Former Watford and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Kevin Miller reveals who would make a best XI of former teammates from both clubs, including himself...
KEVIN MILLER
“I gave my all for my clubs while I was there. At Watford, I came in having to prove myself, but I was a dedicated professional who trained hard and tried to enjoy my football. I loved my first season at Palace, even though we got relegated. It got tough towards the end, but for the first six months of the season I was flying.”
JAMIE SMITH
“Jamie was a small, hard-tackling full-back who bombed forward too. He was a little bit unlucky with injury, but a good player.”
DAVE TUTTLE
“An absolute clown! He was a really good defender, but he didn’t take life at all seriously. A great lad in the dressing room.”
CRAIG MOORE
“Probably one of the best footballing centre-backs I’ve played with. He came down from Rangers, he was a good talker and was really comfortable on the ball.”
HERMANN HREIÐARSSON
“Hermann was just an absolute athlete, he just bombed forward with every single opportunity he got. Stevie Coppell actually said: ‘Hermann, just pick your runs!’”
ATTILIO LOMBARDO
“Attilio came to Palace about four days before the first game of the season, and he told Steve Coppell he was only about 70 per cent fit, so he said “maybe I’ll only play about 60 minutes”. He played 90 minutes; scored one, made one, and ran the show. On Monday morning while we were all doing warm-downs he went out and did 45 minutes’ fitness work because he still didn’t think he was fit enough!”
ANDY HESSENTHALER
“He had an unbelievable work ethic. He wasn’t the greatest footballer in the world but he did the running of two men most games. He was the only man I ever used to see come into pre-season with a smile – he looked forward to running! A model pro with an outstanding attitude and a really good captain.”
CRAIG RAMAGE
“Rams was a really gifted footballer, but he never wanted to run back so that’s why I’ve got Hessy behind him! He was very clever with the ball, good in the air and very calm under pressure.”
GARY PORTER
“He had a really nice left foot – great delivery from free-kicks and set plays – and he just went about his business. He was a bit unsung, but the players really appreciated what he gave to the team.”
KEVIN PHILLIPS
“He’s in here purely because he’s an out-and-out goalscorer. He came to Watford from Baldock Town and just hit the ground running. He was a great lad who worked his socks off – typical of someone who came from non-league.”
NEIL SHIPPERLEY
“I played with Shipps at Watford, Crystal Palace and Barnsley. He was a really good hold-up player, really unsung, and people questioned his fitness and his desire but he worked so hard and he got a lot of goals!”
