Kinkladze vs Benarbia vs Silva

[LadislavMplmx]

Still Kinkladze for me.

I will never forget the cup game against West Ham. After having scored the breathtaking goal to drag us back into the game for the next ten minutes it was like the Kinkladze show and narrowly missed an equaliser after another mazy run. For those ten minutes he literally had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he repeatedly charged at the West Ham defence. It was a prime example of how a crowd can react to the events on the pitch and visa versa. Kinkladze and the fans fed of each other. I suppose my only other memory was the second half against Stoke in the 2nd division to see such unison and the transfer of energy between the crowd and the player and visa versa.

Similarly the game against Leicester in the cup. scored a wonderful goal and then preceded to create goals for Lomas, and Creaney. I will always remember the commentator describing giving him the ball as passing to the 'master quarterback' who then creates chances with a sublime pass.

Then of course the goal against QPR. Verbal abuse of Vinny Jones in the tunnel he then, from kick off, ran straight at the QPR defence beat about 6 players before being fouled on the edge of the box. He then dusted himself down and smashed the resulting free kick into the top corner. All in the first minute and I think before a QPR player had touched the ball.

Silva is silky smooth, a pleasure to watch but he does not provide a bolt of electricity into the crowd Kinkladze could.

West Ham..Leicester and QPR.............................

 

[AliBobbyJ]

I'm finding it really difficult to split them. Not in terms of talent as such because Silva wins that hands down. Certainly the best player I've seen in a city shirt, and this in a time where we are spoilt!

Benarbia was such a lovely shock. Never heard of him and that first game he turned up (my memory fails me) it was a 'who the fuck is that' moment!

But.. In terms of affection Kinkladze shades it. He was such a ray of light during such a shit time! People on here have questioned his talents but for fucks sake he shared a pitch with Craig Russell!!! I loved him to bits and his affection for the club was there for all to see when he cried when we got relegated. In, arguably, the worse city team ever he shone! And I still reckon he'd slip in to today's team!

It was Birmingham at home, September 2001. He made the kind of passes not seen at Maine Road, at any rate not by anyone in blue, for many a year. There was one little run around from a short corner he worked with someone (Edghill? Horlock?) that took the breath away, It was 3-0 at half time and after the game the Brum manager said he only wished City had signed him one week later.
Mind, no one's picked up on the name I added a few pages above, can you all be too young to remember Bobby Johnstone?

 

[franksinatra]

Still Kinkladze for me.

I will never forget the cup game against West Ham. After having scored the breathtaking goal to drag us back into the game for the next ten minutes it was like the Kinkladze show and narrowly missed an equaliser after another mazy run. For those ten minutes he literally had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he repeatedly charged at the West Ham defence. It was a prime example of how a crowd can react to the events on the pitch and visa versa. Kinkladze and the fans fed of each other. I suppose my only other memory was the second half against Stoke in the 2nd division to see such unison and the transfer of energy between the crowd and the player and visa versa.

Similarly the game against Leicester in the cup. scored a wonderful goal and then preceded to create goals for Lomas, and Creaney. I will always remember the commentator describing giving him the ball as passing to the 'master quarterback' who then creates chances with a sublime pass.

Then of course the goal against QPR. Verbal abuse of Vinny Jones in the tunnel he then, from kick off, ran straight at the QPR defence beat about 6 players before being fouled on the edge of the box. He then dusted himself down and smashed the resulting free kick into the top corner. All in the first minute and I think before a QPR player had touched the ball.

Silva is silky smooth, a pleasure to watch but he does not provide a bolt of electricity into the crowd Kinkladze could.

West Ham..Leicester and QPR.............................

Your point is?. The thread is about the most entertaining player those were three examples. I could easily have chucked in the Newcastle 3-3 who were chasing for the title. It is not an argument who was the best player but the most entertaining. Not seen a similar performance from Silva (entertaining wise) against any of those teams.

 

[ancoats]

Kinky, was and remains the only one of the 3 who could single handedly win a game. If all 3 were to play Wembley (older fans played this on grass with real balls before PlayStations) then Kinky would win on most occasions. On that basis, and as an individual, he was better and remains the closest player I've seen that ( fleetingly I'll admit) could match Messi.

Silva is the best playmaker we've ever had and should be, due to his longevity, considered more important to the club.

