Pick one retired player, living or dead, to add to the current team.

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Underappreciated talents, Di Steffano the same, every bit as good as Pele etc.

I seem to recall Di Steffano deliberately kicking a pen over the bar because he didn't think it was a pen. Perhaps Gundog was paying homage to Alfredo when his zipped high and wide.

 

[Gordyola]

Paul Lake.i watched him play every single outfield position for City,and there are not mamy players in our history who can say that.

Still my favourite City player of all time,Yaya was the best,imo,but Lake was a beacon of light in an unsteady era of our history and was ,on his day, simply unplayable as utd found out in the Maine rd massacre (5-1) sept 1989,when from a left midfield posistion he destroyed utd,even tho he waa right footed.

At centre mid he completely dominated first div high flyers Nottingham Forest and Watford when we were a young team from the old 2nd division ,undrr Mel Machin and the oppentents were in the top division, During our league cup run.

And he was absolutely outstanding playing at right back against Swindon at Maine road under Machin.

When he ran out at Goodison in the leaguecup quarter finals at centre forward 1988,in front of 54,000 it was probably a step too far for the lad,as was the later game ,against Liverpool that very same season (87/88) this time the fa cup quarter finals when he turned out at Centre-half...

There can not have been many players in the history of Football who have turned out for two quarter finals in the same season in such vastly different positions. Thats when you know you have a player.

Lakes last real season for City...ie befoe injury took over,was the post Italia 90 world cup, a season which opened with real optimism ,under Kendall at white hart lane,Gascoinge and Lineaker in full flow for Spurs,Lake played at centre half ,and was made captain by Howard Kendall..it seemed his career was really about to take off..

By the return fixture at Maine road he outshone Paul Gascoigne playing centre midfield..watching those two artists from rhe Kippax that day will live long in the memory....

Lakes versatility and undoubted class would have made him a welcome addition to our current squad,and Pep would have developed the player far more than Machin,Kendall or Reid eve rdid.

I was conflicted with the choice of looking at the weakness in the current team and who would fit in best as apposed to jsut saying Collin Bell who would also be fantastic under Pep then I thought of Franny Lee again would fit in well and take the chances we created However, once Paul Lake came to mind his versatility would be ideal and what a player he would have become under Pep to me he would have started every week not necessarily in the same position though So Lake for me

 

[paulchapo]

If we're talking ex City players Francis Lee would be great in this side. Tenacious, powerful, scored goals, cracking shot and he wasn't bad at winning and scoring penalties.

 

[aguero93:20]

I seem to recall Di Steffano deliberately kicking a pen over the bar because he didn't think it was a pen. Perhaps Gundog was paying homage to Alfredo when his zipped high and wide.

I did that once (well at the corner flag) and got hauled off and dropped for the next match. I wouldn't fucking mind only we were winning 4-1 at the time.

 

[Cityfan]

And he could take a penalty ....

And, rumor has it he was decent at ‘getting’ penalties (a la Salah).

I remember taking a friend of mine to the Kippax who was a bit of a Liverpool fan back in the early 80's and one oftheir players possibly Craig Johnston took a dive in the area and he couldn't understand why the Kippax burst into a chorus of Franny Lee Franny Lee Franny Lee.

 

[Grassland Blue]

Jairzinho...

 

[Berts Neck]

Great thread. Can not choose a Rag or a Scouser for obvious reasons. Avoiding curennt players too.The one player who springs to mind is Thierry Henry. Definitely a Pep style player.

 

[che_don_john]

City players, I'd say Tevez was tailor made for this side, thought I'd love to have had a peak Benarbia, too.

As for non-City players, Ashley Cole was probably the best left-back I've seen, and that's not exactly a position we've been blessed in.

 

[OntarioBlue]

There have been so many great players to choose from but I’ve decided to stay close to home. Colin Bell was the type of player Pep would build his team around. A real box to box player who had pace, could shoot, head the ball, tackle and had so much stamina he would cover every blade of grass every game. He was a truly exceptional talent.

 

[OB1]

Johan Cryuff.