[POLL] The Greatest Ever?

[Mikhail Chigorin]

How he has never won the PFA or Football Writers' player of the year award is a joke

Some of the shite that's won it I'm glad Silva is never mentioned with them.

Ryan Giggs immediately springs to mind..........what the deuce was all that about ??

[nottsblue]

Almost impossible to gauge IMO. Any answer is subjective to the individual's preference. Comparing players in the same era but in different positions is difficult enough without having to factor in different era's. Sadly I am also too young to have seen Bell. But the reports from that age and of the fans lucky enough to have been around in those days both say what a phenomenal player he was. 150 goals from midfield in an age where midfielders didn't have the licence to roam forward as they do now, as there were already at least two centre forwards and usually a winger in the team, speaks volumes. His engine was legendary and he had all the attributes that you'd want in a footballer. Imagine what his transfer fee would be today when you consider Pogba costs upwards of £100m!!

Likewise, Silva, has a magical deftness of touch that somehow amazes you even after six years. The only criticism I have of him is considering how sublime his range and weight of passing is, coupled with superb vision, is that he arguably should score more goals. Other players who play in his position and not nearly as well I might add, score more. I'm thinking of the Mata's, Ozil's, Hazard's, Coutinho's, Payet's of this world. Still, when you have Aguero in your team, he does take the burden off somewhat.

Leading into Kun, the best minutes per goal ratio in the PL tells you everything. And yet that's not the whole story. Big game? He invariably turns up and scores. That's the mark of a top notch player. The same can also be said of Yaya.

It's amazing really that we've had three or four of the greatest players in our history, playing in the same team. Lucky doesn't even come close. But to answer the question, do we then consider best as the most skillfull? The most goals? The most assists? The player who gets you out of your seat when he has the ball? The guy who changes games the most? The strongest leader? You could make a case for any of the names in the poll on any one of those criteria. Also you could add, who are you the most pleased we signed ahead of a rival?

All things considered, Bell gets my vote. Close run but imagine if he played today? The mind boggles

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Almost impossible to gauge IMO. Any answer is subjective to the individual's preference. Comparing players in the same era but in different positions is difficult enough without having to factor in different era's. Sadly I am also too young to have seen Bell. But the reports from that age and of the fans lucky enough to have been around in those days both say what a phenomenal player he was. 150 goals from midfield in an age where midfielders didn't have the licence to roam forward as they do now, as there were already at least two centre forwards and usually a winger in the team, speaks volumes. His engine was legendary and he had all the attributes that you'd want in a footballer. Imagine what his transfer fee would be today when you consider Pogba costs upwards of £100m!!

Likewise, Silva, has a magical deftness of touch that somehow amazes you even after six years. The only criticism I have of him is considering how sublime his range and weight of passing is, coupled with superb vision, is that he arguably should score more goals. Other players who play in his position and not nearly as well I might add, score more. I'm thinking of the Mata's, Ozil's, Hazard's, Coutinho's, Payet's of this world. Still, when you have Aguero in your team, he does take the burden off somewhat.

Leading into Kun, the best minutes per goal ratio in the PL tells you everything. And yet that's not the whole story. Big game? He invariably turns up and scores. That's the mark of a top notch player. The same can also be said of Yaya.

It's amazing really that we've had three or four of the greatest players in our history, playing in the same team. Lucky doesn't even come close. But to answer the question, do we then consider best as the most skillfull? The most goals? The most assists? The player who gets you out of your seat when he has the ball? The guy who changes games the most? The strongest leader? You could make a case for any of the names in the poll on any one of those criteria. Also you could add, who are you the most pleased we signed ahead of a rival?

All things considered, Bell gets my vote. Close run but imagine if he played today? The mind boggles

You do make some carefully thought out posts NB and this is one of them.

Very nice indeed. Well done to you.


All in all, what a great thread this is; I'm really enjoying reading all the great opinions on offer here, so keep them coming.

[South Stand Balti]

I wonder who Ted would vote for. I'm sure he wanted to get rid of Silva.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

I wonder who Ted would vote for. I'm sure he wanted to get rid of Silva.

He loved Colin Bell; I'm certain he would have voted for him.

[South Stand Balti]

I wonder who Ted would vote for. I'm sure he wanted to get rid of Silva.

