Whos the best centre half you have seen for the lads...,

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Great topic !

Centre Half/Centre Back is certainly the position where we have been strongest over many years.

I agree with the honourable mentions for many already.

Hurley - Dominant at a time when Centre Forwards weren’t shy in coming forward.

Watson - Commanding and resolute

Todd - Classy from the moment he walked onto the pitch for his first game for the team.

Elliott, Clarke and Hindmarch were all good footballers

Mensah - You could see that he would have been genuinely ‘top-class’ were it not for the injuries

Brown and O’Shea should have had a team built around them.

Evans - 18 (?) years old and brought solidity to the defence.
 
Missed Hurley, only saw the immense Todd play for everyone else but us.
Watson was a great centre half and is undeservedly ignored by the national media when they decide on England's greatest.
Loved Clarke and Elliott.

Too many in more recent times haven't been with us long enough or played consistently. These would include Thome, Bould - magnificent in his short run, Evans - Manchester United could have done with him since he left, and Mensah. Such a shame Kone plummeted - was awesome for a couple of games.

Bennett was good but not in the class of his predecessors. Bally, hard, no nonsense and organised whoever he played with. Bobby Moncur was good too.

We have had loads of solid players too like Jackie Ashurst, Melville, Ord, O'Shea, Brown, Craddock and McPhail.

Most disappointing has to include Butcher. Finished before he arrived and behaved like a dick. Holton was a long way short of his reputation
 
englishman abroad said:
Surprised it took 2 pages before Todd got a mention. He was before my time but most of the old timers I know rated him better than Hurley. (I'll get me tin hat)
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Todd was the greatest defender I ever saw play at RP. But he wasn't a centre half within the context of the game at that time. Had to be Watson or Hurley for me with honorable mentions for Clarke, Mensah, Bould.
 
Dave Watson was centre back when I first started going. I doubt we've had better, but in truth, I don't remember much about games that for back. So head says Watson, heart would probably say Craddock.
 
I've seen many centre-halfs in my time supporting the lads, but like many on here, Hurley and Watson in their own times were immense. I remember seeing King Charlie at RP in his prime and he was terrific, but some of the others mentioned were good too.
 
Colin Todd not an out and out centre half... Brilliant defender and footballer really unlucky to be playing in the same era as Bobby Moore when it came to England caps...
 
Dave Watson. (and he wasn't a bad centre forward, either)
The first time I saw Sunderland live, was in a May Day friendly, against Hartlepool, at the Victoria Ground in 1972.
The game finished 3-3 and Watson played as centre forward (when Stokoe became manager, he moved Watson to centre half)
 
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