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Who is the greater Southend legend?


  • Total voters
    28
  • Poll closed .

Yorkshire Blue

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Oct 27, 2003
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Our second tie is a rarity as defenders are rarely recognised, but it sees two defenders go against each other: the long-serving Sandy Anderson against the classy Peter Watson.

Usual rules apply, I'll add a poll once I've given people a chance to put their cases forward and to wax lyrically on these two greats.

ps Get voting on McAlinden v McCrory
 
As much as Sandy is loved as a long serving defender, Ive only heard my old man go on about Peter Watson as one of the best most natural defenders he's seen.
 
Difficult one this.
Sandy Anderson was playing for Blues when I first supported them as a schoolboy.I'd just broken into the Earls Hall first team at fullback and basically modelled my game on his.I was of course nowhere near as classy as he was going forward but could at least emulate his hard tackling.
Whereas I would agree with comments made here and elsewhere that Peter Watson was the finest centre half ever to play for the Blues.
Real heart v head stuff.:unsure:
 
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Peter Watson. Agree with all the views he was the finest centre half ever wear a Blues shirt
 
Having nominated Peter Watson I had better say something on his behalf. Although I was only a lad when he played for the Blues, Peter Watson was, in my opinion, the best central defender to play for the Club, bar none in the 50 plus years I've been a supporter. A player with great positional awareness, he was strong and robust both in the air and on the ground, nothing and no one ever seemed to get by him. In possession, even when under pressure, he was cool and composed, always looking to play the ball to a blue shirt, preferably on the deck, rather than hoofing it into row Z, which was very much the style in those days for 3rd Division centre halves.

A good "talker" to his fellow team mates, he organised the defence superbly and the only mystery to me is why he did not get the chance to play at a much higher level, as he would not have been a bit out of place in what was then Division 1 and is now the Premiership. I remember Sandy Anderson too and he was popular, hard working full back and a great servant to the Club. Sandy did not, however, have anything like the class or panache of Peter Watson so I urge all Zoners;

VOTE EARLY---VOTE OFTEN---VOTE WATSON
 
Sandy had a long career at Southend, in an era when players did stay at one club for most of there career, but in my opinion Anderson was nothing more than competant. On the other hand, Watson as has been said was prehaps the best centre ever at the club.
 
I watched them both play many times. Peter Watson was a cultured, skillful centre half with great vision who was very badly missed following his premature retirement due to injury. Sandy Anderson was an uncompromising, tough tackler, reliable and a brilliant penalty taker. Peter Watson was a top man and gets my vote.
 
As has been said Sandy Anderson was an uncompromising tackler, solid, dependable and long serving. Peter Watson was quite simply the best centre half I've seen play for Blues in my near 50 years support, as has already been said his career was cruelly cut short by an eye injury. It's a tough tie, but Peter Watson will get my vote.
 
Peter Watson ---- for once we signed a brother who might not have been as good as his younger England-representing sibling, but was far far better than our usual "excremental brother" signings.


Sandy Anderson --- truly old skool footballer. Both tremendous for their time.
 
Certainly not the best day for this to turn up! I've just come back from avery hot gruelling day in Toulouse. Plus the unfortunate situation that he is pitted against another favourite, Peter Watson. However, as I nominated him I have to say that he was a player of extraordinary loyalty serving the club for an incredible thirteen years between 1950 and 1963, in which time he made a record 451 appearances.
 
As much as Sandy is loved as a long serving defender, Ive only heard my old man go on about Peter Watson as one of the best most natural defenders he's seen.

Your old man is right.

Peter suffered an eye injury on a pre season tour to Russia in 1965 and he never felt comfortable playing after that.

That incident signalled the end of his career and our relegation for the first time ever.

A magnficent player and, as Shrimpero said, better than his brother who played for England.i
 
Difficult one this.
Sandy Anderson was playing for Blues when I first supported them as a schoolboy.I'd just broken into the Earls Hall first team at fullback and basically modelled my game on his.I was of course nowhere near as classy as he was going forward but could at least emulate his hard tackling.
Whereas I would agree with comments made here and elsewhere that Peter Watson was the finest centre half ever to play for the Blues.
Real heart v head stuff.:unsure:

'basically modelled my game on his'

I don't remember Peter scything wingers (or centre forwards for that metter) down whenever they came within 2 feet of them.

My memory must be playing tricks on me!
 
'basically modelled my game on his'

I don't remember Peter scything wingers (or centre forwards for that metter) down whenever they came within 2 feet of them.

My memory must be playing tricks on me!


Sandy Anderson(and George Cohen to a lesser degree) were my schoolboy heroes.I take full responsibility for my individual(some might say homicidal)and idiosyncratic variations on their respective playing styles.:smiles:
 
Sandy was my 1st memory of the Blues - sat (aged about 7) in the East Stand with my Dad for my 1st games watching this rock hard full back terrorise any shiny shorted little winger who might be cheeky enough to take him on.Pure 1950's magic !

However as so many others have said earlier , Peter Watson was simply the best Centre Half that we have ever had the pleasure of owning (Dervite being a loanee).
He was simply the Rock.He gets my vote.
 
Peter Watson would be in my all-time best Blues team at centre-back alongside Spencer Prior. Sandy Anderson was a typical old school left back, always diving in with tackles rather than laying-off the winger. I remember standing on the old South Bank as a young boy watching Sandy play, I think he played over 400 games and only got 1 goal!
 
Difficult one this.
Sandy Anderson was playing for Blues when I first supported them as a schoolboy.I'd just broken into the Earls Hall first team at fullback and basically modelled my game on his.I was of course nowhere near as classy as he was going forward but could at least emulate his hard tackling.
Whereas I would agree with comments made here and elsewhere that Peter Watson was the finest centre half ever to play for the Blues.
Real heart v head stuff.:unsure:

Totally agree Phil (especially about your lack of class !) - don`t know which way to go
 
The real difference between Sandy and Peter Watson, was that Sandy always had a fag @ half-time!

Both great servants of the Club, but while other left backs compare to Sandy, Chris Powell springs to mind, Pete Watson is literally head and shoulders above the rest. As mentioned in an earlier post, I used to see Pete around the town as he became a painter and decorator when he retired from football. Always had time to stop and chat ... really nice bloke.
 
Once again great stuff chaps :clap:It's making great reading for mere scamps of 31 such as myself.
 
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