He loved Colin Bell; I'm certain he would have voted for him.

I bet it would have taken a mega long post for him to get to that conclusion.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

I wonder who Ted would vote for. I'm sure he wanted to get rid of Silva.

He loved Colin Bell; I'm certain he would have voted for him.

I bet it would have taken a mega long post for him to get to that conclusion.

After the length of the post I just made for David Silva, I'm the last person to criticise him for doing the same

[South Stand Balti]

I wonder who Ted would vote for. I'm sure he wanted to get rid of Silva.

He loved Colin Bell; I'm certain he would have voted for him.

I bet it would have taken a mega long post for him to get to that conclusion.

After the length of the post I just made for David Silva, I'm the last person to criticise him for doing the same

A bit off topic, but who's your favourite chess player of all time? Capablanca is mine.

[Dubciteh]

How he has never won the PFA or Football Writers' player of the year award is a joke

Some of the shite that's won it I'm glad Silva is never mentioned with them.

Has he even made team of the year? Very under appreciated outside of us.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

I wonder who Ted would vote for. I'm sure he wanted to get rid of Silva.

He loved Colin Bell; I'm certain he would have voted for him.

I bet it would have taken a mega long post for him to get to that conclusion.

After the length of the post I just made for David Silva, I'm the last person to criticise him for doing the same

A bit off topic, but who's your favourite chess player of all time? Capablanca is mine.

Capablanca was a wonderful player with an elegant style that made playing chess look easy but, in spite of strong competition from Mikhail Tal, my own special favourite has to be Mikhail Chigorin - the master of the King's Gambit.

I've also got a soft spot for Rudolf Spielmann ("The last knight of the King's Gambit" as he was once called).

[nottsblue]

How he has never won the PFA or Football Writers' player of the year award is a joke

Some of the shite that's won it I'm glad Silva is never mentioned with them.

Has he even made team of the year? Very under appreciated outside of us.

Speaking of which, I'm sure Aguero has never made team of the year. Quite frankly, an appalling oversight

[South Stand Balti]

I wonder who Ted would vote for. I'm sure he wanted to get rid of Silva.

He loved Colin Bell; I'm certain he would have voted for him.

I bet it would have taken a mega long post for him to get to that conclusion.

After the length of the post I just made for David Silva, I'm the last person to criticise him for doing the same

A game full of fascinating characters. Alekhine and Fischer being two of them. Richard Reti I like too though he was as much a theorist as a chess player. I had high hopes of Michael Adams a few years ago but he didn't quite reach the very top.

[Justified logic]

How he has never won the PFA or Football Writers' player of the year award is a joke

Some of the shite that's won it I'm glad Silva is never mentioned with them.

Has he even made team of the year? Very under appreciated outside of us.

Speaking of which, I'm sure Aguero has never made team of the year. Quite frankly, an appalling oversight

Fuck the Team of the Year. They've never won anything.

[nottsblue]

How he has never won the PFA or Football Writers' player of the year award is a joke

Some of the shite that's won it I'm glad Silva is never mentioned with them.

Has he even made team of the year? Very under appreciated outside of us.

Speaking of which, I'm sure Aguero has never made team of the year. Quite frankly, an appalling oversight

Fuck the Team of the Year. They've never won anything.

Maybe not. But as a player it must be nice to have recognition from outside your own club?

[Justified logic]

Has he even made team of the year? Very under appreciated outside of us.

Speaking of which, I'm sure Aguero has never made team of the year. Quite frankly, an appalling oversight

Fuck the Team of the Year. They've never won anything.

Maybe not. But as a player it must be nice to have recognition from outside your own club?

Depends on one's personality I suppose. Some might think it's just a wanky clique.

[Slim]

I don't suppose Bert Trautmann qualifies because he was 'only' a goalkeeper but he was the reason I fell in love with City as a really young kid. He's certainly, in my eyes, been the greatest goalkeeper we've ever had and that includes the magnificent Frank Swift, although Bert was of another time and another age.

City64, in an earlier post, suggested that Vincent Kompany was the greatest centre-half we've had but I've got to go, myself, for Dave Watson who was an unbelievable defender and had a terrific partnership with the great Mike Doyle.