Benarbia on talent had a some Silva with a sprinkle of Kinkladze. Sadly we got him too late and to be fair he barely showed it at Premier League level as he had little pace.

For me Yaya is City's most important player however I don't like him.

This is pretty much my opinion too.

Kinky was the best individual player I've seen. Silva is the best overall I've seen. Benarbia had a bit of both of their games. And Yaya frustrates me a lot.

spot on

kinky was a match winner that bit of magic in them little feet you could not read him or knock him off the ball. much like messi at barca he will kill you when he is on fire the rest just give him the ball when he's hot

Manchester city did not have a clue what we had or how to use him and just put him in the team thinking he would do it 3 or 4 times every game and just pick 9 others outfield players to make up the numbers

but like messi at barca he is part of a team not just a match winner they have other great players around him to make him look better than the rest YES he is the best in the world but I would bet he would be the first to say its the team around him

Kinkladze in this Manchester city team at his peak would be up there with messi and would walk into barca and real Madrid team if city would be daft to sell him

if there is 1 thing missing from Manchester city and the new setup its a player who can beat somebody not just once but 3 or 4 times and then score with a chip over the keeper

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

Kinky, was and remains the only one of the 3 who could single handedly win a game. If all 3 were to play Wembley (older fans played this on grass with real balls before PlayStations) then Kinky would win on most occasions. On that basis, and as an individual, he was better and remains the closest player I've seen that ( fleetingly I'll admit) could match Messi.

Silva is the best playmaker we've ever had and should be, due to his longevity, considered more important to the club.

Benarbia on talent had a some Silva with a sprinkle of Kinkladze. Sadly we got him too late and to be fair he barely showed it at Premier League level as he had little pace.

For me Yaya is City's most important player however I don't like him.

This is pretty much my opinion too.

Kinky was the best individual player I've seen. Silva is the best overall I've seen. Benarbia had a bit of both of their games. And Yaya frustrates me a lot.

For one of individual brilliance Kinkladze.

For consistent performance level and technical ability, Silva.

For big moments in big games that have transformed the fortunes of our club, Yaya.

 

[warringtonblue]

Kinkladze never had the players around him to make the call.

He was so far in front of the players we had then in terms of vision it is an unfair comparision. Imagine him in todays team !!

And Deyna is missing from the list !!

He'd be real busy 2 minutes before kick off, collecting all the tricky tops off the rest and making sure all the balls are off the pitch

 

[warringtonblue]

F"¥$€##%g spell check, tracks tops, lol

 

[northstander]

how do you choose ? all three top quality players in their own way, in their own era for the blues, kinky wonderful goals ( Southampton ) great vision, bernarbia great vision and sublime skill alas too late to fully appreciate him, silva, great vision, great skills, sublime passing, decent goalscoring, and he will track back and defend, for the premiership years it has to be silva. Berkovic was also a great player during his time with us.
pre premiership in my lifetime of supporting the blues ie late 60's, COLIN BELL and as mentioned kazio deyna.

 

[ancoats]

how do you choose ? all three top quality players in their own way, in their own era for the blues, kinky wonderful goals ( Southampton ) great vision, bernarbia great vision and sublime skill alas too late to fully appreciate him, silva, great vision, great skills, sublime passing, decent goalscoring, and he will track back and defend, for the premiership years it has to be silva. Berkovic was also a great player during his time with us.
pre premiership in my lifetime of supporting the blues ie late 60's, COLIN BELL and as mentioned kazio deyna.

silva for me does not score enough goals he will pass it when you think shooooot but what a player bernarbia was a great player but lacked that bit of speed when at city maybe the age but great player
Kinkladze was the best in a very bad team and in a very badly run club at the time

like I said if united had him or Liverpool or arsenal the 3 big teams at that time they would be
rewriting the history books and still talking about him today he was that good

 

[Cheesy]

I loved watching Kinky back in the day. He was a shining light in a time of darkness.

However, to say he was world class or in the same league as the likes of Messi is, quite frankly, bloody stupid. We saw the best of him at City and it was great to watch but when he moved onwards (& upwards at the time) to Ajax he showed that he just didn't have what it takes to be classed as a great.

As I said, I loved the little guy but he wouldn't even get in our squad now.