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What is the best individual performance by an opposition player you have seen?

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  • Good thread this.

    Giggs was the 1st person that came to mind.

    Another mention for Forster, he was incredible that day
  • Mine was back in the days when we were at Smellhurst Park.
    A night game versus Fulham…..Paul Parker was absolutely from another planet that night, the ball was attracted to him like a magnet, time after time he intercepted passes, won tackles and cleared headers. Just how he continued with such stamina and coolness I will never know. At one stage we were throwing the kitchen sink at them in wave after wave but he was like having a twelfth man on the pitch…..truly outstanding. It literally became us versus Paul Parker.
    I remember talking to him in the lounge after the game and saying come and sign for us Paul, he just smiled and thanked me, I also remember thinking how small he was……5ft 5in……1.7mtrs. Unbelievable Jeff!
    Yes that performance by Paul Parker springs to mind brilliant display almost a shame we won, though on the balance of play we deserved it on the night.
    I don't think I was at that game but remember Parker consistently outjumping Leaburn at a game at Loftus Road.
  • Couple of players who were always a pain in the arse were Wayne Allison (Swindon, Bristol City, Huddersfield and a couple more) and Paul Wilkinson (Grimsby, Everton and Watford).
  • Charlie Austin is another... Parkinson's last game, with Swindon beating us 2-4

    You just knew Swindon werent keeping him beyond that January Transfer Window - Bloke was ridiculous at this level
  • Cafc43v3r said:
    I’ll name a few niche ones.

    David Perkins, twice he absolutely bossed the midfield against us, once for Barnsley and another for Colchester, for anyone struggling remember the bright blonde haired journeyman defensive midfielder from roughly ten years ago.

    Scott Fraser, yes our Fraser for MK Dons for the first post covid game back.

    Luka Modric, FA Cup away to Tottenham 2011, he came on at HT and that was that, different gravy, it’s a cliche to say “you can’t get near him” but this was genuine.

    Callum Wilson/Yann Kermorgant, Bournemouth at home 2015 when they needed something to win the championship, a frightening pairing up top at that level.  

    Steve Morison, take your pick.  2009/10 both home and away we couldn’t handle him, think there was another fixture more recent too, a proper centre forward on his day difficult to contain.  

    Patrick Berger for Pompey 2006 at the valley, the wonder goal, but his play all round was class, I don’t remember him being that good for Liverpool he just seemed to stand out for Pompey.  

    Fraser Forster, Norwich at home 2010, how they beat us that day to go up is beyond me we battered them, and the only reason we lost 0-1 instead of winning 5-1 was him.  

    Gavin Mahon, be amazed if anyone else remembers this, QPR away 2008, the day our fate was sealed so we couldn’t make the play offs, he ran the show, one for the traditionalists, tough, regimented and controlled the tempo for 90 minutes.

    Stephen Quinn, ginger winger for Sheffield United, Pardew’s last game 2008, although I remember a few good performances against us.

    Harry Maguire, Sheffield United FA Cup quarter final 2014, whatever happened to him, beast of a centre half performance.

    Didier Zakora, Tottenham at home 2007, overshadowed by Berbatov that night but another midfielder who ran the show.

    Clint Dempsey, Fulham away 7k addicks 2012, he took no mercy on us despite us being two leagues below banging in a hattrick.
    Everytime I saw David Perkins I though he was class.  Amazed how average his career was.
    Agree I hated seeing him on the team sheet.  Very similar to Josh Cullen in terms of style.
  • Rosenthal at Shithurst. I actually reluctantly clapped after his third goal. I think I've clapped an opposition goal about three times in my life!
  • edited November 2022
    Ross McCormack - November 2013 for Leeds at the Valley with all 4 Leeds goals after the game was delayed for 30 minutes due to the pitch being at the time unplayable. 

    Any other opposition I think the ref would have called the game off but with over 3 thousand Leeds fans there, he probably thought better of it 
  • One performance that springs to mind was Berbatov's when we lost 2-0 to Spurs.
    He completely controlled the game. May have stuck in my mind as that was the game that sealed our fate and saw us relegated.
  • Stand outs for me, already mentioned were: Stan Bowles, Ricky Otto & Ross McCormack.  The Yann one I still can't bear to think about.

    As a one-man performance that turned around a game, I don't think you can beat de Canio coming on at the Valley and turning over our dominant performance into a West Ham win, almost single handedly.  He was also a pain in the arse when they beat us 5-0 away one Christmas.
  • It's also time to 'go there' and mention a Millwall player. Danny bloody Shittu. Absolute tank, no way past, around or through him. Bested Danny Haynes in a foot-race. We were never going to score that day, never
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  • Pierre van hooijdonk, Forest away when we lost 4-2 if memory serves me well. He was outstanding that day


  • edited November 2022
    Leuth said:
    It's also time to 'go there' and mention a Millwall player. Danny bloody Shittu. Absolute tank, no way past, around or through him. Bested Danny Haynes in a foot-race. We were never going to score that day, never
    I’ll go there (Palace).

    Dougie Freeman, that MF looked like Haaland against us.  
  • When we beat Sunderland away 3-1 in the PL I was very impressed with Michael Proctor.  He had a superb game (for us).
  • We played West Ham at Upton Park in the FA Cup in the late 80's, when Billy Bonds was near the end of his career. They beat us 2 -0 and he was outstanding, so comfortable on the ball and didn't seem to put a foot wrong. Another older player, Liam Brady scored a cracker for them.
  • Pierre van hooijdonk, Forest away when we lost 4-2 if memory serves me well. He was outstanding that day


    Eddie Youds sorted him out in the return game at The Valley later in the season!
  • Christiano Ronaldo,Uniteds first away game after the 'winker' got Rooney sent off in the world cup. We booed him. He ruined us that day.
  • Bournesnr said:
    Don Rogers for Swindon 1969 at the county ground.
    We lost 5-0, Rogers tore us apart Peter Noble scored a hat trick playing up front with
    Arthur Horsfield, when we signed Horsfield a couple of years later I moaned saying we should have signed Noble, how wrong can you be King Arthur turned out to be one of my favourite all time players.
    Rogers went on to star for Palarse.
    Oh Gawd, I remember that. I recall getting back home in time to see it all again on Match of the Day. It was a very rare TV appearance for us in those days.
  • A 34 year old Paul Merson for Portsmouth back in March 2003.