However, at the end of the day it all comes down to a straight 'shoot-out' between Colin the King and Merlin the magician.

Colin Bell was so versatile and he could play in any position, excelling in all. If he'd been playing today, he would have solved our centre-back problems in a stroke and would have been an ideal Pep player with his ball control, positional sense, tackling, passing, shooting, speed and heading.

It was found that the King had a very slow heart rate which allowed him to run (some would even say sprint) all day, so much so that his nickname was 'Nijinsky' (named after the racehorse of that era, although his grace, strength and athleticism could have related to the Russian ballet dancer of an earlier time.).

Colin Bell was absolutely incomparable and it was criminal that his career was truncated through injury so that's it; Colin Bell was the greatest of all time...........

...........and yet, there's that slender, diminutive, Canary Islander who glides elegantly through that City midfield, controlling the game almost effortlessly. He's predominantly left footed, which elevates him automatically to a higher position and this left foot is akin to gold dust and, personally, I've never seen anyone in a City shirt with the same complete ball control. skill and poise (and there are some serious contenders for this award) and his use of the ball, complemented by his supreme vision, makes him an unparalleled productive member of the side.

He works his socks off and, in spite of getting kicked off the park in every game, he just gets up and continues to play; calmly going about his business efficiently and artistically. Apart from his sublime and almost perfect ball control, he almost knows where he is going to move or pass to, before he even receives it.

At his feet, the ball is a prize possession to be nurtured and caressed and, to my mind, he would be the first name on the team sheet, if you were picking a World All Star XI. His unbelievable talent is a humbling experience.

So who is the better between Colin the King and Merlin the magician ?? It seems an almost impossible task but if Colin was the King, Merlin the Imperious is the absolute Emperor of all he surveys.

So, it's David Silva for me and long may he ply his individualistic trade for our beloved City

Settle down MC, we're only in February. Post of the Year won't be decided for another 10 months.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

I wonder who Ted would vote for. I'm sure he wanted to get rid of Silva.

He loved Colin Bell; I'm certain he would have voted for him.

I bet it would have taken a mega long post for him to get to that conclusion.

After the length of the post I just made for David Silva, I'm the last person to criticise him for doing the same

A game full of fascinating characters. Alekhine and Fischer being two of them. Richard Reti I like too though he was as much a theorist as a chess player. I had high hopes of Michael Adams a few years ago but he didn't quite reach the very top.

In the 1980s there was an emerging crop of young British players who were sponsored/subsidised by a millionaire (can't remember his name now) and this gave them the freedom to concentrate on chess full time. As a result of this, for a brief period, we became the 'de facto' second strongest chess nation in the world, after the Russians.

Michael Adams came in right at the tail end of this and there were very high hopes held for him but, now that he's in his mid forties, I suppose his time has peaked and, unfortunately, passed.

I've always liked players with volatile, combinational styles who could just as easily lose badly, as win brilliantly. I also like Gambit openings, or double-edged ones which give a cut-throat approach to every game and I suffered many a loss, with black, by playing the Latvian defence and trying to prove it was sound.

Happy/unhappy days !!

[Slim]

I had another idea for a poll on which non-City premier league player you'd most want to have played for City.

Obviously the likes of Henry or LeTissier were two of my all time favourites, but my pick would have been Fatty Lampard and then the cunt went and played for us. Well, fuck that idea now.

[nottsblue]

I had another idea for a poll on which non-City premier league player you'd most want to have played for City.

Obviously the likes of Henry or LeTissier were two of my all time favourites, but my pick would have been Fatty Lampard and then the cunt went and played for us. Well, fuck that idea now.

Do you mean at that time or that they could play for us now? Le Tiss in our side now would be unreal

[Slim]

I had another idea for a poll on which non-City premier league player you'd most want to have played for City.

Obviously the likes of Henry or LeTissier were two of my all time favourites, but my pick would have been Fatty Lampard and then the cunt went and played for us. Well, fuck that idea now.

Do you mean at that time or that they could play for us now? Le Tiss in our side would be unreal

I was just thinking of which player would you liked to have seen in a City shirt during their heyday? hayday? heiday? Trump?...eh, you know what I mean.

But who would improve this side? Jesus that'd be a short list stacked with fullbacks.