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What is the greatest XI City have ever fielded?

Kid in the Riot

By Kid in the Riot
in Football Chat

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cidered abroad

cidered abroad

Posted
Posted

A brilliant thread and while I could go for some of the most memorable games with the giants of English football, so many have been mentioned by others.

So my choices are two matches at the depths of the Third and Fourth Divisions.

Firstly, what we thought might be our last ever game away to Newport County when a nil nil draw was thought to be our last result.

Secondly the Ashton Gate Babes losing 7-1 at Northampton about six months after Newport. I walked out of that match disappointed at the result but so proud of the way that all the boys fought to the last whistle.

City til I die!

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GrahamC

GrahamC

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Posted (edited)
43 minutes ago, stephenkibby. said:

Has to be the side that beat Liverpool in 77 last home game of the season, 40,000 or more in that night.

Liverpool already league Champions then going on to win the European Cup.

Shaw,Gillies,Hunter,Collier,Sweeny,Tainton,Gow,Mann,Whitehead,Garland,Ritchie.

 

Post Cheesley that probably has to be it & I reckon was the side for the Coventry game too (I was there).

It contains arguably our greatest defender in Hunter, Gary Collier (plus Sir Geoffrey) who won’t be far behind as our next best, our greatest ever midfielder, plus Thomas Ritchie, and loads of all time greats like Sween, Tainton, the late Chris Garland, Whitehead & Mann.

Looking back (I was only 13 then), that was some side.

Edited by GrahamC
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2015

2015

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Posted

Generally I think any team that you can name 1 - 11 straight away usually is a good side.

I think we have a few seasons worth of sides that can be named aside from the obvious 1970s teams.

1989/90, 1997/98, 2002/03, 2007/08, 2014/15, 2017/18  for the majority on OTIB will always be remembered quite easily as starting elevens go.

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Kid in the Riot

Kid in the Riot

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15 minutes ago, Dolman_Stand said:

Surely the team that beat United and ran Guardiola's City close has to be in the discussion?

The performance and result at Man C in the first leg is the highest level I've seen City perform at in my lifetime. We narrowly lost to one of the best teams in recent top flight history. 

BUT I still can't believe that's the greatest XI ever fielded at this club. 

  • 1Fielding
  • 5Wright
  • 4FlintBooked at 56mins
  • 6Baker
  • 23MagnússonSubstituted forWalshat 72'minutes
  • 8Brownhill
  • 21Pack
  • 7SmithBooked at 58mins
  • 3BryanBooked at 60mins
  • 20Paterson
  • 14Reid
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hollydog

hollydog

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Posted
2 hours ago, cityexile said:

Can only go back in my time, but this has got to be up there..

Saturday 21 August 1976. Arsenal 0, Bristol City 1.

Raymond Cashley

Gary Collier

Brian Drysdale

Geoff Merrick

Gerald Gow

Jimmy Mann

Gerry Sweeney

Trevor Tainton

Clive Whitehead

Paul Cheesley

Thomas Ritchie

Manager: Alan Dicks

Very difficult to argue with this (in my lifetime a least). Importantly a great team - much more than the sum of their parts.

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Davefevs

Davefevs

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1 hour ago, ralphindevon said:

Harsh on Royle! He’s got the winner against Liverpool in your first game and you’ve binned him off…..

Not having Cheesley for more than one and a half top flight games is a burden all us fans of a certain age will always have. What might have been.

Although I was a huge fan of Norman Hunter, if I had to pick a team on a certain day it’d have to be the away to Arsenal team. 

Yep, he got a hatrick in my second game too, against Cov (5-0)!!!

If you have to pick a team that actually played a match, that 76 game v Arsenal, from the highlights, seems about as good as any of us living will have witnessed.

 

Digressing slightly, the Jordan team of 89/90 was one of my favourites and in terms of a single game, the 5-1 victory against Fulham at home over Easter was amazing.  We were so good in attack I can only recall off the top of my head the front 6….

Shelton and Rennie in CM

Gavin and Smith on the wings

and Taylor and Turner….no, Ferguson and Morgan up top.

Not sure who was in goal, Llewelyn at RB, Bailey at LB, Newman CB.

 

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ralphindevon

ralphindevon

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7 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Yep, he got a hatrick in my second game too, against Cov (5-0)!!!

If you have to pick a team that actually played a match, that 76 game v Arsenal, from the highlights, seems about as good as any of us living will have witnessed.

 

Digressing slightly, the Jordan team of 89/90 was one of my favourites and in terms of a single game, the 5-1 victory against Fulham at home over Easter was amazing.  We were so good in attack I can only recall off the top of my head the front 6….

Shelton and Rennie in CM

Gavin and Smith on the wings

and Taylor and Turner….no, Ferguson and Morgan up top.

Not sure who was in goal, Llewelyn at RB, Bailey at LB, Newman CB.

 

Oh yeah, loved that Fulham game. We were in the open end. Cracking easter game. 

Loved that tean too. 

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GrahamC

GrahamC

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7 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Yep, he got a hatrick in my second game too, against Cov (5-0)!!!

If you have to pick a team that actually played a match, that 76 game v Arsenal, from the highlights, seems about as good as any of us living will have witnessed.

 

Digressing slightly, the Jordan team of 89/90 was one of my favourites and in terms of a single game, the 5-1 victory against Fulham at home over Easter was amazing.  We were so good in attack I can only recall off the top of my head the front 6….

