Googoo said:
In terms of sheer excitement Gio is the only one of the 3 who you felt could beat all 10 of the opposition in 1 run- many times he certainly got past 4/5/6. Anyone who was at Gigg Lane when he won a penalty for us check out the run he made on YouTube or of course the Soton goal and the classic Gio videos. Of course I love watching David and loved Ali B - which football fan wouldn't but they tend to run or dictate games with little bits of luxury thrown in with nearly every touch- but Gio was the firecracker. The best natural talent running with a ball I have seen at City in 43 years. Check on the bids his pace with the ball from a standing start.
I'm not sure how many of his critics would care to show a bit of empathy for the poor lad? He came from war torn Tiblisi and was dreadfully homesick he even got his Mum to come over and live with him. Carlos Tevez notoriously came from the dirt poor slums but he had an agent who for good or bad was there to guide and support him- Georgi had his Mim for a bit. Do his critics understand what chaos City were in under first Ball and then the 5 managers in. a season. Stockport away, Eddie McGoldrick and GED Brannan?!!!! And Gio was lazy!!!!! So he was supposed to defend, win the ball back and then beat 6 men? To say he is lazy shows a non understanding of the game- same as people with YaYa. Of course he's not going to work as hard as Paul Dickov or Jeff Whitley - neither does David Silva! How many ball winning tackles does David make or how many 50 yard runs tracking back to block someone does he do? Of course he doesn't because that takes away from what he is brilliant at - you would be insane to call David lazy as he works his bollocks off every game in his own way to influence it. Yet Gio is termed lazy!
Oh and if he was so good how come City got relegated? Another old chestnut. So George Best was crap because NI never did anything, oh and King Colin was crap because at his peak (70-76) England couldn't even qualify for a major championship in 74 , 76 or 78(I know he had been injured). Football is a Team game. How come David was not that good when YaYa and Nasri were both out- because It's a team game!!!!!
I think with the players we have now ( and a sensible manager) Gio would turn this team into dynamite with David and YaYa creating the situations- how are you going to mark him- for goodness sake he can hurt you from just outside his own box?
I feel very strongly about this as I love a lot of our past and current players but Gio should have been a world star and wasn't partly because like a lot of us he has his weaknesses but mostly down to circumstance but I can't ever forget what he did for us and those runs and bridge rays of sunshine through very gloomy skies
All the best
That is a great post and sums up a lot of my beliefs, just much more eloquently put. There was no doubt he did not achieve the greatness his talent deserved but I can only judge him as a City player and he was incredible. That first season in the Premiership he lit up that league like no other player and as we dropped into the relegation zone his reputation continued to grow.
Its funny people keep raving about Barclay, 22 years old and just starting to make an impression in the Premiership and yet this lad walked into the country in August, as a 22 year old, speaking little english, into a completely alien environment, and was taking the league by storm two months later. For me it speaks absolute volumes about his talent.
Like you stated he had a number of personality weaknesses. It is impossible to imagine the effect his upbringing, the civil war, his friends and teammates being murdered had on him as an individual particularly as they were too far in the distant past. In addition to this he arrived at City at the worst time and arguably, as an individual, he moved to Ajax at a terrible time due to the Litmanen situation.
Having a player like Kinkladze was as our act of defiance. As the clubs collapsed into turmoil the only thing we could grab hold of was the fact we had such a wonderful player and like you have stated he would be the perfect player in this team as a player who is able to beat a man, commit defenders, break at pace is luxury we do not have in this team.
Another criticism is he lacked consistency. Again it is another example of having a great player at the wrong time. Players like Silva excel in this team because City dominate possession and therefore have more time on the ball to express themselves, to create, and to link the play with his tremendous intricate passing. The team is set up to garner the best out of his ability.
The City of 95-98 was a very different proposition. We struggled to keep the ball, Kinkladze was surrounded by substandard players, playing for a number of inept manager for a club in complete free fall. If anything it amazes me he was able to put in the performances he did.
If for nothing else Kinkladze should be remembered for his incredible loyalty. I very much doubt any of our current players would follow us down into the Championship, particularly the flair players who would likely be kicked to death. Again back in the 90s football was much more physical. The fact he stayed, suffered all that when his star shone brightest speaks volumes about the man.
