Best Arsenal Right Back?

[QuartzGooner]

The Greatest Ever Arsenal XI thread

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34875

has thrown up some discussion about our best ever right back.
It is not my intent to run a thread for every position because that was done a couple of years ago, but I think it worth looking into this further.

In that thread I voted Lee Dixon.

Of course there were occasions when he was beaten for pace, or fell victim to a trick, notably in the 2001 Cup Final when Michael Owen twice whizzed past him late on.
But I feel his incredible amount of appearances did not happen by chance.
He was physically strong, competitive and very useful going forward up the wing and consistently delivered good crosses.
Scored a great own goal too!

Others have argued for Bacary Sagna.

I really respect this player who is uncompromising and has come back from injury and personal tragedy to be a very solid performer, and probably a better out and out defender than Dixon.
But I just feel he offers less going forward.

Lauren is one I feel was very under rated.

Not the fastest of players, but tough as teak and was a consistent supplier of low crosses into the box.
I selected him as my substitute in the Greatest XI because on the rare occasion he was picked right midfield he looked very comfortable there, and he could play central midfield to a respectable level, though in a much less adventurous style than his other positions.

Pat Rice?
Hard for me to vote for him as I only saw him from the late 70's onwards, was too young to remember much about in the 1971 Double side.

George Male?

Included out of respect but do any of us have a ninety five year old relative we can ask?
The couple of people I spoke to who went to games in the thirties (both now deceased) reckoned modern players were more skillfull.

[LeGinge (Northern Branch)]

For me it has to be Lee Dixon. He played in one of our greatest (if not greatest) back lines and knew his and the teams job inside out.

Both Sagna and Lauren are / were better footballers but job one of a right back is to defend. Lee did this first and foremost.

Plus he played for the same cricket club as I did when I lived in Manchester

[DB10GOONER]

Vanity thread alert!!! Awoooogah!! AWOOOOOOGAH!!!

[g88ner]

I went for Dixon.

George Graham coached him and the other Arsenal defenders superbly, enabling them to maximise their abilities and work as an effective unit.

Sadly, Wenger has never taken defence as seriously, and as a consequence, I feel many of our recent talented defenders (Sagna, Vermaelen, Gibbs, etc.) have been under-coached and over-exposed.

If Sagna had been coached by Graham, he'd be in my team... but he wasn't, so he's not.

[I Hate Hleb]

Where's Djourou? Seriously though, it would be between Rice and Dixon - although I obviously didn't see Male, who allegedly was superb. Perhaps olgit can fill us in on how good he was?

[DB10GOONER]

Where's Djourou? Seriously though, it would be between Rice and Dixon - although I obviously didn't see Male, who allegedly was superb. Perhaps olgit can fill us in on how good he was?

With raising a family and work and all, I don't think olgit saw that many games in his forties did he?

[I Hate Hleb]

True. He'll probably have a better idea about the players he saw in his 20's and 30's; the likes of Alec Mackie and Tom Parker.

[rodders999]

Dicko.

Seeing the team sheet with Dixon, Bould, Adams and Winterburn on it used to make me feel safe. A certain pre match comforting of the soul if you will. Actually I would liken that whole defensive unit (including Safe Hands) to being back in the womb, there was something very peaceful about it.

These days the sight of the team sheet only provides me with a bad dose of the trots. Oh, how I long to be back in the womb

[augie]

Dixon was a good right back of that there is no doubt but would he have been as good in a different defensive unit ?

As others have said already, lauren was a guy that was vastly under-rated and a guy who would put his body on the line for the team and the fans and boy are we devoid of players like that nowadays

Personally sagna tops the list though - a natural born defender, who is strong in the air and usually anticipates danger I would love to have seen him coached up by a system/manager that recognises the value of good defending and prioritises that above asking the full backs to be wingers as well

[northbank123]

I'm far too young to have seen Male or Rice play, and for all his consistency and grafting Lauren just isn't quite in the same bracket for me. Between Sagna and Dixon it's very difficult because although I feel Sagna is arguably a more talented player, he has never been part of a defensive unit in anything like the same way that Dixon was, and although I rate him highly there's nothing to say he would have been as effective as Dixon in one. So although I believe Sagna is probably better individually, I'm going with Dixon being a better right-back for Arsenal, although it is primarily by virtue of the era he played in.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Dixon.....look in his trophy cabinet

[arsenalmorris]

Great Question

i have never really seen the first 2 play, a little before my time, but between the last 3 it could be any of them, Dixon was outstanding but as someone mentioned above this could have been with the defence he played with which we will never no,

My Vote has to go with Bac tho, Never really gets a mention and seems vastly underated but he really is mr consistant, and is 1 of if not the best RB in the world at the moment,

[clockender1]

it has to be Lee Lee Dixon...

like Viv Anderson before him (also our RB for 4/5 years ?) both very very unlucky not to have more England caps. It's a travesty that Gary Neville got anywhere near the number of caps he did with Dicko around. it was pure manc based media and FA bias.

My greatest testament to him is that in the 14 years i watched him, i never remember him not working hard or consistently giving the ball away going forward.

sure, he sometimes got done for pace like any RB but he still put the effort in or simply kicked them to slow them down - something that Le saux couldn't deal with on at least two occasions (was it three). i think there was also an incident or two with Robbie Fowler.

With Nutty on the other side, many a 'talented ' winger went missing or drifted out of a game after getting done on both wings in turn.

Lee Dixon - you could beat his pace, but not his Arsenal Spirit.

[highburyJD]

voted Dixon
won the league in the 80's, 90's and noughties
legend

[1989]

It's very close between Bac and Dicko, but Dicko edges it for me, just.