the big two in the box, and that player would score yet another Rovers goal. Not a worldwide name, but essential in this chain that was so important to Rovers. However, Ripley never got the international recognition that he probably deserved. Steve McManaman was preferred on the right hand flank - his tricky skills and floppy hair an irresistable combination for Terry Venables. On only his second appearence for England (again the memory may be letting me down here) he famously pulled up with a hamstring injury just minutes after coming on as sub. This sealed his role as McManamanaman's understudy - he had come in for some criticism from "highly knowledgable" pundits for even being in the team in the first place. I do doubt that McManaman could have been half the player for Rovers as Rippers was. His game relied on doing his job. This job was to supply the goalscorers. He rarely chipped in with goals himself. He did score some for Rovers, notably in the 1993-94 season, but this was never really part of his game. I doubt Ripley will win - he doesn't have the international credentials of a Bryan Douglas. He never went on to play for Man United or any other great sides battling for honours. He didn't get sold for millions of pounds, and he never married a spice girl. However, nobody can deny he was crucial to Rovers in the most important and fondly-remembered season in their modern history. Would we have won the league without Stuart Ripley on the right? I doubt it.

philipl - Had enormous misfortune- both with injuries for Rovers and England then a ridiculous long run without scoring. An outstanding member of the team which went 4th 2nd 1st in the first three years of the Premier League, quick and direct and a lot more skill than given credit for. I am sure Kenny told Super Stuart Ripley just to go out and do his tricks running up and down the half way line to terrify the opposition in the warm up. Certainly worked a treat at Swindon where the crowd were spellbound and the Swindon players nervously abandonned their kick around and just stood and watched! Stuart's misfortune to be up against the all time great, Bryan Douglas.

chris - Sooooo the winner is Ripley, just brilliant to watch, kind of my replacement for Chris Waddle, in that they were both winger that love making defenders look useless, and consistently.

bazza - I liked Rippers.A greedy player. If the defence wanted a rest they gave it to him. He would play his own game with the opposition of "Come and get the ball off me if you can". He scored Rovers first Premier League goal v Palace. I think it was a header. BUT, he kicked the ball up too many opposition backsides when trying to cross. Wilcox produced more Shearer goals than Ripley.

Tango - Stuart Ripley was one of my favourite ever Blackburn Rovers player's, probably because I feel the best part of football is to see wingers turning a full back inside out before delivering the perfect cross for the striker to nod home (Arsenal's quick counter-attacking is beginnning to win me over though) and Ripley did just that, often in tandem with Wilcox. The day we beat Sheffield Wednesday 7-2, Ripley was sheer class, setting up chances left, right and centre, an absolute marvel to watch.

Dr Rich - Stuart Ripley wasn't blessed with the kind of dribbling skills someone like Duff possesses, thankfully he never tried to pretend to be something he wasn't. Ripley would beat his man, or not, but do enough to get the ball into the box for one of our expensive strikers to put into the back of the net. He knew where the strength in the team was, he knew our front two of Shearer and Sutton had the beating of each and every centre-back pairing in the league, so he gave them the ball and let them do what they did best. If you look at his attributes in any area they weren't great, not a great scorer, not even a great crosser, but he was an incredibly important player in the championship winning team. People always credit skillful, and generally lazy, midfielders with being 'intelligent' players and having football brains, Ripley was far more intelligent from a footballing point of view than most of them, not for him to seek personal glory to the detriment of the team and club. He was effectively a one club man, spent most of his career at Rovers and never amounted to anything at any other club, or on the international stage.

Blue blood - Am really tempted to go for Ripley as although he wasn't the most gifted of player, he always did his job of providing great service to the strikers. I also think he was very unlucky especially on the international stage, and that with a bit more luck would have been considered by those outisde the club as well as a 'star' player. Douglas' record however speaks for itself, but if Ripley doesn't come second I'd be disappointed.

roversismylife - Stuart Ripley for me. He was a brilliant winger, there are not many wingers today like Ripley. Never given a real chance in the England team, got subbed because of injury against Moldova a few years back I think. The cross to Shearer at Anfield in 95 was what he was about. Thats good enough for me!