All Time Team

[spionfox]

let's not forget O'Farrell, either, please.

MmM

It was all downhill for him after leaving us.

 

[DesertFox]

Methinks I exaggerated

But here's a dozen or so

Chandler
Rowley
Worthington
Keyworth
Clarke
Lineker
Smith
Joachim
Claridge
Dickov
Lochhead
Cottee
Young
Melrose
Hammond

What utter tosh!

Of the players I remember, I'd remove Joachim, Claridge, Dickov, Cottee, Melrose and of course Hammond as being nowhere near as good as Heskey. Lineker is still above, Smith about equal, and I can't remember the rest.

I'm obviously wrong because the inner circle have spoken, but it's just my view. Feel free to laugh openly at it.

 

[jb5000]

I can, of course, only pick from player I've seen play, even if some of them weren't in City shirts at the time. The really shocking thing is that I can't pick a left-back that I would put in the team- would it be Neil Lewis? Jordan Stewart? Mike Whitlow? The best I can thing of is Rob Ullathorne! Joe Mattock must have a chance long-term if he clears off and makes it at a big club...

---------------Shilton-------------

Kaamark-----Elliott---Walsh-----LB

Joachim-MacCallister-Lennon-Guppy

-----------Lineker--Smith---------

Subs: Flowers, Osman, Parker, Izzet, Heskey

 

[David Gwilliam]

I thought every child born in Leicestershire knew that Arthur Chandler was City's highest goalscorer - Arthur Rowley, of course, holds the Football League goal scoring record. People talk about 'goal scoring machines' - Rowley was one and would be the first name for me on any 'all time' team sheet. The only reason he didn't play for England was because Leicester were an unfashionable club - his brother Jack who was good, but no where near as good as Arthur, got several England caps - because he played for Man U.

Leicester players who were good enough got picked for England. The ones who missed out - Rowley, Glover, Birchenall, Walsh - were great club players but just lacked international class.
I think the reason Arthur didn't play for England was that he was a Second Division goalscoring machine. There were a lot of great First Division centreforwards then including the best British centreforward I have ever seen - Nat Lofthouse from "unfashionable" Bolton who scored 30 goals in 33 England games.

 

[Redditch Fox]

Leicester players who were good enough got picked for England. The ones who missed out - Rowley, Glover, Birchenall, Walsh - were great club players but just lacked international class.
I think the reason Arthur didn't play for England was that he was a Second Division goalscoring machine. There were a lot of great First Division centreforwards then including the best British centreforward I have ever seen - Nat Lofthouse from "unfashionable" Bolton who scored 30 goals in 33 England games.

The establishment made sure that Arthur Rowley (who played in both the second and first divisions) didn't play for England - he played for England B in a televised game and it was obvious that there was no intent to provide him with any service from the wings etc. His brother Jack who a far less effective player was capped on a number of occasions.

 

[David Gwilliam]

The establishment made sure that Arthur Rowley (who played in both the second and first divisions) didn't play for England - he played for England B in a televised game and it was obvious that there was no intent to provide him with any service from the wings etc. His brother Jack who a far less effective player was capped on a number of occasions.

I will accept your judgement since not coming to Leicester until the late 1968 I never saw Arthur Rowley play. They were great days for centreforwards and if he was better than Mortenson, Milburn or Lofthouse he had to be a tremendous player.

 

[Redditch Fox]

I will accept your judgement since not coming to Leicester until the late 1968 I never saw Arthur Rowley play. They were great days for centreforwards and if he was better than Mortenson, Milburn or Lofthouse he had to be a tremendous player.

Not as straightforward as that. To start off with Rowley was an inside left rather than a centre forward like Mortenson/ Lofthouse. I saw Rowley play many times - and the other three you mention on occasions. I am not actually saying that Arthur Rowley was 'better' than the other three but I am certain that many inferior (to him) strikers got picked for England in that era and that he was well worth an England cap. I am practically certain in saying that Gordon Banks was the first Leicester player picked for England (whilst actually playing for the club) post the 2nd world war but several and especially Colin Appleton and Rowley were unfortunate. Incidentally, I am not suggesting that Rowley was the 'perfect' article. He had astonishing shooting power and was a decent header and was also excellent at opening up defences with long accurate diagonal passes to either wing...but he was of course not the fastest forward on the pitch.

 

[Redditch Fox]

Incidentally my all time team (from players I have seen) would be:

Banks/Shilton (can't choose between them)

Rodriques
Cross
Walsh (S)
Nish

Weller
Mclintock
Appleton
Gibson (D)

Lineker
Rowley

 

[David Gwilliam]

My all-time eleven from players I have seen since the 1968-69 season
Shilton
Rodrigues Elliot Walsh Nish
Weller Issett Lennon Glover
Worthington Lineker
Manager Marin O'Neill (with all due respect to Jimmy Bloomfield).
I could not leave out Worthington or Lineker although I am sure they would complement each other. I have picked Peter Rodrigues although I think his favourite sliding tackle would have led to many red cards with todays soppy rules.
I was reluctant to leave out Cross, Sammels and Guppy.
I have not picked Colleymore despite his occasional brilliance. Other players have been inept or unfit. He is the only player I have suspected of deliberately playing badly when he was in dispute with the club.

 

[Redditch Fox]

I have not picked Colleymore despite his occasional brilliance. Other players have been inept or unfit. He is the only player I have suspected of deliberately playing badly when he was in dispute with the club.

I agree and think there's a difference between players who had exceptional talent but didn't make a significant, long term input and City stalwarts. Collymore falls into the first category.

I also didn't include those very decent players : Lennon, Izzet, Savage, Guppy because I think that they were moulded into an exceptionally effective unit by a seriously astute manager in O'Neill which disguised their individual shortfalls e.g. Izzet had difficulty making a decisive, clean tackle; Lennon was a bit slow; Savage had generally limited football ability and Guppy hadn't really got the natural winger's ability to beat a defender.