Seamus Coleman is now far beyond his best at Everton, but his impact on Merseyside over the past decade mustn’t be understated.
Signed for a ridiculously low £60,000 from Sligo Rovers, Coleman started off as a right winger at Goodison Park, before transitioning to right-back, where his Everton career took off.
Alongside Leighton Baines, Coleman undoubtedly made up one half of the best full-back pairing in the Premier League for a time being, and fans would be reticent to forget the high points of his career.
For this reason, several Everton fans have taken issue with an unfavourable comparison on social media between the Irishman and his compatriot and Wolves wing-back Matt Doherty.
With the question being which defender is better, and with Doherty winning by a landslide, a number of Everton fans called out how the question was biased towards Doherty, who is currently in his prime while Coleman is way past his.
Twitter: @blackcrisp123 @toffeetommy79 Bit harsh comparing them now Coleman’s best days are behind him Doherty is a better p… https://t.co/KZPcAbVES4 (@Willyouyeh)
Twitter: @blackcrisp123 @thetoffees_com That’s a loaded question. In 10 years time “Who was better”???
Answer ATM Coleman a… https://t.co/rCBCndOcMP (@JimGurney4)
Twitter: Poor comparison, this. Coleman well past his prime. https://t.co/JboXiJk1GS (@EFCTom_)
Twitter: @blackcrisp123 Coleman in his prime was probably 5 times the player Doherty is now. I’d say they’re about the same… https://t.co/7crFmThgzA (@birchall_1878)
Read Everton Verdict
At their current level, Doherty has more consistent quality, however Coleman at his peak would be streets above the Wolves defender.
It is a very arbitrary debate to be had, but if push comes to shove it would be easy to make a judgement call. Coleman is one of Everton’s best players of the past 15 years, and Doherty would have to do a lot to live up to his influence.
