Kenny Cunningham has provided some high praise of his former international teammate Stephen Carr - saying he was as good a player as he ever lined out alongside.
Carr spent 11 years with Spurs, before four years at Newcastle and another four with Birmingham City. He also racked up 44 Republic of Ireland caps, before retiring from the game in May 2013.
Former Irish captain Kenny Cunningham was on OTB AM today discussing which Dublin-born footballers should be considered for the county's sporting Mount Rushmore.
What followed included Kenny's appraisal of Carr - who he feels is one of the top players to emerge from these shores in recent memory.
"There's a player I played with, for me, he's as good as any player I've played with. I didn't see much better in the time I was playing football - than Stephen Carr.
"I never played with Stephen in club football, I only played with him in international football. Stephen for me, when he was fit and playing, there was nobody better.
"I didn't play with, or at times see, a better full-back than Stephen Carr. Stephen Carr had everything. In the modern game we're so used to talking about full-backs with attacking qualities, how productive they are in the opposition half of the pitch, goals, assists.
"It's almost a given that they can't really defend. If they can defend to a basic level it's a bonus. Stephen Carr could do everything. Stephen was a very good defender, very tenacious, great one-v-one, would never be beaten, ridiculously quick, physically strong, good positional sense.
"So as a centre-half, if you had Stephen on your right-hand side, you knew you were cruising. He was a fantastic defender and he was great going forward, in terms of crosses into the box.
"The problem with Stephen was he had a number of bad injuries over the course of his career at Spurs, and Newcastle in particular when he went up there.
"If the timing had been better for him in his career, he could have stepped into any of the best club teams in the world. I'm talking about the very best in England, Spain, Italy, and wouldn't have looked out of his depth. He would have actually excelled, he was an absolutely brilliant full-back."
31 May 2001; From (left to right) are Mark Kinsella, Kenny Cunningham and Stephen carr, who did not take part in Republic of Ireland training today, John Hyland Park, Baldonnell, Co. Dublin, Soccer. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / SPORTSFILEKenny added that Carr was built to be a top right-back.
"He actually had fierce competition in that Ireland team. Gary Kelly was there when I first came in, Steve Finnan was a wonderful, accomplished full-back. Even Jeff Kenna never gets a mention, Jeff was a lovely footballer and in a different era probably would have got another 30 or 40 caps.
"Stephen for me, at his best when he was fit, for me Stephen would possibly have the edge on all of those full-backs. He was absolutely powerful.
"Stephen wasn't the most media-friendly during his career, shied away from the cameras, never gave interviews, bit of a miserable git to be honest with you! That was the perception of him.
"The only time I saw him smile was about two or three years ago when he popped in to do an interview with Sky... but his game was absolutely frightening, he was so quick.
"He had a low centre of gravity, ideal build for a full-back. Powerful legs, upper body as well, a really good professional, dedicated, time in the gym.
"[He was] probably a little bit too tenacious at times, picked up a lot of yellow cards over the course of his career, but I loved that."
Carr's spell with Birmingham City came out of the blue, and Kenny says he is now considered a club great for what he achieved there.
"He had a wonderful ping of the ball. He scored a famous goal against United at White Hart Lane, 35 yards, he pinged it into the top corner and it was a Match of the Day Goal of the Season contender.
Birmingham City's Stephen Carr (centre) lifts the Carling Cup trophy after the final whistle"Stephen actually retired after Newcastle and he went back to Dublin, playing golf down at Portmarnock links most days. He got a call to go back to Birmingham.
"He went back after Christmas, he went over for a month's trial. That month's trial, they extended it until the end of the season. He made such an impression going over there in that few months.
"They got promoted that season, he stayed there, was made captain, ninth in the Premier League the following year, and led them to the Carling Cup, he's an absolute legend up at Birmingham, he's in their best-ever Birmingham eleven.
"I remember watching him play up at Birmingham, and the level he was playing at was absolutely frightening. He was a more experienced player then.
"I'd compare him to Seamus [Coleman]. Seamus was at a level four or five years ago where I'd make the argument he could have played at any team in the world - Madrid, Barcelona, any of the top Italian teams."
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