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

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ballet-on-ice
  • Start date Start date
Pity you didn’t stipulate ex City players only. If that were the case I would go for a left back as that is the most obvious area of weakness.
Willie Donarchie would do a better job than Mendy ever could - bombing down the wing and putting crosses in.

However, Nelly (Glyn Pardoe; my favourite player as a kid) would do a job as a right footed left back. He’d fit into Pep’s system no problem.

Nelly at left back and Cancello at right back would give great balance as inverted wing backs when in possession.

As a kid I was one of those scruffy urchins selling the MEN (in the days before it became a rag fanzine) half time and final score papers at the match out of the back of the big yellow MEN printing van. Maine Rd one week and that shit hole the other. I was at the Derby when Nelly got his broken leg. We (scruffy paper selling kids) never got inside the ground until they opened the gates at three quarter time and I was walking round Old Trafford when I saw an ambulance. I walked over at the same time Glyn was being put into it. I didn’t say anything but waved, shyly, to him and he smiled back. I have a vivid picture in my mind of him laying on the stretcher (down to the beads of sweat on his face) and can still smell the lineament which filled the air whenever I think about it.

Anyway, Glyn Pardoe at left back.
 
IT and Me said:
Pity you didn’t stipulate ex City players only. If that were the case I would go for a left back as that is the most obvious area of weakness.
Willie Donarchie would do a better job than Mendy ever could - bombing down the wing and putting crosses in.

However, Nelly (Glyn Pardoe; my favourite player as a kid) would do a job as a right footed left back. He’d fit into Pep’s system no problem.

Nelly at left back and Cancello at right back would give great balance as inverted wing backs when in possession.

As a kid I was one of those scruffy urchins selling the MEN (in the days before it became a rag fanzine) half time and final score papers at the match out of the back of the big yellow MEN printing van. Maine Rd one week and that shit hole the other. I was at the Derby when Nelly got his broken leg. We (scruffy paper selling kids) never got inside the ground until they opened the gates at three quarter time and I was walking round Old Trafford when I saw an ambulance. I walked over at the same time Glyn was being put into it. I didn’t say anything but waved, shyly, to him and he smiled back. I have a vivid picture in my mind of him laying on the stretcher (down to the beads of sweat on his face) and can still smell the lineament which filled the air whenever I think about it.

Anyway, Glyn Pardoe at left back.
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I enjoyed that post
 
If we didn't already have three quality CBs, I'd say Ronald Koeman. Free kicks and penalties would suddenly be sorted out.
 
Apologies for this - I feel dirty as I write it - but I think fake Ronaldo aged around 27 would be the player to make the team invincible.

He was fast, a great finisher, could take penalties reliably and very strong in the air - the only worry would be whether his ego would allow him to put the team first.
 
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Doyle - wouldn’t be able to keep up with the speed of play, couldn’t pass in our team but hell I wouldn’t like to be an opposition player upending Sterling, KDB, Bernardo etc if he was on the pitch - they would soon know about it !
 
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 everr did.

Edit .it was actually Shrewsbury at home not Swindon when Lake played right back..we went two goals up,cruising...,then collapsed,carl griffiths poaching two to force the draw.we later signed griffiths....
 
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If we're keeping it to City only Kinky would have been a Ballon D'or winner if Guardiola got him in this team young enough so Kinky.
 
Dave Ewing's Back 'eader said:
I was thinking of Puskas, but I came to the conclusion he would be too good and would be impatient with the lesser quality that the current squad would provide for him. I think I'd take Puskas ahead of Cruyff.
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Underappreciated talents, Di Steffano the same, every bit as good as Pele etc.
 
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