City's greatest ever players

[Prestwich_Blue]

Let's say the started watching in 1920 (to remember watching in the 30's), that makes them 96 now.

We sure we can trust them on Doherty over Silva or Aguero?

I've interviewed a couple of people who started watching us in the mid/late 1930's. Both saw Bell & Silva and both said Doherty was probably the best player they saw for City.

 

[dannybcity]

He's been a good servant to the club but he's never really been a key player, often times even being marked as our weak link. He's in the same kind of situation as Lescott and Milner, he won a bunch of stuff with us but hasn't really been a standout player at any point, good servants and maybe even cult favorites but not really frontrunners on a list like this.

That's a fair comment for the first league title but he played every game of the FA Cup run in 2011, made 30 appearances in 2013/14 and missed one game in the League Cup run.

 

[Wilf Wild 1937]

In the 60s the old timers all reckoned Bell was the best SINCE Doherty. The general feeling among that age group also was that Swift was better than Trautmann. Do you always place your childhood heroes too high on the list or not? I guess that depends on the individual. Personally I don't so it's unfair to assume they did. I'm 54 and the best player I've seen playing in a City shirt is Aguero. Silva and Toure must also easily make the all time top 10.

 

[bluereid]

Some of the players we have now could be classed as the greatest ever in the Prem never mind City but is there any rapport between players and fans, do we feel as though we are a part of it, I'm afraid I'm beginning to feel like a customer now and that's sad. The only spot in the ground that has any atmosphere now is the South Stand. "Sorry for the digression".

For me the greatest City player I've ever seen is no contest, I'd have to go back to 1965 when we signed Mike Summerbee from Swindon. I enjoyed every minute of watching him in the 10 years he was with us.
Buzzer was a great player who oozed class and was a delight to watch.

 

[Shaelumstash]

Silva must surely be in the top 2, there seems to be a lot of momentum for him to go in at the top spot, and he's only just turned 30. If he carries on for another few years at the same level, and we continue to win trophies, it will be very difficult to argue against him being number 1.

Aguero and Tevez should make the top 5 for me. Yaya should make the top 10.

Kompany must be in there, Joe Hart, Zabba, and Gareth Barry should easily get in ahead of some of the players lower down in the list.

Surprised Keith Curle didn't make the original 50, he was a far better player than Dunne, Quinn and White.

As much as people hate him for his post City career, Tony Coton was absolutely superb for City as well, maybe in with a shout towards the lower end.

 

[petrusha]

For me the greatest City player I've ever seen is no contest, I'd have to go back to 1965 when we signed Mike Summerbee from Swindon. I enjoyed every minute of watching him in the 10 years he was with us.
Buzzer was a great player who oozed class and was a delight to watch.

Funnily enough, there was a supporters' poll in 1973/4 the results of which featured in the match programme for the New Year's Day game against Stoke. It's noted by the superb Simon Curtis on one of his sites, No Repartee: https://norepartee.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/1973-74-stoke-home/

He doesn't say who all of the top six were but Swift and Trautmann made the cut, Bert topping the poll (only around a decade since he retired so he was fresh in people's memories). Interestingly, Summerbee was the most popular current player while Bell didn't figure in the top six. Strikes me as slightly odd given that I remember Bell widely being regarded as the best ever when I was a kid (and I started going in 1975/6, so not long after).

Salient text here for those who don't want to follow the link:

Votes had also been counted in the supporters’ poll to find City’s “all time great”, with Bert Trautmann taking the honours ahead of another goalkeeping great Frank Swift. Of the present squad, only Mike Summerbee with under 6% and recently retired captain Tony Book with 5% made it into the top 6.

 

[schfc6]

Backheeling United into the Second Division should've really merited a higher place than he was given!

There's an old timer goes in my local, says Law scored 5 possibly 6 in a game that was later abandoned due to waterlogged pitch, only for his goals not to count. Says it's the best City performance he's ever seen. If he is telling the truth, then that plus back heeling them into div 2 is well worth it.

The best performances I've ever seen in a City shirt.
1, Wanchope away at Leeds, he was totally unplayable, we won 2-1. Anyone there that night will remember.
2, Benarbia at Sheffield Wednesday. Never seen a midfield display like it.
3, Silva at WBA first game of the season. Simply delightful.
4, Hart in Barcelona last season. Unreal.
5, Berkovic in the Derby that Anelka was supposed to have handled the ball and we were robbed of the winner. He totally bossed that game. * would love it if someone could remember that game and what year it was.

Obviously I'd add our current favourites to the top 50, Hart, Kompany, Ya Ya, Silva and Aguero. Tevez on effort and talent makes it too for me.

I'd also like to see the inclusion of Benarbia and Berkovic.

 

[bornblueegg]

Had this conversation about 'who was the best Bond'. For me you have to consider who you have seen yourself. I saw Bell but not doherty (obviously) I've seen clips of Bert but not Swift so I have a personal bias, everyone has an opinion. Its great that we can discuss and you do find less of the dickheads on threads like this...

Showing my age I guess

 

[Shaelumstash]

Had this conversation about 'who was the best Bond'. For me you have to consider who you have seen yourself. I saw Bell but not doherty (obviously) I've seen clips of Bert but not Swift so I have a personal bias, everyone has an opinion. Its great that we can discuss and you do find less of the dickheads on threads like this...

Showing my age I guess

Totally agree, I've seen numerous shouts for Kevin Be Druyne to be considered our greatest ever player by a few resident dick heads in other threads, thankfully they've not appeared on here yet.

It's inevitable that people are going to be biased towards players from their own generation. I never saw Bell play, and obviously not Dogherty, so it's impossible for me to compare them to David Silva. I can only go off what I have seen, and for me Silva is the best player I've seen and is playing in City's best ever team, so he must have a shout of being the best ever.

 

[mancitymick]

There's an old timer goes in my local, says Law scored 5 possibly 6 in a game that was later abandoned due to waterlogged pitch, only for his goals not to count. Says it's the best City performance he's ever seen. If he is telling the truth, then that plus back heeling them into div 2 is well worth it.

The best performances I've ever seen in a City shirt.
1, Wanchope away at Leeds, he was totally unplayable, we won 2-1. Anyone there that night will remember.
2, Benarbia at Sheffield Wednesday. Never seen a midfield display like it.
3, Silva at WBA first game of the season. Simply delightful.
4, Hart in Barcelona last season. Unreal.
5, Berkovic in the Derby that Anelka was supposed to have handled the ball and we were robbed of the winner. He totally bossed that game. * would love it if someone could remember that game and what year it was.

Obviously I'd add our current favourites to the top 50, Hart, Kompany, Ya Ya, Silva and Aguero. Tevez on effort and talent makes it too for me.

I'd also like to see the inclusion of Benarbia and Berkovic.

5.
Sun 09 February 2003.
Score: D 1-1
Attendance: 67646