City players who polarised opinion

[Big Swifty]

All this stuff written about the late Fidel Castro falls into two camps - he was either a brave revolutionary hero who set up free health and education for all, or a brutal tyrant who suppressed all opposition and nearly caused World War Three. It led me to ponder - which City players similarly polarised opinion so that they were either revered or despised?

I don't mean the indisputably great, from Trautmann and Bell through to Aguero, Silva and Kompany (when fit), or the scrapheap also-rans (three C's: Creaney, Conlon, Charvet). I mean those who elicited extreme opinion on both sides of the spectrum.

I would submit Balotelli (genius or liability), Yaya (our greatest ever or a lazy idler), Dzeko (much-missed world-class finisher or the touch of an elephant). Even Kinkladze had his detractors (selfish, disappeared during tough away games) .

My brother for some reason raved over Adrian Heath (!), but I would class him with those three C's, above.

Are there any others who are/were heroes or zeroes? (No middling ones please).

 

[The Pink Panther]

You mention Adrian Heath, well IMO Paul Dickov was a poor man's Adrian Heath
If Dickov had been any fucking good we wouldn't have had to be in a play off, yet he's lauded as a hero

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Kolarov and the Mangler from the current crop. 323 is chalk and cheese where these two are concerned!

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

You mention Adrian Heath, well IMO Paul Dickov was a poor man's Adrian Heath
If Dickov had been any fucking good we wouldn't have had to be in a play off, yet he's lauded as a hero

You only need one goal to be a hero!

 

[OneTonyHenry]

I remember Heath having a dig at someone for not giving him a chance when he was a City. The response was "it took you 12 #*\kin months to score at both ends of our ground". Apart from a fleeting moment at Norwich away I disliked Heath with a vengeance.

 

[Paul Lake's Left Knee]

The Elk always divided opinion around me in the Kippax, some thought he was lazy and not interested, others that he was to quote Keeg "a Rolls Royce of a striker".

 

[Otamendi's Beard]

Sterling a huge one last year. Kolarov will always be in this bracket.

There's probably too many to mention!

 

[Mike N]

Adrian Heath really was awful. I'm still angry about the sitter he missed at the North Stand in a derby.

 

[Bozo]

Beanie

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Adrian Heath really was awful. I'm still angry about the sitter he missed at the North Stand in a derby.

If only Machin hadn't fallen out with Clive Allen and Paul Moulden.