Shelton and Rennie in CM

Gavin and Smith on the wings

and Taylor and Turner….no, Ferguson and Morgan up top.

Not sure who was in goal, Llewelyn at RB, Bailey at LB, Newman CB.

 

Without looking it up I’d say probably Ronnie Sinclair in goal & Glenn Humphries as the other CB.

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ralphindevon

ralphindevon

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7 minutes ago, AshtonGreat said:

On a slightly separate note, I was just looking at our 2014-15/squad. I'd forgotten how prolific a scorer Aden Flint was. With a record of nearly 1 in 4, he was our second-highest goalscorer, ahead of Kieran Agard. Amazing really

The games against Bradford and Walsall would be up there as best performances but you'd have to look at the quality of the opposition 

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fisherrich

fisherrich

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10 hours ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

I think that you may be right. We knew at the time that they were a good team but, as in so many things, it’s the passage of time which makes us realise just how exceptional they were. That Arsenal game was Cheesley’s last full match as a fully fit footballer and even though I was fortunate to see Atyeo play a few times, Cheese was destined to be, imo, our best ever striker. Gow was simply our greatest ever midfielder whilst Merrick and Collier were the most cultured and effective central defensive pairing we’ve ever had.

Weve had some fabulous players over the years but, as a team, this was the best. Shame that we had our best ever team almost 50 years ago!

As for the best manager, I’m torn. Alan Dicks or Danny Wilson? Hmmm.

Best City 11 by far.

Paul Cheesley was at his peak. Potential England player in the future. So cruel how the Stoke City home game injury finished his career. I was sat in Dolman B block that game and saw it happen in front of me. Did not realise at the time how serious it was.
The 75/76/77 seasons were when I fell in love with Bristol City. That love affair I will take to the grave.
Even if the current Bristol Sport setup I totally disagree with. Sod the rugby & basketball. We need new owners.

Edited by fisherrich
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Red Exile

Red Exile

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Posted

Great thread. Strikes me - looking back to the early 70s - that all the great City line ups had a consistency and the teams that 'more than the sum of the parts' feel.

I can't disagree with the 76-77 side as the greatest, not least because even after all these years - and I was in my early teens then - I could still name each player and their position. But the same would be true of the GJ side that got to the play-offs, or the Cotts side from 2014-15. I mean Flint & Wilbs are unlikely to feature in lists of the greatest ever City players - but they were vital cogs in well oiled machines - and it was a pleasure to watch a team playing so effectively as a collective. 

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1960maaan

1960maaan

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Posted

Bit late to this, but for me and probably anyone of a certain age it has to be the Arsenal line up.
Against a top side, just signed "superMac" we totally deserved a win.
That team worked well together, had grown up together and it showed. Not just that but;

Gary Collier , absolute Rolls Royce of a CB. Gutted when he left using the new freedom rules.
Geoff Merrick , top quality defender who could have been playing for Arsenal that day.
Gerry Gow, legend !
Jimmy Mann, very under rated MF with a tremendous shot.
Tom Ritchie, I didn't realise what a great player he was until he came back when we were shite.
Clive Whitehead, the best winger I've ever seen on his day. 2 footed , could dribble , pacey and a great crosser.
Then Cheesley , could have been the best striker we ever had, and I know thats a bold statement. Fast, strong, could shoot with either foot, monster in the air and strong. Missed an England U23 call up to play for us, and I'm convinced he would have played for England if not for the injury. He had the lot.
Add 2 decent Fb's, Speedy was a real fav of mine, and Trevor Tainton an unsung hero of the team for years. It was special. The one weak link IMO , was Cashley. Did a very solid job , but I never felt convinced. 

 

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TomThumb84

TomThumb84

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2 hours ago, Offside said:

For me, the 1989-90 team at it’s best was absolutely sublime. 


Sinclair

 

Llewellyn

Humphries

Newman

Bailey

 

Gavin

Shelton

Rennie

Smith

 

Taylor

Turner

 

I’d second this (my lifetime).

Unreal season and side and the front 4 (which it was at times when we were in full flow), of Gavin, Smith, and the T-men was as special.

Gavin and Taylor especially would have been in high demand for high money if it was now.

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Davefevs

Davefevs

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2 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Without looking it up I’d say probably Ronnie Sinclair in goal & Glenn Humphries as the other CB.

I think you’re right.

16 minutes ago, TomF said:

I think you've gotta consider that 1906/07 season side too - promoted the year before winning 30 out of 38 games and then finishing 2nd first year in the first division.  Only our home form (lost 5) let us down from winning the title (Newcastle won all but 1 game at home which is staggering). That's also (05/06) when we originally set the record for consecutive wins at 14.. 

it’s like you were there Tom.

12 minutes ago, Super said:

Andy Llewellyn always delivered.

The problem was when nobody was home!

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italian dave

italian dave

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Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

The performance and result at Man C in the first leg is the highest level I've seen City perform at in my lifetime. We narrowly lost to one of the best teams in recent top flight history. 

BUT I still can't believe that's the greatest XI ever fielded at this club. 

  • 1Fielding
  • 5Wright
  • 4FlintBooked at 56mins
  • 6Baker
  • 23MagnússonSubstituted forWalshat 72'minutes
  • 8Brownhill
  • 21Pack
  • 7SmithBooked at 58mins
  • 3BryanBooked at 60mins
  • 20Paterson
  • 14Reid

I guess that highlights something you could probably say about any of the posts in this thread: greatest XI as in best team or best 11 individuals??

Edited by italian dave
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