DREAM TEAM

MARCUS BEAN – The Colchester United midfielder chooses his favourite XI, made up from players he has played with or against in his football career.

GOALKEEPER1

Joe Hart – Manchester City I played with him at Blackpool when he was on loan there. He was outstanding. I could see his England potential even back then. I think he was about 19 at the time but I still thought he would go on to great things.

RIGHT BACK1

Kyle Walker – Tottenham Hotspur I played against him when he was at Sheffield United. He had all the physical attributes and you could just tell that for the modern right back he was just perfect.

CENTRE BACK1

Danny Shittu – Millwall He’s one of my best friends in the game. When he’s in the tunnel he’s always banging the doors and beating his chest to scare the other team. It’s quite funny and he’s a leader on the pitch too.

CENTRE BACK1

Shaun Barker – Derby County He’s one of the nicest guys in football. He’s funny and he’s a very good defender. The first day he came to Blackpool he had his hair cut like Reggie Kray and we thought he was French, so we asked him where he was from. In the end we started calling him Reggie and it became his nickname.

LEFT BACK1

Gino Padula – Retired He’s an Argentine guy who was a bit of a cult hero at QPR. He was very tenacious and composed. He spoke English really well and grasped the English culture.

RIGHT1 MIDFIELD1

Adam Lallana – Southampton He’s one of those players who comes alive in the box. He’s great at finishing. He holds the ball well and he’s a very, very good player.

CENTRAL1 MIDFIELD1

Richard Langley – Unattached I remember initially watching him at QPR and thinking how he was a silky player. He was technically good and back then he looked like a netball player. I took inspiration from him.

CENTRAL1 MIDFIELD1

Scott Parker – Tottenham Hotspur I remember playing against him when he was at Charlton and thinking he was quality. Back then he was more attacking than he is now. He was so sharp around the pitch and impressed me. It was one of the best , if not the best midfield performances I’ve played against.

LEFT MIDFIELD1

Lee Cook – Leyton Orient He has a wand of a left foot. Another one of my good friends and he’s a joker, just a clown. He’s definitely the best left midfielder I’ve played with. No one can get near him and he’s always whipping the ball in with his left foot. He’s a free spirit though and he’s not the cleverest!

ATTACKING1 MIDFIELD1

Wes Hoolahan – Norwich City He’s like a little Irish Lionel Messi. Even at training at Blackpool he used to take people on, almost at walking pace. He wasn’t the quickest in the world but the ball would stick to his feet like glue. He’s a funny character. You could always bank on Wes to do something funny. He was always funny on nights out, and especially very funny with his dancing.

STRIKER1

Jermaine Beckford – Huddersfield Town (on loan from Leicester) I played with Jermaine as a kid playing in Sunday League football. He was in and out of the Chelsea academy at the time. He’s just a great guy. I think he did well in the Premier League personally. He scored double figures but for some reason the fans didn’t take to him. I really rate him though.