Gary James
Well-Known Member
Brook's record includes all first team competitive games which, at that time, included League, FA Cup and Charity Shield. Aguero's follows the same logic - Europe, League, FAC, LC and Community Shield. Other players, for example Meredith (and Dickov for arguments sake) also included Test Matches and/or playoffs, while Bell & Lee's includes Texaco Cup, Anglo-Italian etc. In ten years time there could be a new competition for all teams called City which is treated like a true competitive fixture. So we can only go off what exists at the time.I can for see that a lot of Man City fans may not like what I am about to say. Although Sergio will beat that record either tonight or against WBA on Saturday. Yes Sergio will. have broken the record in fewer games The record that Eric Brook has as far as I am aware only takes account of League and FA Cup games. So surely we should do the same for Sergio, and take away all his goals and games from both the League Cup and European games. then we can compare the 2 strikers records. Which will no doubt still be an impressive record.
Typically when Brook was playing there were 22 teams in the Division he played in, while Aguero only has 20 teams in his Division, so should we only include the first 38 League games of Brook's season each year? Also, some of Brook's goals were scored in Division Two. Both men have taken penalties but should we discount these? It's a nightmare trying to equate one era with another but all we can do is look at the record and say whether he has surpassed it or not. Tonight, hopefully, Aguero will make it 178 and by the end of the season who knows how high the figure will be - 200 maybe?
Of course, Aguero's goals per game ratio is much more impressive than any of the other people in our top scorers list.
There is of course a League goals record which Aguero is also closing in on for City. He's currently 29 behind Johnson & Brook, so again fingers crossed that goes within the next year.
Comparing eras is always difficult. I remember when Silva passed Bell's international caps record a blue saying, 'ah, but that's for Spain not England'. Well without being disrespectful to any player I think many of Spain's achievements are much greater than the England team Bell played in (maybe if England had had more Bells it would've been different?). Hart's since passed Bell's record as well of course.
On all these records, let's just celebrate the fact that we now have players who are true legends at our club and that these are men who thoroughly deserve their place in history.