How good was Yaya?!

[bondsman]

The CL, in the KO stages, is the best competition in terms of the quality of football. Dominating Real and dominating WBA or Stoke are completely different things.

I know some fans don't rate the CL. That's their choice. But that the best football is played in the KO stages of the CL, like in that 4:0 win vs Real (first two goals Bernardo), is pretty obvious.

Bernardo that night was sensational. Does that one performance make him better than Yaya as a player? No.

 

[LongsightM13]

Bell was in a different league to Peters. Better in all areas. Peters was a clever player though and did find space on the pitch easily. In that regard he was similar to Frank Lampard (who was also better than Peters). In 68,69. and 70 Bell was easily one the best players in World Football. But he was quiet and shy and didn't push himself forward. He just did his talking on the pitch. He had a similar humble manner to David Silva who, of course, was a totally different player. Colin barely celebrated his goals. He often just walked calmly back to the half-way line ready for the re-take. I loved the way he did that. It must have intimidated our opponents. He made it look so easy. There was a very strong Southern bias in the media, especially the tabloids and it was harder for northern players to win England caps.. To be fair United were the first northern club to break the media mould. They were helped by George Best and the fact that, even in those days, they had a lot of London-based fans.

Great post, especially linking the humility of Bell and Silva
Probably why they remain so underrated as players to this day, as opposed to ludicrous self publicists like Best, Rooney, Ferdinand etc

 

[1961_vintage]

An amazing, hall of fame player. Weirdly underrated by the Citeh haters and many City fans both
But not a particularly impressive man
Notwithstanding the whole nonsense with his dickhead of an agent - ALL of which will have been signed off by Yaya, birthday cake and Pep is racist nonsense - he brought about his own entire downfall
I know enough tales about people who worked on his house doing various things that he was not a great husband or father. As soon as the missus and kids left for a flight, he’d have two sisters in there within an hour for fun times. Regulars. Brass
And his diet was atrocious, used to sneak away to a north Manchester McDonalds which a member of his entourage pre-ordered on a burner card, then sit in a remote car park devouring 2 Big Mac Meals with chocolate chocolate milkshakes

Grass.

 

[alexmcity]

Bernardo that night was sensational. Does that one performance make him better than Yaya as a player? No.

Bernardo was sensational in many big games, like that vs Liverpool in January 2019, one of the very best games in PL history, or vs Bayern in both legs in 2023, or at Old Trafford in April 2019 when only a win could help us win the title, Bernardo scored the 1st goal, or at Anfield in 2021 when he dribbled past half their team, including VVD, for what should have been the best assist in PL history (Foden missed a clear chance).

Again, in the biggest European games, at the most difficult grounds (Anfield, Bernabeu, Allianz Arena...) Bernardo showed at least as much class as Yaya or David, perhaps even more.

 

[LongsightM13]

The CL, in the KO stages, is the best competition in terms of the quality of football. Dominating Real and dominating WBA or Stoke are completely different things.

I know some fans don't rate the CL. That's their choice. But that the best football is played in the KO stages of the CL, like in that 4:0 win vs Real (first two goals Bernardo), is pretty obvious.

Up there as a contender for the best 90mins of any British team ever played in European competition
Also tied with the best ever atmosphere at the Etihad, with Hamburg at home and the 6-3 derby

 

[alexmcity]

Up there as a contender for the best 90mins of any British team ever played in European competition
Also tied with the best ever atmosphere at the Etihad, with Hamburg at home and the 6-3 derby

Probably *the* best 90 minutes. I think even some fans and pundits with no sympathy for City admitted as much.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Great post, especially linking the humility of Bell and Silva
Probably why they remain so underrated as players to this day, as opposed to ludicrous self publicists like Best, Rooney, Ferdinand etc

KDB is also a very shy and humble person who was truly sensational for us. We have seen Bell, Ya Ya, David Silva (and Bernardo), KDB, and Rodri grace our stadium. These are some of the very best players in history. We are a very lucky fanbase to have seen them in their pomp. There is nothing more nauseating in modern football than the self-publicists like Beckham, Bellingham and Pogba.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

