Battle Of The SUFC Legends - Quarter Final - Freddy Eastwood vs Stan Collymore

[Napster]

Freddy For me, Stan is no doubt one of the most loved players in the clubs history, but Freddy did it over 3/4 seasons for us whereas stans period was only a very short one.

Stan was always going to move upwards, everyone knew that. Freddy only moved to a club in the same division.

ps Stan's debut was pretty good as well. 2 goals and could have had 4, in a 3-1 win in front of only 3,000-odd people.

 

[sammyboy]

I suppose although many will disagree, that today what Stan did for our club was very similar to what Tevez did for West-Ham!

 

[shrimpersqld]

Stanley Victor Collymore is my vote

 

[davewebbsbrain]

When I first saw Stan play he gave me goose bumps. No-one comes close to him in my eyes.

Exactly the same for me..those 2 goals up at Huddersfield were awesome, especially the mazy run from the half way line ending in that belter into the back of the net.

Thanks Stan, you were great

 

[Skyblue]

Will always remember Stans first touch in the first game my Dad and I saw him play in. Picked the ball up just inside the opposition half, glidded past two midfield as if they werent there and hit a stunning shot just over on the run with hardly any back lift from his leg. My Dad and I turned to each other and just pulled the same express as if to say, '' bloody hell we've struck gold here''!

''

 

[bishmania]

Stan had the talent, but wasn't here long and couldn't bring the success that Freddy did. So it's Fred for me.

 

[Beefy]

be serious.....no contest, freddie not fit to tie stans shoelaces etc, unfortunately, if youre younger than 30, you may have a biased opinion towards freddie (whom I love in his own right)...but...just.no.comparison.

If this competition is 'battle of the best Southend players' or something then you're right. Stan Collymore has to beat Freddy Eastwood. But if that's the competition then you might as well just give the whole thing to Stan now and stop wasting everyone's time. Stan isn't just the best player to play for Southend, he was one of the best two or three strikers in the country for a period of a couple of years. There was nothing that he couldn't do and as good as he was at Liverpool and Forest he was never better than when he was at Southend.

But, Freddy Eastwood surely has to be the bigger Southend legend. He scored more goals. He had an even more explosive debut. He scored one and provided a brilliant assist for the other in our only ever Play-off final. He scored two quality goals to earn us promotion at Swansea the next season. And then he scored a goal that I still watch on Youtube at least once a week and probably will never be topped as a single moment no matter how long I support Southend.

Freddy Eastwood wasn't as good a footballer as Stan Collymore. But there's no disgrace in that and for my money he's the bigger Southend legend and therefore gets my vote.

 

[Magnum PI]

For me being a legend isnt just about ability on the pitch but also what kind of man you are off it

For that reason Stanley wins for me. On the odd occasion I have met Stanley he has been nothing but a gentleman, and still someone who cares about the club. He has had his problems in life but always been honest and lets face it, someone had to give Ulrika a clip round the ear ;)

 

[Kent Shrimper]

Tough call this one but for me Stan edges it, he was and is a legend of the highest order, compounded by what he wrote in his autobiography that keeping Southend up and the way he felt after the Luton game was his single most enjoyable moment in football. As others have said he would give you goose bumps. Dont get me wrong Freddy is no mug and has his own place at the legends table but im afriad Stan for me would be head of it.

 

[manor15]

I think everyone agrees Stan was a better player, but was he more of an SUFC legend, kept us up and gave us some money to sign players. Freddy got us up twice and THAT freekick got us a few quid as well as his transfer fee.

 

[blake]

Freddy was very good but Stan was awesome. Freddy helped to get us up in a good team not short on confidence. Stan single handedly kept us up in a team heading for the drop and when we had no right to survive. For me its no contest. Stans the man.

 

[localboysteve]

It has to be Stan. For me, he's the greatest player I've ever seen in a Southend shirt (OK, I'm 28). An England international, a player who had everything. Just such a shame it went wrong for him at Liverpool, that whole "Spice-boy" thing messed him up (IMO). I was there as a kid for his debut vs Notts County and I'll never forget the atmosphere every time we gave him the ball and the way opposition players simply couldn't handle him.

 

[Leicester Shrimper]

It has to be Stan. For me, he's the greatest player I've ever seen in a Southend shirt (OK, I'm 28). An England international, a player who had everything. Just such a shame it went wrong for him at Liverpool, that whole "Spice-boy" thing messed him up (IMO). I was there as a kid for his debut vs Notts County and I'll never forget the atmosphere every time we gave him the ball and the way opposition players simply couldn't handle him.

