Previous surveys of the best players outside the Premier League

(GETTY IMAGES)

More than half the 13 Englishmen in the original 2006 survey went on to be capped, four failed to reach the Premier League. Which tips were right, and which were not?

THE CLASS OF 2006

Sixteen of the initial 20 went on to play in the Premier League of which ten remain and Kenny Miller is in the SPL. Of the exceptions - Trundle, Kennedy, Fryatt and Garvan - the latter should still do so. Seven of the 13 Englishmen have subsequently been capped.

1. Phil Jagielka (Sheffield United, now Everton) Premiership

2. Andrew Johnson (Crystal Palace, now Fulham) P

3. Steve Sidwell (Reading, now Aston Villa) P

4. Theo Walcott (Southampton, now Arsenal) P

5. Cameron Jerome (Cardiff, now Birmingham) Championship

6. Kevin Doyle (still Reading) C

7. Dean Ashton (Norwich, now West Ham) P

8. Kenny Miller (Wolves, now Rangers) SPL

9. Joleon Lescott (Wolves, now Everton) P

10. Danny Webber (still Sheffield U) C

11. Lee Trundle (Swansea, now Bristol C) C

12. Ashley Young (Watford, now Aston Villa) P

13. Bobby Convey (still Reading) C

14. Nigel Quashie (now West Ham, currently on loan at Birmingham) P

15. Mark Kennedy (Wolves, now Cardiff) C

16. Seol Ki-Hyeon (Wolves, now Fulham) P

17. Matty Fryatt (then Walsall, now Leicester) L1

18. Nicky Shorey (Reading, now Aston Villa) P

19. Boaz Myhill (still Hull City) P

20. Owen Garvan (still Ipswich) C

CLASS OF 2007

Again, 16 of the 20 subsequently played in the top flight of which a dozen remain, though two are on loan to Sheffield United. Nugent and Upson were capped by England. Murray has been injured for most of the last two seasons.

1. David Nugent (Preston, now Portsmouth) P

2. Gareth Bale (Cardiff, now Tottenham) P

3. Gary McSheffrey (still Birmingham) C

4. Freddy Eastwood (Southend, now Coventry) C

5. Curtis Davies (West Brom, now Aston Villa) P

6. Giles Barnes (still Derby) C

7. Robbie Earnshaw (Norwich, now N Forest) C

8. Jason Koumas (West Brom, now Wigan) P

9. Grzegorz Rasiak (still So'ton, loaned to Watford) C

10. Matthew Upson (Birmingham, now West Ham) P

11. Michael Chopra (Cardiff, now Sunderland) P

12. Matt Murray (still Wolves) C

13. David Dunn (Birmingham, now Blackburn) P

14. Zoltan Gera (West Brom, now Fulham) P

15. Greg Halford (Colchester, now *Sunderland) P (C)

16. Anthony Stokes (still *Sunderland) P (C)

17. Tom Soares (Crystal Palace, now Stoke) P

18. Boaz Myhill (still Hull City) P

19. Lee Cook (back at QPR) C

20. Ben Watson (still Crystal Palace) C

* On loan to Sheffield United

CLASS OF 2008

Seven of last year's top 20 now play in the Premier League, David Murphy did so last season and Scott Brown is still in the SPL, which was included last season. Four appear again in the poll this season,

Many of last season's better Championship players were on loan from the top flight (notably Ryan Shawcross, Ishmael Miller and Fraizer Campbell, all of whom are now playing in the Premier League) and the top clubs were more interested in signing promising teenagers. Among 'ten teenagers to watch' were Plymouth's Dan Gosling, now emerging at Everton, Cardiff pair Chris Gunter (Tottenham) and Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Crystal Palace's John Bostock (now Tottenham), Gillingham's Luke Freeman (now Arsenal).

Of the players picked out in other categories several have progressed.

1. Alan Hutton (Rangers, now Tottenham) P

2. Michael Kightly (still Wolves) C

3. Joe Ledley (still Cardiff) C

4. Jonathan Greening (still West Brom) P

5. Marlon King (Watford, now Wigan - on loan to Hull) P

6. James Beattie (still Sheffield United) C

7. Zoltan Gera (West Brom, now Fulham) P

8. Scott Brown (still Celtic) SPL

9. Jonathan Walters (still Ipswich) C

10. Ricardo Fuller (still Stoke) P

11. Brian Howard (Barnsley, now Sheffield U) C

12. Marvin Elliott (still Bristol City) C

13. Ben Watson (still Crystal Palace) C

14. David Murphy (Hibernians, now Birmingham) C

15. Wayne Hennessey (still Wolves) C

16. Andy Reid (Charlton, now Sunderland) P

17. Gary Naysmith (still Sheffield U) C

18. Heinz Muller (still Barnsley) C

19. Akos Buzsaky (still QPR) C

20. Felipe Teixiera (still West Brom) P

Loanees, best: Ryan Shawcross (Manchester U to Stoke, now Stoke) P

Veterans, best: Kevin Phillips (West Brom, now Bimingham) C

League One best: Jermaine Beckford (still Leeds) L1

League Two best: Keith Andrews (MK Dons, now Blackburn) P

Conference: Stuart Fleetwood (Forest Green now Charlton, C, on loan to Brighton) L1