An amazing, hall of fame player. Weirdly underrated by the Citeh haters and many City fans both
But not a particularly impressive man
Notwithstanding the whole nonsense with his dickhead of an agent - ALL of which will have been signed off by Yaya, birthday cake and Pep is racist nonsense - he brought about his own entire downfall
I know enough tales about people who worked on his house doing various things that he was not a great husband or father. As soon as the missus and kids left for a flight, he’d have two sisters in there within an hour for fun times. Regulars. Brass
And his diet was atrocious, used to sneak away to a north Manchester McDonalds which a member of his entourage pre-ordered on a burner card, then sit in a remote car park devouring 2 Big Mac Meals with chocolate chocolate milkshakes

Yes.but. we are talking Football here.the game.what he did on the pitch.
I'm really really not intrested on what Yaya ate off the pitch ,ffs

 

[SatOnTheWall]

He was quite lazy at times when he first joined us. I got the impression he felt City were beneath him somehow.

Brilliant later on obviously.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Bell was in a different league to Peters. Better in all areas. Peters was a clever player though and did find space on the pitch easily. In that regard he was similar to Frank Lampard (who was also better than Peters). In 68,69. and 70 Bell was easily one the best players in World Football. But he was quiet and shy and didn't push himself forward. He just did his talking on the pitch. He had a similar humble manner to David Silva who, of course, was a totally different player. Colin barely celebrated his goals. He often just walked calmly back to the half-way line ready for the re-take. I loved the way he did that. It must have intimidated our opponents. He made it look so easy. There was a very strong Southern bias in the media, especially the tabloids and it was harder for northern players to win England caps.. To be fair United were the first northern club to break the media mould. They were helped by George Best and the fact that, even in those days, they had a lot of London-based fans.

Thanks for filling in the gaps to my knowledge,I can pretty much see and feel what you said through my trawling through of old City late 60s early 70s footage.

The London bias was ,I think clear for all to see....The aforementioned footage of the post match analysis of Bell and Lee really went to town on their skills.
This is at odds with the actual live commentary by Brian Moore...,...who is clearly expecting / hoping Westhampton utd ( oops!)..win.....as when during the match Bell sells England World cup Captain Moore a dummy,by jinking the ball past him and running the other way (pure magic) leaving the England international defender chasing shadows......Brian Moore is perplexed/ flabbergasted ( that's not in the script!) and falls silent as Moore is dummied in his own back boyeln yard......As the live match commentator for the match of the day who had so much too say for himself during the earlier part of the match......falls silent when Bell weaves his magic

Yep Brian..." You,ve missed a bit " lol

 

[dennishasdoneit]

One of my favorite ever old City football clips
Ie watched this a few times now ...Bobby Moore England captain marking Bell.
4 mins in Bell does Moore, audacious skill on a muddy pitch
Top commentator at top division one match fails to articulate what he sees...just shows how reality can be shaped by commentary....or rather...lack of..Coventry ; )

 

[alexmcity]

Yes.but. we are talking Football here.the game.what he did on the pitch.
I'm really really not intrested on what Yaya ate off the pitch ,ffs
What relevance is that you clown?

I'm interested because his diet may partly explain why he didn't shine in the CL and City struggled to make it past the last 16 despite having a high quality squad back then. Playing well twice a week was a bit difficult for him? (note, it's a question, not a claim) Unlike Bernardo or Rodri who did it for 4 years week in week out?

 

[BringBackSwales]

An amazing, hall of fame player. Weirdly underrated by the Citeh haters and many City fans both
But not a particularly impressive man
Notwithstanding the whole nonsense with his dickhead of an agent - ALL of which will have been signed off by Yaya, birthday cake and Pep is racist nonsense - he brought about his own entire downfall
I know enough tales about people who worked on his house doing various things that he was not a great husband or father. As soon as the missus and kids left for a flight, he’d have two sisters in there within an hour for fun times. Regulars. Brass
And his diet was atrocious, used to sneak away to a north Manchester McDonalds which a member of his entourage pre-ordered on a burner card, then sit in a remote car park devouring 2 Big Mac Meals with chocolate chocolate milkshakes

Funny how he regularly got the same two sisters in for fun and games while people you know were working on his house. Quite a coincidence.

