LAURA KIRK-FRANCIS was cursing her luck when she was forced to snap up a forgotten name from Derby’s record-breaking flops.
The talkSPORT host took on the supercomputer in the latest episode of The Sun’s brilliant new show , brought to you by .
Kirk-Francis picked players from 11 different teams during the Premier League era.
But the fan’s bid to select an XI capable of bagging the title was complicated straight away.
The supercomputer determined the first pick had to be from the Derby side that went down in history as the Premier League’s after racking up a lowly 11 POINTS in 2007/08.
And Kirk-Francis, who ended up selecting Jay McEveley, could not believe her luck.
Joining StevoTheMadman and in the GOAT studio, she said: “It’s not good, is it?
“We’ll maybe go for a left-back here. Let’s go for Jay McEveley. It can’t get worse.”
Sherwood, 57, also revealed then-Derby skipper Robbie Savage, who is now edging towards , was hard done by.
The one-time title winner said: “I feel sorry for Robbie Savage because whenever this team jumps up, it’s called Robbie Savage’s Derby.
“It’s unfair on Robbie because he is probably the best player within that group.
“There’s a few of them that went on to have decent careers or were having decent careers at the time.”
But Kirk-Francis’ fortunes improved after making former Everton youngster McEveley her first pick.
She selected Emiliano Martinez as her keeper after the supercomputer pinpointed the Aston Villa side which last season.
Vincent Kompany and Virgil van Dijk, from the Manchester City and Liverpool sides of 2012/13 and 2023/24 respectively, became Kirk-Francis’ centre-back partners.
Steve Chettle, who was part of Nottingham Forest’s squad for the 1998/99 campaign, completed the backline.
and Tom Cleverley made the cut after the supercomputer randomly selected the Southampton and Watford sides of 2016/17.
Rob Lee was picked in the middle of the park when Kevin Keegan’s entertaining Newcastle outfit from 1994/95 was pushed forward.
And Harry Kewell, who caused problems for defenders on Leeds’ left flank during the 1998/99 season, was snapped up by Kirk-Francis.
Jermain Defoe was Sunderland’s main marksman in 2015/16 and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min – from the 2024/25 campaign – joined him as the main attacking options.
But Kirk-Francis was not happy with the cards she had been dealt by the supercomputer.
She added: “It feels quite mid-table, if I’m honest. I reckon that’s where it will end up.
“There are some who are very good, but not enough. The floor is quite low with my guy from Derby.
“And I don’t know if our ceiling is quite high enough, apart from and Kompany.”
But Kirk-Francis was pleasantly surprised when, after a full season was simulated, her XI bagged 64 points.
That haul would have been enough to clinch fifth place in last season’s .
And a stunned Sherwood admitted: “Sorry, Laura. That’s generous.”
Head over to YouTube now for all the picks, anecdotes and Premier League nostalgia in the full episode of Greatest of All Teams .
‘Greatest of All Teams’, sponsored by Sun Vegas, where creators and ex-footballers are asked to create their ideal side from the Premier League era and find out where they’d finish.
Each week, Tim Sherwood and Stevo The Madman ask their guest to pick an all time Premier League 11 from 1992 onwards based on a lucky dip of players and clubs from our supercomputer. The guest’s team then has a season simulated to see how many points it would accrue. Each guest’s points total then goes on a series leaderboard to see who wins overall.
Packed with “Barclaysmen” era nostalgia and lots of laughs, the show combines deep football knowledge with hypothetical scenarios for fans across generations.
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