This is a joke!!! Anyone who thinks Collymore is a greater legend than Eastwood is deluded! Eastwood scored a hat trick on his debut, helped us win 2 back to back promotions including the winner in the league 2 play off final and a crucial hat trick away to chesterfield in the winning league one side. There is no bigger legend, I find it an insult that anyone should find a player who didn't even play for us for one season should even be considered a bigger legend!!! End of!!! Freddy is the greatest legend simples...

 

[phsend]

Stan single handedly kept us up in a team heading for the drop and when we had no right to survive. For me its no contest. Stans the man.

Stan is my all time favourite player but didn't Brett Angel play an immense part in keeping us up too?

 

[canveyshrimper]

This is a joke!!! Anyone who thinks Collymore is a greater legend than Eastwood is deluded! Eastwood scored a hat trick on his debut, helped us win 2 back to back promotions including the winner in the league 2 play off final and a crucial hat trick away to chesterfield in the winning league one side. There is no bigger legend, I find it an insult that anyone should find a player who didn't even play for us for one season should even be considered a bigger legend!!! End of!!! Freddy is the greatest legend simples...

Sorry mate, but you are entitled to your opinion as are others without saying their vote is a joke or they are deluded. As the majority seem to be favouring Collymore then by your reckoning there are a lot of deluded people. As a player Collymore went on to play and consistently score at Premier League level, something Eastwood is yet to do.

And please don't use the expression "end of" as obviously from the arguments presented it is anything but.

 

[Moridin]

Stan for me. He is one of the very few people who every time he received the ball you knew something would happen, he had sharp intake of breath syndrome. In the stands that is!

Not to take anything away from Freds achievements, Stan was simply too good to be in the lower leagues, which arguably is where Eastwood has had his only success.

Purely in terms of the player, it is Stan all day for me.

 

[leeblue]

I know the poll is closed but I a little surprised, I loved collymore and he is is probably the most talented blues player ever..........but it was only half a season and he went on to play top flight yes.......but not for us.....I know there was a big financial legacy as well but I felt freddie fitted criteria better in terms of length of service, actually helping the club to pick up trophies and to be honest freddie electrified us more than stan IMO, how many times (just as stan did in his short time) did freddie just do it for us on his own, swansea away is just one example, he won us promotion that day as he did with the first against lincoln the year before, very surprised indeed, always tough though as two of my top four players of all time

 

[OldBlueLady]

I know the poll is closed but I a little surprised, I loved collymore and he is is probably the most talented blues player ever..........but it was only half a season and he went on to play top flight yes.......but not for us.....I know there was a big financial legacy as well but I felt freddie fitted criteria better in terms of length of service, actually helping the club to pick up trophies and to be honest freddie electrified us more than stan IMO, how many times (just as stan did in his short time) did freddie just do it for us on his own, swansea away is just one example, he won us promotion that day as he did with the first against lincoln the year before, very surprised indeed, always tough though as two of my top four players of all time

Me too, a much larger gap than I would have expected. I think people's views became somewhat tainted towards the end of Freddy's time here, but he really shouldn't be blamed for wanting better, in a team that was on a slippery slope and shipping goals all over the place.

 

[number11]

Me too, a much larger gap than I would have expected. I think people's views became somewhat tainted towards the end of Freddy's time here, but he really shouldn't be blamed for wanting better, in a team that was on a slippery slope and shipping goals all over the place.

For me though that is largely the difference. Both played in sides that struggled to stay in the Championship. Freddy seemed to go into his shell as the season wore on and was unable to keep us up. Stan on the other hand thrived under the responsibility. Whenever I hear Stan on the radio, or see highlights of old premiership games such as the Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3, I am proud that I was blessed to have had the opportunity to watch Stan play for us, and play with such enjoyment, enthusiasm and determination, and for a time before it all went wrong for him, I genuinly believe he was one of the best forwards on the planet.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

This is a joke!!! Anyone who thinks Collymore is a greater legend than Eastwood is deluded! Eastwood scored a hat trick on his debut, helped us win 2 back to back promotions including the winner in the league 2 play off final and a crucial hat trick away to chesterfield in the winning league one side. There is no bigger legend, I find it an insult that anyone should find a player who didn't even play for us for one season should even be considered a bigger legend!!! End of!!! Freddy is the greatest legend simples...

No-one is denying Freddy is a legend, but Stan the Man was supreme, and he single handedly kept us in the 2nd tier, something Freddy failed to do.

Also I believe it was Stan who put the cross into Angell for our 1-0 win at home to Wet Spam, a truly great moment in Shrimper history.