I know we've mentioned Big John on here before but I read an article about Wales' greatest ever players today in WOL and I actually laughed out loud at some of the ratings. Ivor was actually rated NINTH!!! Can you believe that??!! Yes, the very man who was voted as the best inside forward (AM) at the World Cup in Sweden in a poll of experts eg journos, pundits, players and managers. I'll say no more about that! 
Gareth Bale was actually placed first and John was second. Now I agree that Bale has been a fabulous player for us, no question about that, but he's been ranked above arguably one of the greatest ever players in the history of the game. Just for the benefit of younger, and other, posters who might not know about John and his immense talent, I've quoted below some excerpts from the article - upper case for stress is mine.
"It's hard to quantify in words just how good King John was. But let's try. In more modern parlance, take a centre half as good as John Terry, only MUCH BETTER, then a centre forward as good as Alan Shearer, only MUCH BETTER. Next, roll them into one player. Then you ALMOST get a player as good as John Charles. He really was that special, world class as a defender, world class as a striker.......
He was voted ahead of Diego Maradona as Italian football's greatest ever foreign import. At Juventus he hit 108 goals in 155 appearances leading them to three titles and two Cup triumphs. (Bear in mind that this was in the days of tough-as-teak, leak proof Italian defences who regarded conceding one goal every five games as a team tragedy).
For Wales John scored 15 goals in 38 games (about 1 in 2.5 games which when you consider that he usually started as a CB is phenomenal and Wales were often regarded as whipping boys in those days - Heaven knows what he'd have done in a top team!!)
Sir Bobby Robson called him 'incomparable' and right up there with Pele, Maradona and George Best as football's greatest.
Jack Charlton described him as without question the most effective player he ever saw; the one that made the most difference to the performance of the whole team. Finally, I once read a book by Trevor Brooking entitled "The Hundred Greatest Ever British Footballers" where he started the chapter on John with something like - firstly, when John Charles was playing one had to decide, was he the world's GREATEST CENTRE HALF? Or was he the world's GREATEST CENTRE FORWARD?
It is my contention that NO OTHER PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME has ever received that kind of accolade. He was truly a one off, the like of which has never been seen either before or since. So what price John today? I think the bidding would start north of £300 million and that might be conservative.
Gareth Bale was actually placed first and John was second. Now I agree that Bale has been a fabulous player for us, no question about that, but he's been ranked above arguably one of the greatest ever players in the history of the game. Just for the benefit of younger, and other, posters who might not know about John and his immense talent, I've quoted below some excerpts from the article - upper case for stress is mine.
"It's hard to quantify in words just how good King John was. But let's try. In more modern parlance, take a centre half as good as John Terry, only MUCH BETTER, then a centre forward as good as Alan Shearer, only MUCH BETTER. Next, roll them into one player. Then you ALMOST get a player as good as John Charles. He really was that special, world class as a defender, world class as a striker.......
He was voted ahead of Diego Maradona as Italian football's greatest ever foreign import. At Juventus he hit 108 goals in 155 appearances leading them to three titles and two Cup triumphs. (Bear in mind that this was in the days of tough-as-teak, leak proof Italian defences who regarded conceding one goal every five games as a team tragedy).
For Wales John scored 15 goals in 38 games (about 1 in 2.5 games which when you consider that he usually started as a CB is phenomenal and Wales were often regarded as whipping boys in those days - Heaven knows what he'd have done in a top team!!)
Sir Bobby Robson called him 'incomparable' and right up there with Pele, Maradona and George Best as football's greatest.
Jack Charlton described him as without question the most effective player he ever saw; the one that made the most difference to the performance of the whole team. Finally, I once read a book by Trevor Brooking entitled "The Hundred Greatest Ever British Footballers" where he started the chapter on John with something like - firstly, when John Charles was playing one had to decide, was he the world's GREATEST CENTRE HALF? Or was he the world's GREATEST CENTRE FORWARD?
It is my contention that NO OTHER PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME has ever received that kind of accolade. He was truly a one off, the like of which has never been seen either before or since. So what price John today? I think the bidding would start north of £300 million and that might be conservative.
