Vincent Kompany

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Not old enough to have seen the likes of Colin bell etc play, i've heard stories and seen the odd clip but was he considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his peak? Kompany is certainly one of, if not the best defender right now and has been for the last 3-4 years.

Do supporters of other teams that are of an age to remember that era consider Bell or whoever else to have been right up there with anybody else of that era? I don't hear many non-city supporters talk about him much. I'm confident in 20-30 years time Kompany will still be talked about as being one of the finest defenders of this era.

Not forgetting footballers nowadays are of a much higher calibre in general than those from past years. We've got the best team we've ever had with a large number of the best players we've ever had right now. It's a good time to be a blue.

Colin Bell would walk into the current City side. If supporters of other clubs don't go on about him, it's probably only because the blanket television exposure that exists today, did not exist then. Ultimately he won 48 (I think) England caps, at a time when there weren't meaningless international friendlies galore to boost tallies, and he lost the last 4 years of his England career to injury. As a player he had the lot. Skill, pace, power, height and an engine that never ran out of fuel

 

[stonerblue]

Did anyone see the tweet from our skipper goading the manyooo fans?



Thought not

Go on then...you know you want to...

WHOOSH....

 

[Blumers Bloomers]

Best defender in my lifetime - come a long way since I first started watching and our esteemed captain and central defender was BRIAN GAYLE, not sure anyone was labeling him world class!!!

-- Mon Sep 23, 2013 9:41 pm --

PFA Player of the year 2014 Vincent Kompany (Outright) Odds: 66/1

Betvictor.

Fill your boots. If he stays fit, he's in with a shout. Having a large Belgian contingent in the league won't do his chances any harm either.

That's a great bet. I would imagine he'd be very popular amongst fellow professionals, regardless of whether or not they are Belgian, although I take your point!

 

[jimharri]

Best defender in my lifetime - come a long way since I first started watching and our esteemed captain and central defender was BRIAN GAYLE, not sure anyone was labelling him world class!!!

Unlike the legend that is/was Spencer Prior!

 

[Didsbury Dave]

In terms of the question asked, there's never been a time in my life when you could genuinely say that city had a player who was the best In the world in his position. But vinny is at the level where it can genuinely be considered a serious proposition.

From what my dad says, the only time in living memory that was the case with another city player was trautmann.

 

[Blumers Bloomers]

Best defender in my lifetime - come a long way since I first started watching and our esteemed captain and central defender was BRIAN GAYLE, not sure anyone was labeling him world class!!!

Unlike the legend that is/was Spencer Prior!

Prior wasn't THAT bad, we've certainly had worse!

 

[City Raider]

hard to compare as not like with like, both supreme players and if i had to choose vk's leadership qualities might just give him the edge

and for someone who grew up absolutely idolising bell this isn't a discussion i thought i'd ever get near to witnessing

 

[jimharri]

Best defender in my lifetime - come a long way since I first started watching and our esteemed captain and central defender was BRIAN GAYLE, not sure anyone was labeling him world class!!!

Unlike the legend that is/was Spencer Prior!

Prior wasn't THAT bad, we've certainly had worse!

Agreed (Vaughan springs to mind from the boys of '99!) but it'd be a stretch to label Prior as world class, hence my (failed!) attempt at irony! As for your comment re. '' the best defender of my lifetime'', I would say that Vincent is the best defender I've seen at City since (and maybe including) Dave Watson. We're blessed to have him at our club.

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

Like for like the nearest I can compare him to is Dave Watson.
Very similar all round ability but Vince has the added edge of athleticism of the modern day player.

 

[OB1]

Not old enough to have seen the likes of Colin bell etc play, i've heard stories and seen the odd clip but was he considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his peak? Kompany is certainly one of, if not the best defender right now and has been for the last 3-4 years.

Do supporters of other teams that are of an age to remember that era consider Bell or whoever else to have been right up there with anybody else of that era? I don't hear many non-city supporters talk about him much. I'm confident in 20-30 years time Kompany will still be talked about as being one of the finest defenders of this era.

Not forgetting footballers nowadays are of a much higher calibre in general than those from past years. We've got the best team we've ever had with a large number of the best players we've ever had right now. It's a good time to be a blue.

Colin Bell would walk into the current City side. If supporters of other clubs don't go on about him, it's probably only because the blanket television exposure that exists today, did not exist then. Ultimately he won 48 (I think) England caps, at a time when there weren't meaningless international friendlies galore to boost tallies, and he lost the last 4 years of his England career to injury. As a player he had the lot. Skill, pace, power, height and an engine that never ran out of fuel

Bell was special and his injury cost him the wider acclaim that I am sure he would have garnered. His unique fitness levels (he was / is a bit of freak of nature: larger than normal lung capacity and lower than normal pulse rate or something like that) would surely have allowed him to play on at the highest level well into his thirties had he not been injured. Relatively speaking, I recall how people raved about Bryan Robson not so long after Bell retired and that guy was not fit to lace the King's boots.