    Never seen a player receive a standing ovation like he did that day. He even says that it was the best match he played in his whole career.
  • Derek Possee was a handful when we lost at home to Millwall 4-3. However, I have tried hard to expunge that game from my memory.
  • I agree with a lot that have already been mentioned but I have 3 that I always remember.

    Patrick Vieira when My Little Pony was sent off at Highbury. He seemed to control the game and made it look like we were the ones with a man down.

    Niall Quinn in the play off final. I know Mendonca and Phillips got the plaudits that day, but for me Quinn was the man of the match.

    Radostin Kishishev when he returned to the Valley with Brighton, he gave us a footballing masterclass that day and proved he was so much more then a get it and give it player.
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  • muppetman said:
    I agree with a lot that have already been mentioned but I have 3 that I always remember.

    Patrick Vieira when My Little Pony was sent off at Highbury. He seemed to control the game and made it look like we were the ones with a man down.

    Niall Quinn in the play off final. I know Mendonca and Phillips got the plaudits that day, but for me Quinn was the man of the match.

    Radostin Kishishev when he returned to the Valley with Brighton, he gave us a footballing masterclass that day and proved he was so much more then a get it and give it player.
    I don’t remember that Kishishev game at all and would definitely have been there 
  • edited November 2022
    Mick Harford for Luton at Selhurst. 

    He just beasted our defence all day as they won 1-0 and all but confirmed our relegation from top flight. 

    Edit - wasn’t our relegation year


  • MrOneLung said:
    Mick Harford for Luton at Selhurst. 

    He just beasted our defence all day as they won 1-0 and all but confirmed our relegation from top flight. 


    Until we turned it around at Newcastle on the bank holiday Monday away from Horne and then onto to the famous win at St Andrews to stay up 
  • MrOneLung said:
    muppetman said:
    I agree with a lot that have already been mentioned but I have 3 that I always remember.

    Patrick Vieira when My Little Pony was sent off at Highbury. He seemed to control the game and made it look like we were the ones with a man down.

    Niall Quinn in the play off final. I know Mendonca and Phillips got the plaudits that day, but for me Quinn was the man of the match.

    Radostin Kishishev when he returned to the Valley with Brighton, he gave us a footballing masterclass that day and proved he was so much more then a get it and give it player.
    I don’t remember that Kishishev game at all and would definitely have been there 
    October 2010. 4-0 home defeat 
  • I remember a game where David Ginola seemed to have the ball attached to his feet somehow. We just couldn't tackle him.

    Or did I just dream it?
  • Parker and Giggs as already mentioned, Notts County had a goalie called Eric McManus who used to frustrate us on a regular basis. We played them first game after promotion in 1975 and but for him it could gave been 8-0 at half time, needless to say we lost 2-1 in the end.
    Funny how some things stick in your mind even after the best part of 50 years. Firstly that goalkeeping performance, it was unreal. And secondly, I remember like it was yesterday two blokes in the covered end discussing the size of the crowd that day, one said around 10k and his mate said 13k. Guessing the attendance had never really occurred to me before but from that day it became an obsession. 

    If my memory serves me correctly, the bloke who guessed 10k was the closest.
  • Stand outs for me, already mentioned were: Stan Bowles, Ricky Otto & Ross McCormack.  The Yann one I still can't bear to think about.

    As a one-man performance that turned around a game, I don't think you can beat de Canio coming on at the Valley and turning over our dominant performance into a West Ham win, almost single handedly.  He was also a pain in the arse when they beat us 5-0 away one Christmas.
    The 5-0 was Boxing Day 2000 - I think Titi Camara scored an overhead for them that day - he was shit, but the entire Charlton team were shitter that day
  • Parker and Giggs as already mentioned, Notts County had a goalie called Eric McManus who used to frustrate us on a regular basis. We played them first game after promotion in 1975 and but for him it could gave been 8-0 at half time, needless to say we lost 2-1 in the end.
    Funny how some things stick in your mind even after the best part of 50 years. Firstly that goalkeeping performance, it was unreal. And secondly, I remember like it was yesterday two blokes in the covered end discussing the size of the crowd that day, one said around 10k and his mate said 13k. Guessing the attendance had never really occurred to me before but from that day it became an obsession. 

    If my memory serves me correctly, the bloke who guessed 10k was the closest.
    Yep, that was me ;-)
  • Henry after he scored a hatrick in about 20 minutes and they chanted, "You might as well go home."
  • Kips said:
    I remember Stan "The Dogger" Collymore terrifying the life out our defence up at the City Ground one year shortly after he signed for Forest from Southend. Somehow we got out with a 1-1, after Alan McCleary equalised. Collymore was exceptional that day though.

    Karl Henry had a stormer for Wolves in midfield at the Valley in 2008 under Pards as our promotion push stumbled. I think it was a Saturday evening live on sky and he capped off a masterful performance by scoring a late winner to make it 2-3. I think Leroy Lita may have scored for us.

    Also agree with the aforementioned Paul Parker and Ronny Rosenthal performances.
    Wasn't it Sylvan Ebanks Blake? I remember thinking he would do well in the premiership after that but couldn't do it at the higher level. Great performance.
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