 

[mexico1970]

An amazing, hall of fame player. Weirdly underrated by the Citeh haters and many City fans both
But not a particularly impressive man
Notwithstanding the whole nonsense with his dickhead of an agent - ALL of which will have been signed off by Yaya, birthday cake and Pep is racist nonsense - he brought about his own entire downfall
I know enough tales about people who worked on his house doing various things that he was not a great husband or father. As soon as the missus and kids left for a flight, he’d have two sisters in there within an hour for fun times. Regulars. Brass
And his diet was atrocious, used to sneak away to a north Manchester McDonalds which a member of his entourage pre-ordered on a burner card, then sit in a remote car park devouring 2 Big Mac Meals with chocolate chocolate milkshakes

Great player but an arsehole.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Great player but an arsehole.

At least he didn't want to join Manchester utd .
Whilst he was still contracted to play for Manchester City.
You can't say anything against Mike Doyle on BM
Legendary past captain of our team.....but you can call YaYa Toure an " arsehole" for eating habits or off the field activities?

I find Mike summberbee indulging with George Best a bit hard to swallow but I'd never let it effect my upmost respect for the one of the greatest players to ever put on the shirt for Manchester City..

You see, if we look at just on field performances...... The game itself ,it becomes, in my view ...a fairer argument.

I Love City, like we all do but expecting your idols to live lfe off the pitch as you would want is a bit unrealistic and highly delusional.
Imo.

 

[mexico1970]

I find Mike summberbee indulging with George Best a bit hard to swallow but I'd never let it effect my upmost respect for the one of the greatest players to ever put on the shirt for Manchester City..

Back then players weren't as tribal mate, and Buzzer commands my respect because he is and always has been a nice person first and foremost.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

He was quite lazy at times when he first joined us. I got the impression he felt City were beneath him somehow.

Brilliant later on obviously.

I take your point....but don't agree

I thought he looked completely flumoxed when he 1st joined as leaving the top Spanish league and Barcelona to join a new emerging Manchester City team was a massive change for him.

You cannot compare the two leagues cultures attitudes climate etc....ive said on here before I was at White Hart Lane for his league debut v Spurs the nil nil draw under Mancini...both he and David Silva genuinely looked confused in central midfield as the highly charged premiership opening day of the season exploded around them ..the ball was constantly played over their heads by goal keeping punts,long clearances or or long balls played into the channels by defenders for strikers to chase....yes the English top league was still showing traits of the "blood and thunder" Football that has been a feature of the modern game in this country for a century or more.........Things change .evolution rather than revolution.......both players assimilated into our Italian managers style of play in due course.....and I agree Yaya looked languid early on ...he definitely struggled , but in the next home game v Liverpool he was soon making his mark but yeah both took time to settle.

Naturally.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Peters was a typical Ramsey player. He'd play anywhere on the pitch and give a 6 or 7/10 performance every week.

Colin wasn't at Peters' level of experience in 1965/66, and wasn't anywhere near Alf's squad list for the WC at that time. The only thing Peters ever had over Colin was his age. He was there at the right time, with the right club, with Bobby Moore. He was a safe bet as a squad player for Ramsey.

In 1965/66, Colin was still a 2nd division player, untested at 'top' level. Lower division football was a desert as far as the national press was concerned, and very few 2nd division players ever got a mention. That changed over 66/67, as City got used to being back in the first division. I remember Colin Bell controlling play 'between the boxes' virtually single handed against top teams like Liverpool, Leeds and Spurs.

By the start of 67/68, everyone knew about Bell, Lee, Summerbee, and Alf Ramsey started to take interest. By the end of that season, we were possibly the best team in Europe, having put the rags back in their box.

I could go on for hours... to get back on topic, I can honestly say that the only player I've seen at City at least as good, (and probably better than during 2013/14) is Yaya Toure.

I doubt very much that I'll ever see a better player than 2014 Yaya at City in my lifetime. I'm just glad I was there to see both him and Colin Bell.

Great Post , and thanks for that .
Could you ,as your memory of the era is insightful.....explain the Terry Paine question. He was at Southampton in the 2nd division at same time as Bell at City ...but Paine was picked for the world cup squad ....even tho a lower league player ...maybe just due to lack of quality options in his winger position..
I'm aware he played extremely consistently for Southampton FC back in the day becoming their club appearance record holder 516 league games iirc....but don't know much about him

 

[mancity111]

Pretty bloody good if you ask me.

When we needed a lift or someone to do something out of the box to change the course of a game arise Sir Yaya.

Yaya yeah yeah.

Had is quiet moments but loved him to bits , could do with him at his best right now.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

You’re responding to a rag using ChatGPT mate. Don’t waste your time

Thanks for the heads up ; )